A home converted electric car

[MN C Van]

There are a few filling stations, All in SoCal

Alt Fuel Stations 

You can, evidently, buy a variety of converted vehicles. They require tanks with radical pressures to store the fuel.

[Handy_Dan]

Handy-Dan, have  you seen the hydrogen system really work?

There was also a company, maybe in Australia, that showed a box, about a foot square, that just needed  to be hooked up to 12v and water, and with some sort of simple modification, was supposed to be able to run a car.  Seems like they were taking orders, bbut the price tag was terribly high.

I know they have hydrogen generators in the welding industry, so the technology must exist.

If our existing gas engines can actually run on hydrogen with only minor modifications, supposedly the exhaust would be just water vapor.   Of course the life span of an existing engine with the modification, remains a mystery.

We need a solution that doesn't require batteries, batteries just shift the cost from gas to batteries, and too many limitations.  Gas stations could convert to selling water, and still get the tax dollars for road maintenance, but still save every person a ton of money.  Nobody loses their jobs or businesses, except a hit on big oil.

[MN C Van]

Oh, LoL - it doesn't work like that

Hydrogen is usually considered an energy carrier, like electricity, as it must be produced from a primary energy source such as solar energy, biomass, electricity (e.g. in the form of solar PV or via wind turbines), or hydrocarbons such as natural gas or coal.[2] Conventional hydrogen production using natural gas induces significant environmental impacts; as with the use of any hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide is emitted.[3]

[Handy_Dan]

Oh, LoL - it doesn't work like that

Hydrogen is usually considered an energy carrier, like electricity, as it must be produced from a primary energy source such as solar energy, biomass, electricity (e.g. in the form of solar PV or via wind turbines), or hydrocarbons such as natural gas or coal.[2] Conventional hydrogen production using natural gas induces significant environmental impacts; as with the use of any hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide is emitted.[3]

That quote is out of context.  Try reading this, it is much more on point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle

[MN C Van]

Oh, LoL - it doesn't work like that

Hydrogen is usually considered an energy carrier, like electricity, as it must be produced from a primary energy source such as solar energy, biomass, electricity (e.g. in the form of solar PV or via wind turbines), or hydrocarbons such as natural gas or coal.[2] Conventional hydrogen production using natural gas induces significant environmental impacts; as with the use of any hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide is emitted.[3]

That quote is out of context.  Try reading this, it is much more on point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle

Says the same thing? Near exact

As of 2014, 95% of hydrogen is made from natural gas. It can be produced using renewable sources, but that is an expensive process.[3]
...
The drawbacks of hydrogen use are high carbon emissions intensity when produced from natural gas, capital cost burden, low energy content per unit volume, production and compression of hydrogen, and the large investment in infrastructure that would be required to fuel vehicles.[5][6][7]

Hydrogen does not come as a pre-existing source of energy like fossil fuels but is first produced and then stored as a carrier,[66] much like a battery.

And a sampling of  more discouraging details

Hydrogen fuel cells are relatively expensive to produce, as their designs require rare substances such as platinum as a catalyst,[56] In 2014, Toyota said it would introduce its Toyota Mirai in Japan for less than $70,000 in 2015.[12][57] Former European Parliament President Pat Cox estimates that Toyota will initially lose about $100,000 on each Mirai sold.[13][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle#cite_note-Cost2014-13][/url]

Not to be contrarian, there's nothing in the link that shows this to be a practical fuel for widespread use at anytime in the future

[Handy_Dan]

Well, I don't know, car makers are investing big bucks into hydrogen technology. It's supposed to be better and cheaper than electric cars. There's DIY video's on youtube on how to make your own hydrogen generators or fuel cells.

Only time will tell, but I still think it has potential, and converting existing cars cheaply, would be the best way to get it mainstream the fastest. If it proves to work as good or better than gas, and costs less than half as much, I would be more than willing to spend up to $1,000 on a conversion. I don't want a new vehicle, and it has to pay for itself within a year. None of this 20 years to pay for itself BS like many major purchases. That stuff might pay for itself on paper, but it never does in the real world. I want real world savings, and real world convenience.

The bigger question isn't whether or not it's possible, but whether big money will allow it to happen.

[TrainChaser]

I wonder what would happen if a small group got together and made it happen, and didn't sell out to Big Oil?

It would be a fascinating experiment!

[Wayne49]

That small group would require venture capital.
The VCs, some backed by three letter agencies, would throw money at it, and if it is becomes successful, it will be assimilated into MegaCorp.
Or no "angels" descend upon the small group and the group dies from lack of funding.

Would that small group get the government to subsidize sales? Get government loans from DOE?

"Big Oil" is owned by the same people who own 90+% of the world. Rockefeller, et al. "Mega Corp." aka "Big Money"

Governments only work for Big Money. Laws are passed, or never see a vote, depending on they affect Big Money. Nothing to do with Public Good, or The Children, or The Future. There is a published report on that issue. Maybe I will look up the post on another site and post the link.

Government regulations will ensure that only Mega Corp can profit from the new technology. And/or that no one else can.

It's coming to cannabis/hemp, when Congress approves Cannabis, it will be because Bayer(Monsanto) is in the position to assimilate cannabis/hemp growing into Big Pharma/Agribusiness. Independent grow operations will be overwhelmed with regulations and paperwork that is nothing to Big Corp. The FDA will probably approve certain strains of cannabis/hemp seeds for use. Those will include the 30-some seeds on which Bayer holds the patents.

[tx2sturgis]

The 'fly in the ointment' is the fact that Big Oil and other companies, including patent trolls and everyone from Big Cars to Big Computers and Big Motorcycles have filed patents on almost every bit of relevant technology that one might use to build these types of advanced vehicles.

Sure, you can build one-offs and concepts, and stay off the legal radar, but as soon as you start producing and making a decent profit, the Big Law Firms come pounding on your door demanding money.

It's a shame.

[weigh2ez]

I heard the other day that auto makers are now getting patents on the individual parts on their cars to stop the aftermarket parts from being sold.  I don't know when this started but those of us with old vehicles are safe for a while.