A rough estimate over the past week has shown my fuel consumption decrese from 57 miles per gallon to 68 miles per gallon using the Hydrogen booster I fited in the AX. That's a 44% improvement, or almost half price fuel. Okay, so I runon free used veg oil, mixed with a little diesel, up top 50% in winter, but almost nil now that it has warmed up to reasonable temperature. My running costs are now down to about 3 pence per mile, and falling. On the now rare occasions I use my Zafira it costs me 14 pence per mile. I expect my costs to stabilsie at about 2.5 pence per mile once my experimentation period is over.
I already save around £60 a month on fuel costs compare with havig to drive the Zafira, I can potentially save up to £120 - effectively free motoring - less the cost of insurance and road tax.
The future is ...........well it ain't orange that's for sure.
Just to add to my green green credentials you may like to know I am typing using power supplied by free sloar energy too. Using a solar panel that cost just £25 of ebay. Brilliant! I am an energy saving, money saving GOD!
Now that I have saved all this energy, what i really really want to do is blow it all! Anyone any ideas? How can I increase my carbon footprint at maximum FUN rating?
Monday, 28 April 2008
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Hydrogen Injection Conversion
I guess most of you know by now, either because I told you, or because you smelt the chip shop like emissions from the Citroen, that I have been running it since November on Vegetable Oil. Asides from a period of bad running caused by a faulty filter the system works just fine, thanks to my earlier testing on the Frog. I’ve been running 50/50%, then 75/25% through the winter, so running costs have been about 4 pence per mile (against 15 pence per mile in the petrol Zafira) Now that the spring temperatures are finally approaching double figures I should be able to go over to almost 100% Waste Veg Oil and run for almost nothing. So my Yorkshire credentials are secure, and I am officially tighter than a ducks backside.
However, not content with that, or the added bonus of carbon neutral GREEN motoring, I am now taking a bit of a step into the unknown and the darker side of electronics and chemistry. I have fitted a device which should boost my economy by a claim of up to 50% by running the car on WATER. Yes you read that right, and YES, I laughed too at first. Then I read up a few bits on websites and thought, who dares, wins! This time next year I could be a millionaire, Rodney. I was dubious about it but the science at least seems sound. Water is H20,which is basically 2 atoms of Hydrogen bound to one of Oxygen. If you can separate the Hydrogen from the Oxygen you have fuel. Hydrogen will burn in a petrol or diesel engine with little modification.
Hydrogen cars are set to take off (not literally, they’ll still stay on the road) in the very near future, but the problems are getting the infrastructure in place, refueling and storing the Hydrogen in high pressure tanks, and being held to ransom by the same people who sell us petrol being just a few of the problems.
The gadget I have fitted claims to produce “Browns Gas” which is HHO, in other words separating one of the Hydrogen atoms from the water, which can then burn in the engine, the waste product being H2O, as the emissions bind back with free Oxygen to produce water again. It all sounds quite charming. It’s not a true Hydrogen car, but a step closer, the “Browns Gas” supplementing the diesel (or Veg Oil in my case) thereby reducing the use of the base fuel.
I fitted the gadget today and I’ve only had chance for a short test drive, but I swear it is already more responsive to the throttle and smoother running. I track my fuel consumption with each tankfull against the odometer, so I should be able to give some comparison figures next time I fill up. I’ll keep you all posted on how I do, as with the cost of fuel set to soar again soon (and the threat of strikes at the refinery’s) I am sure you’d all like to get more MPG and cheaper fuel sources. As the AX only cost me £125 I have nothing to loose if this doesn’t work, and other than a hole in the air filter casing everything is entirely reversible if it fails.
Watch this space for updates.
The AX has avergaed 47 mpg since January. A 50% improvemt should see me gettign 70 MPG.
Official figures, running on diesel quote up to 70 MPG on a run, so I could get as many as 105 MPG. And that's running on Waste Veg Oil and water, both of which I can get for free.
