Nexus - 0302 - New Times Magazine-pages

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WHATEVER In simple terms, he has added a pump retired builder and civil engineer, who is which forces a mixture of hydrogen, oxy- one of the three financiers, says: “I am gen and air into the carburettor in place of convinced 101 per cent that this invention, the normal petrol-air mixture. in the right hands, can revolutionise the The scientists say it is feasible to pro- world's motor trade. duce hydrogen by electrolysis to power a "I put money into it in the first place car, but they doubt whether it can be made _ against my better judgement, but now I will in sufficient quantity from water fast back it to the limit because it does work. enough to meet an engine's power needs as "If necessary, I will form a consortium to it goes along. raise a million pounds for development— Archie says: "I've done it.” but then it will stay in Guernsey." During my drive on hydrogen gas it was At British Leyland Cars’ headquarters in impossible for any petrol to have entered Birmingham, a senior spokesman said: the engine. “This sounds interesting. An engineer from RAC man Dave Hooper saw the petrol Leyland Cars will be happy to talk to Mr pipe disconnected from the carburettor and Blue." sealed off at the end. There was no secret (Source: Written by Michael Kemp, The supply of petrol. Only water. Daily Telegraph [UK], 1 September 1977) Inventor Archie Blue poured about a pint of | water into his hydrolysis unit—a high-pressure steel ‘bottle'—and screwed down the lid. The secret lies in knowing how much water to have in the hydrogen-producing 26- cm-tall steel bottle. Mr Blue, a wiry, rugged man who claims to have been responsible for many inventions including the first valveless radio, says: "You need only a little water and a lot of gas. I know it is possible to pro- duce hydrogen on the move, and to make enough gas to power a car so that the driver cannot tell the difference between this and petrol. "Now the idea needs developing by people with better resources than we have. "I believe it should be possible to drive for 100 miles on hydrogen pro- duced from a gallon of water," he said. Mr Alec Taylor, 71, Front page of the Weekend Star (NZI, 29 April 1978. retired builder and civil engineer, who is one of the three financiers, says: "I am convinced 101 per cent that this invention, in the right hands, can revolutionise the world's motor trade. "I put money into it in the first place against my better judgement, but now I will back it to the limit because it does work. "If necessary, I will form a consortium to raise a million pounds for development— but then it will stay in Guernsey." At British Leyland Cars’ headquarters in Birmingham, a senior spokesman said: “This sounds interesting. An engineer from Leyland Cars will be happy to talk to Mr Blue." (Source: Written by Michael Kemp, The Daily Telegraph [UK], 1 September 1977) HAPPENED TO...? THE CAR THAT RUNS ON WATER GUERNSEY — It's here! The car that runs on water at the fantastic rate of 100 miles per gallon, and could make petrol out of date. Scientists in England say it is impossible, and, for more than a month, I, too, have been highly sceptical of the secret trials on the island of Guernsey. But I drove the water car, a Leyland Mini, and saw for myself that it does work. I drove it on the roads of Guernsey in nor- mal traffic at up to 45 mph. The engine was lively and powerful. It accelerated normally and travelled about five miles with nothing but water in the tank—until a pump burnt out. Mini No. 19454—a Guernsey registra- tion—runs on hydrogen gas, made from water by electrolysis on the move. Two days of tests and driving with water as the base fuel have been watched by Royal Automobile Club (RAC) man David Hooper, who lives and works on Guernsey. The hydrogen-from-water device, esti- mated to cost about NZ$200 in mass pro- duction, is the invention of 74-year-old New Zealander, Mr Archie Blue. He was brought to Guernsey about three months ago by a group of tax exiles—three retired, wealthy, UK businessmen. Together they and Archie Blue have been developing his invention to the point where they can prove that a car will run on hydrogen produced from water as it travels along. Hydrolysis is simply passing an electric current from the battery through water to break it into its basic gases of hydrogen and oxygen. It is well known that hydrogen can replace petrol to power a car, but it is regarded as an expensive gas to produce and costly to carry in a heavy pressurised cylinder. Archie Blue says: "This is conventional rubbish." NEXUS © 39 FEBRUARY-MARCH 1996