johnnymk

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/article...ticleID=418018


PORT CHARLOTTE -- A local entrepreneur is about to begin marketing hydrogen-assisted fuel system kits that manufacturers say could turn even gas-guzzling American cars into vehicles that get as much as 70 miles per gallon.

It's the fuel system the big oil companies don't want the motoring public to know about, according to Pascal Schreier, founder of EcoGaniCo, a Port Charlotte company that also markets small electric vehicles.

There's only one problem: The technology works in theory, but making it work in ordinary cars has proven tricky, Schreier said. And, he said, he doesn't want to start selling the kits until he can provide assurance they will perform as intended.

Now, Schreier thinks he has the solution. He's teamed up with a hydro-fuel system technician, Stefan Reindl of California, to offer seminars here. The goal is to train mechanics from across the state how to tune the modified fuel systems.

Schreier and Reindl held their first seminar June 27-29. Nine mechanics from as far away as North Carolina participated, Schreier said. They worked on tuning cars at Schreier's garage throughout that weekend.

Schreier plans to bring Reindl back each month to continue holding the training programs.

"Right now, there's a big failure rate (with the hydro systems)," said Schreier. "But we're right there, close to solving it."

Schreier said he equipped his family's Jeep Wrangler with one of the systems a few months ago. Its performance actually declined. He said the fuel economy dropped from 18 miles per gallon to only 12 mpg.

The system wasn't delivering the appropriate mixture of air and gasoline to the engine, and the device's draw on the electrical system, which amounts to about 15 amps, was dragging down the performance, he said.

That's because, in ordinary cars, the automakers have preprogrammed the vehicles' computers to automatically adjust the air/fuel ratio so that it amounts to about 14.7 parts air to 1 part gasoline, explained Reindl.

The hydrogen fuel system enrichens the fuel to the point a car engine will run on a mixture of more than 20 parts of air to 1 part gasoline, he said.

The trick is to modify the vehicles so their computers will let them run on the leaner mixture, Reindl said.

The system zaps water with electricity in a device similar to a battery to generate hydrogen and oxygen. The water must be periodically replenished.

The enrichened fuel is then fed through another device that uses magnets to ionize the fuel molecules. That reduces their size by some 100 times, from 300 nanograms to 3 nanograms, according to Reindl. And that makes the fuel more combustible, he said.

In theory, that reduces the amount of gasoline needed to run the car. It also reduces emissions to the point water is the primary emission, he said.

At least one other Port Charlotte mechanic who is not connected to Schreier or Reindl also believes hydrogen-assist fuel systems offer the key alternative to exorbitant fuel costs and excessive emissions.

But Lenny Kaplan of Fast & Easy Auto Repair, also warned the products pose a risk of rip-off.

Kaplan said he's been researching the devices, which cost from $60 to $1,200. He is planning to test one on his own vehicle before offering to install them for customers.

His research has told him the devices not only need the appropriate mix of air and fuel, but also a stable supply of electricity.

"I've been following hydrogen for a while," Kaplan said. "Hydrogen is going to be the next fuel. It burns hotter but cools faster and cleans out the engine. Basically, the only emission is water."

Gregg Marrapodi of Gregg's Automotive Repair Center in Punta Gorda said he participated in EcoGaniCo's seminar in late June in hopes of learning how to tune the kits.

"Well, they do work," he said. "It's just, each vehicle is different. It's not as 'plug and play' as people want to believe."

Marrapodi said he's installed a kit in his 2007 Tundra pickup. The device boosted mileage from 16 mpg to 30 mpg -- until the truck reached 55 mph. Then the fuel efficiency dropped back down, he said.

"That wasn't satisfactory," he said. "I think we were having problems with some of the components that were delivered."

To tune the vehicles, Reindl hooks up a laptop computer that reads various parameters of the engine's performance. It measures the mixture of air and fuel and engine temperature.

Using a voltmeter, Reindl then installs resistors and other devices that alter the electronic signals from the vehicle's computer. He keeps tinkering until the computer tells him the fuel mixture is optimum.

Schreier, a commercial pilot with an education in aeronautics and economics, said he met Reindl a few weeks ago after searching for a technician to tune his Jeep.

Reindl was giving a seminar in West Palm Beach at the time. So, Schreier drove his Jeep to the seminar. Reindl tuned it up.

