Beginning in early May, testing will begin in Oregon on an emerging on-demand hydrogen fuel saving technology for the transportation industry. The system, designed by Global Automotive Hydrogen Systems of Hong Kong, works in tandem with diesel and gasoline engines and is said to improve fuel efficiency, torque and horsepower and make emissions cleaner.
In 2010, the system was tested by Pacific Transport, a trucking company in Australia. Installed in a Kenworth truck towing three trailers totaling 180 ft. in length and weighing more than 280,000 lbs. in gross weightthe system produced an average increase in fuel efficiency of 23.5 percent over a typical 11,800-mile haul. A total of six of these trips were made. The testing took into consideration a number of environmental factors, such as terrain, wind and temperature, which could affect the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
“This system has been tested in the largest truck and trailers driving anywhere in the world, and time and time again it produces significant improvements in fuel efficiency,” says Larry Bright of Lakeside Distributing Network, Eugene, Ore., the North American distributor of the system. “Our testing in Oregon will confirm for the American audience what we already know about our system: it works and works very well.”
Starting on May 5, Global Automotive Hydrogen Systems will install the units in two trucks owned by McCracken Motor Freight in Portland, Ore. On May 9, one truck will undergo a complete dynamometer test at Pacific Power Products in Ridgefield, Wash., to verify increases in torque and horsepower, as well as lowered emission levels and other results. The second truck will begin a two-day road test that will span 1,200 miles. Final results will be announced May 12-13, 2011, in Eugene.
Generating hydrogen on just over a gallon of potable water, the system uses power generated by the alternator to fuel the hydrogen-generation process. The hydrogen is then fed into the vehicle’s intake, providing a steady source of clean-burning fuel that supplements the diesel or gas already being used. The temperature, voltage and amperage critical to making hydrogen are all controlled by an on-board computer that comes with the system.
“I expect people to be skeptical,” Bright says. “But, I’ve seen the results with my own eyes. And soon the people of Oregon will see it, too.”