However, not content with that, or the added bonus of carbon neutral GREEN motoring, I am now taking a bit of a step into the unknown and the darker side of electronics and chemistry. I have fitted a device which should boost my economy by a claim of up to 50% by running the car on WATER. Yes you read that right, and YES, I laughed too at first. Then I read up a few bits on websites and thought, who dares, wins! This time next year I could be a millionaire, Rodney. I was dubious about it but the science at least seems sound. Water is H20,which is basically 2 atoms of Hydrogen bound to one of Oxygen. If you can separate the Hydrogen from the Oxygen you have fuel. Hydrogen will burn in a petrol or diesel engine with little modification.
Hydrogen cars are set to take off (not literally, they’ll still stay on the road) in the very near future, but the problems are getting the infrastructure in place, refueling and storing the Hydrogen in high pressure tanks, and being held to ransom by the same people who sell us petrol being just a few of the problems.
The gadget I have fitted claims to produce “Browns Gas” which is HHO, in other words separating one of the Hydrogen atoms from the water, which can then burn in the engine, the waste product being H2O, as the emissions bind back with free Oxygen to produce water again. It all sounds quite charming. It’s not a true Hydrogen car, but a step closer, the “Browns Gas” supplementing the diesel (or Veg Oil in my case) thereby reducing the use of the base fuel.
I fitted the gadget today and I’ve only had chance for a short test drive, but I swear it is already more responsive to the throttle and smoother running. I track my fuel consumption with each tankfull against the odometer, so I should be able to give some comparison figures next time I fill up. I’ll keep you all posted on how I do, as with the cost of fuel set to soar again soon (and the threat of strikes at the refinery’s) I am sure you’d all like to get more MPG and cheaper fuel sources. As the AX only cost me £125 I have nothing to loose if this doesn’t work, and other than a hole in the air filter casing everything is entirely reversible if it fails.
Watch this space for updates.
The AX has avergaed 47 mpg since January. A 50% improvemt should see me gettign 70 MPG.
Official figures, running on diesel quote up to 70 MPG on a run, so I could get as many as 105 MPG. And that's running on Waste Veg Oil and water, both of which I can get for free.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Little holes are the worse
Little holes are the worse surely? I'm talking punctures here. in cycle tyres specifically. Now any puncture is bad, but at least if it's a big blow out you know you need a new tube and probably a new tyre too. No it's those little holes that are the problem. Big holes, tyres that exploded Worth a bang, (and with 50+ PSI in a mountain bike tyre they do go bang believe me!) are not a problem. You know that you have a long walk (Punctures never. ever happen at home) and a bill for a new tyre and tube.
Well actually they are not so much a problem, and to be honest I quite enjoyed fixing the puncture - it brought back memories of my youth, although in those days the Cycle was my primary transport, and essential to earn a living as a paperboy. Now the cycle is strictly for leisure, and fixing the puncture was also a leisurely activity, using the levers to tweak the tyre from the rim, pulling out the tube, swigging from the beer can, inflating the tube and dunking it in the bowl of water, swigging more beer, roughing up the tube, smearing the glue........ it was great.
Is there anything more satisfying than that sense of achievement when despite all probability mankind fixes something that was broken?
I'm almost looking forward to the next little hole appearing, just so that i can teach Thomas (5 years) how to fix it. A valuable life skill that is much underrated in my humble opinion.
Well actually they are not so much a problem, and to be honest I quite enjoyed fixing the puncture - it brought back memories of my youth, although in those days the Cycle was my primary transport, and essential to earn a living as a paperboy. Now the cycle is strictly for leisure, and fixing the puncture was also a leisurely activity, using the levers to tweak the tyre from the rim, pulling out the tube, swigging from the beer can, inflating the tube and dunking it in the bowl of water, swigging more beer, roughing up the tube, smearing the glue........ it was great.
Is there anything more satisfying than that sense of achievement when despite all probability mankind fixes something that was broken?
I'm almost looking forward to the next little hole appearing, just so that i can teach Thomas (5 years) how to fix it. A valuable life skill that is much underrated in my humble opinion.
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