About The Hydrocar - HORIZON Hydrocar Manuel De L'utilisateur

1. About the Hydrocar

The Hydrocar is a futuristic educational kit that contains one of the most exciting and advanced
technologies of the 21st century. This kit operates on 100% clean fuel produced by a reversible
fuel cell that converts water to hydrogen using energy captured from the sun. To help improve the
quality of our environment, reduce the impact of soaring energy costs, and decrease our
dependence on imported oil, the time is right to start introducing the world to the benefits of
hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
Around the world, scientists and researchers are looking to find new ways to meet our growing
energy needs without further damaging our environment or endangering our planet. One
alternative is hydrogen, which can be created using clean, renewable sources such as wind and
solar power. Using a device called an electrolyzer, water can be used to form hydrogen. Fuel cells
can then convert hydrogen to electrical energy to power anything from vehicles and homes to
electronic devices.
This Hydrocar kit is conveniently designed to bring the latest research out of the laboratories and
into your hands - so that you too can join the global scientific community in bringing the world into
the Hydrogen Age.
a. Why Hydrogen?
Our civilization consumes carbon-based fossil fuels 100,000 times faster than they are being
made available, raising many questions about global supplies and whether they are able to meet
the world's fast-growing global energy demand. With geopolitical uncertainties in oil producing
countries and insufficient oil refining capacity, our global economy is already under significant
pressure. Oil is critical to the well-being of entire nations, therefore new technologies that can
reduce the dependence on imported oil are becoming strategic. National security concerns are
now encouraging scientists from all over the world to develop new energy technology solutions
such as hydrogen fuel cells.
An even greater issue has to do with the consumption of oil itself. Fossil fuels contain carbon, and
burning gasoline in our vehicles creates toxic air pollution in our cities and contributes to massive
amounts of carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide accumulation is
the cause of greenhouse effects and global warming. For more than 100 years, humans have
burned tremendous amounts of carbon-based fuels, causing our atmosphere to heat up. Global
warming can now be witnessed by increasingly violent storms, desertification, shrinking mountain
glaciers, melting polar ice caps, changing ocean currents and rising sea water levels. We are just
starting to notice the effects.
Our society needs a new and renewable fuel and hydrogen is the best solution for the long term.
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Indeed, hydrogen is the most abundant element in our universe and carries the most energy per
unit of weight. This carbon-free fuel can be produced either by using traditional or renewable
power sources such as solar or wind power. Once captured, hydrogen can be converted back to
usable energy in numerous applications, including vehicles. This means our every day fuel can be
produced locally, and in unlimited quantities. When it is consumed in the fuel cell, the result is
electricity and water. This water can then be used to produce hydrogen and oxygen, making the
cycle continuous and natural, with no toxic emissions. There are many challenges to making this a
reality, but it's only a matter of time... ...and human ingenuity!
Around the world, several "Hydrogen Highway" projects are being developed and over 200
hydrogen refueling stations have already been built to service the first fuel cell vehicles.
b. What is a fuel cell and how does it work?
A fuel cell is a device that can convert hydrogen to usable electric power. The fuel cell is an
assembly of advanced material layers where hydrogen and oxygen react with each other to
generate electricity and water, without any combustion.
Electric Circuit
(40%-60% Efficiency)
e
e
e
Fuel H (Hydrogen)
2
e
e
e
2H
2
Used Fuel Recirculates
Flow Field Plate
Gas Diffusion Electrode (Anode)
Catalyst
Proton Exchange Membrane
e
e
O (Oxygen)
2
O
O
Heat
2
O
Air + Water Vapor
Flow Field Plate
Gas Diffusion Electrode (Cathode)
Catalyst
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