For anybody curious about alternative energy sources, the Solar-Hydrogen Transportation Vehicle built by the E-Tech club at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona is just too cool to pass up.
The students from Central HS have modified a Chevy S10 pickup truck to run on hydrogen. The hydrogen is produced by gear carried in the back of the pickup. The gear that produces the hydrogen is powered by solar cells carried on the truck.
The system includes electrolysis cells, solar panels, a hydrogen purifying system and a storage system. It produces enough hydrogen per day to run the vehicle around 1.5 miles, and has hit speeds of 70 MPH on the highway. The students hope to double this figure next year, er, the range, not the top speed, by adding more photovoltaic and electrolysis cells, along with better tuning for the engine.
Before you scoff at the numbers, remember, this is a crew of students working on a microscopic budget. If you think you can do better, the students would be thrilled. They don’t believe there’s anything to patent here, and hope others will take inspiration from their work. If you want to support their efforts, click here.