Gas Free America

Gas prices are driving us ALL up the wall. Here in Illinois, gas jumped from $4.17 to $4.35 overnight! {{EDIT – July 16th, 7:31 pm – now it’s back down to $4.17. **SIGH** }}

So why DOES gas cost so much?
Transportation costs? Ha – the gas companies are CREATING that problem.
There’s less oil to be found? I think not.

So how can we save money while still driving in our cars?

A simple way to save gas: Add water

Jana Peterson, Forum Communications Company
Published Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Brothers Jay and Rick Plante have always been mechanics of the shade-tree variety — meaning they like to tinker with their own vehicles — but the steady upward march of gas prices prompted both men to take their hobby a step further. 

 

Like many others, they’re using synthetic oil and making sure their tires are aired up properly. They drive more slowly and try to plan trips wisely to conserve gas.

Brothers Rick (left) and Jay Plante add distilled water to the two electrolyzers in Jay’s car that break down water molecules to release the hydrogen he is using to supplement gasoline in his engine. Jay says he gets 10 mpg more with the hydrogen “boost.” staff photo by Jana Peterson
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Oh yeah, they’re also breaking down water molecules and using the hydrogen to supplement the gasoline in their car engines.

 

“I’m probably getting an average of 10 miles per gallon more out of a tank of gas,” Jay said, pointing to the source of the increased mileage: a couple of glass jars filled with a brownish liquid off to the side of his engine.

 

It is, in fact, hydrogen on demand. The jars are called “electrolyzers,” and the brownish liquid inside is actually water. Inside the jars, stainless-steel wire wraps around a plexiglass tower. The wires connect to positive and negative posts in the lid of the jars, and a couple different small hoses connect the jars to other parts of the engine.

 

When the car is turned on, the wires inside conduct electricity through the water, causing the H2O molecules to separate into HHO (two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen). It’s easy to see if the electricity is working its magic, because the jars fill with tiny bubbles that actually lighten the color of the water.

 

“That’s the hydrogen breaking away,” Rick said.

 

The hydrogen rises to the top of the jar, gets sucked through a vacuum hose into the vehicle’s air intake manifold, then goes to the combustion chamber, where the hydrogen burns — just like gasoline.

 

There’s a little black box (called a map sensor enhancer) inside the vehicle that actually controls the ratio of hydrogen to gasoline.

 

“Once you get this set, you just leave it alone,” said Rick, adding that the box has a switch in the middle so a driver can easily change between highway and town driving.

 

The system is not meant to replace gasoline, however.

 

Also, there is no storage of hydrogen, Jay explains, which means the risk of explosion is nil. The water doesn’t have to be replaced often, just topped up every few weeks for optimal performance.

 

“This is 100-year-old technology that we have permission to duplicate,” Jay said. “And, at $1.29 a gallon for distilled water, it’s a lot cheaper than gas.”

 

Did we mention that the Plante brothers will sell you the whole kit for just under $200? They’ll even give you free advice over the phone if you run into problems installing it.

 

While the Plantes figure it takes them an average of about four hours to install one of their kits in a car or truck — the technology also works in diesel-powered vehicles — they figure the average person who knows his or her way around an engine will need between four and six hours to put one in.

 

They are willing to install the kits for an additional fee, but insist most people can do it themselves.

 

“It’s cheap and it’s simple,” Jay said. “Everybody can do it.”

 

“And your engine runs better, cleaner and faster,” he explains, noting that the waste product from the whole process is a small amount of water, which drains out of the exhaust pipe.

 

“Your car actually becomes more environmentally friendly,” Rick adds.

 

It is important to note, they said, that the kits are not one-size-fits-all. The bigger the engine, the more electrolyzers (bottles of water) that need to be installed to make a significant improvement in gas mileage. Jay, for example, has two electrolyzers in his vehicle, which has a four-cylinder engine.

 

Cars with a much larger engine might need as many as six electrolyzers — “a six-pack,” they call it. Additional bottles cost an extra $20 each.

 

The two men say they aren’t planning to get rich quick on their hydrogen kits, although it is definitely a business. They’re happy doing their part to help the environment while helping the common man “stick it to the oil companies,” Jay adds with a chortle.

 

Their workshop is Jay’s garage. They are the only two employees of their fledgling business. They’ve advertised very little; Jay said the information is listed on one other Web site so far. Their own Web site, www.hydrogenautoassist.com, is only partially complete.

 

This story, Jay said, is their Duluth debut, other than word-of-mouth testimonials and impromptu demonstrations given to folks standing around the hood of the car.

 

Still, the brothers have sold close to 50 kits in the Northland and around the country with no complaints yet.

 

“We’re just trying to offset what the oil companies are doing, as opposed to standing by being another victim,” Rick said.

 

“We’re trying to be proactive and get as many people doing this as we can, so then the oil companies can’t stop it. … And, if we get to the point where we can work for ourselves doing this, that’s OK too.”

 

News to use

 

Contact Jay Plante in Duluth at ( 218 ) 724-3860 or ( 218 ) 213-7082. Contact Rick Plante in Wisconsin at ( 715 ) 416-0456.

 

The Web site www.hydrogenautoassist.com is partially complete.

 

Lets do it – it’s good for the enviroment, too!