The two men realized they shared a common interest; both are automotive engineers from south Germany. A partnership quickly formed.

"With some luck and time, I met Stefan," said Schreier. "Now, there are two Germans working together on this."

Schreier said the public has shown keen interest in his company's electric car products. But, the fuel system seems more marketable, he said.

"It seems hard to sell someone a $12,000 (electric) car when we have all these gas-powered cars that just need help," he said.

Reindl said he has 25 years experience in automotive engineering. He is currently working to develop a computer that could be installed with the kits to automatically adjust the fuel system.

He said he's not worried that other companies will beat him to the breakthrough.

"The retrofit market is $169 billion," he said, referring to value of the units that could be placed in cars already on the roads. "So, why would I worry?"

A request for comment from the American Petroleum Institute was not answered Friday. A request for comment from the Association of International Automakers was declined.

For more information, call Schreier at 941-628-6000 or visit www.EcoGaniCo.com.

VTGreg

Sounds like a compelling idea but it also sounds very risky. First of all, I'm sure this voids the warranty on your car so it may not be advisable unless your car is out of warranty or you are a gearhead. Secondly, you will be dependent on the mechanic who installs the system to perform all service.

The idea definitely has a lot of potential but I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig.

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Prngr44

Sounds very interesting.

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Cubsfan

Assuming that this actually works as well as he says, it would be awesome if a car manufacturer started including this on new models. Seems like it would be a big incentive to trade in your 25mpg car for a 70mpg new car.

Jeffbx

Yeah, if this actually works I'd imagine it would be standard equipment on new cars - mfrs would be lining up to get their hands on it.

mojo

i've been following this technology for a few months, myself. i hope someone proves it out soon.

some guy in florida claims to have converted his ford escort into a sort of hybrid that runs half gasoline and half "klein's gas," and gets 50mpg

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InfiniteNothing

You still need a huge battery like a conventional hybrid.

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Daedalus

Sorry, no deal. What theories exactly back these claims? The explanation hinges on 2 components: Enrichening the fuel with hydrogen and polarizing the gas molecules.

The hydrogen one is easy to dismiss. You burn fuel in the engine, which turns the alternator, which drives electrolysis to put energy into water to create hydrogen (fuel), which is then burned for energy. If all processes were 100% efficient you would get all the energy from the fuel back but no more than that. And no energy transfer process is 100% efficient.

The polarized molecules theory doesn't make sense either. I don't believe you can polarize gasoline molecules with magnets. I don't believe the molecule shrinks to 1/100 its size. Regardless, the energy stored in the hydrocarbon bonds doesn't change. You still break out the same number of Cs, Hs, and Os as before, and they will create the same amount of energy. BTW fuel line magnets have been sold for years, but they have never ever stood up to real scientific scrutiny. Too lazy to dig, but I'm sure there have been successful lawsuits against them.

Snake oil salesmen have been making crazy claims for fraudulent products to do amazing things with energy and gas mileage, and this is one of them. I think the guys' resumes have a lot to do with getting folks to believe in this stuff, and I wonder if the resumes haven't been embellished a bunch. I mean, if some unemployed burger flipper said the exact same thing people would be more likely to write him off immediately.

SteveB

How could a motor stand to run that lean? Changing the A/F ratio by 25% couldn't be a good thing could it?

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Daedalus

You're right, but my interpretation is that the stated A/F ratio only counts the gasoline as fuel. The hydrogen isn't factored into the ratio, but it's a fuel too, which is why they have to do so much work to trick the ECU. Otherwise the ECU would get very confused, as the MAP/MAF that measures the air going in wouldn't jive with the O2 sensor readings for residual air after combustion.
You're touching on something else that doesn't make sense to me. They stated 15A to get enough hydrogen out to take the place of all the missing fuel, but this doesn't sound like it would anywhere near enough. Gasoline is amazingly energy-dense, whereas electrolysis is a pretty slow process. 15 amps at 14 volts = 210 watts = .28 HP. It's like they're burning 27% less gasoline while adding back only .28 HP. Makes sense if the engine is only putting out 1 HP (and ignoring thermodynamic laws for getting the hydrogen). That probably wouldn't even drive the AC compressor.

mojo

i believe mythbusters did the work for you on this one. they tested one of those line magnets and it did bupkis