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Originally Posted by local600
Yes, electrolysis wastes energy in the process, but what is not taken into account is the potential energy released in the form of hydrogen.
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Actually it takes that fully into account. The efficiency is calculated by comparing the input electrical energy to the change in chemical bond energy going from H2O to H2 and O2. Which is the theoretical maximum amount of energy you could get back out if you burned the hydrogen gas and captured all of the heat.
As mentioned, this is not a fuel cell vehicle. It is a vehicle powered by a combustion engine burning hydrogen. A fuel cell extracts electric energy from the voltage & current generated by allowing the fuel and the oxidizer combine by diffusing across a permeable membrane. An internal combustion engine extracts mechanical energy by burning the fuel in an enclosed space and using the resulting pressure to push on pistons or rotors connected to a driveshaft.
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The other thing is that if one uses a 555 timer to pulse the electricity going into the system (thereby converting it to an AC system) at the right frequency, the water molecule ruptures apart into Oxygen and Hydrogen quite easily and efficiently. Tesla found that everything can be tuned to a frequency and rattled apart, even his own building.
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Yes, electrolysis has been known for many decades, and the most efficient ways to do it are common knowledge. The 70% efficiency quoted above is about as good as it gets.
It also does not include the loss of efficiency due to how the electrical energy was originally generated -- in this case, it was generated by burning gasoline in an internal combustion engine.
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Short story long, I have made a few hydrogen fuel cells and it's easy. Getting it to work in a car required three other things: The electronics I mentioned, a special fuel delivery system similar to a propane carb and a drastic adjustment of the engine timing. A stainless exhaust system wouldn't hurt either.
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A car driven by a hydrogen fuel cell would not have an engine to adjust the timing on. It would have an electric motor.
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This is the answer we've been waiting for and what I would say to any skeptic is: You know that anything that burns can be used as fuel, now let me show you how I can make this water burn.
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Oh, taking water and "burning" it is easy! Apparently understanding how much energy goes in and how much energy comes back out is not as easy.