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Man envisions future filled with water-fueled cars
From: Man envisions future filled with water-fueled cars
By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian | Posted: Saturday, September 19, 2009 2:00 am
Lawrence Kennedy likes to show off the Mark IV that he’s equipped with a hydrogen-unit engine. Courtesy photo
To contact Lawrence Kennedy, call (406) 756-4140 or visit Home | Starline Unlimited Ankhs, Soft Laser Therapy, and Kirlian Photography.
As a founder of the Mission Valley Cruisers in Polson, Lawrence Kennedy hangs around people who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on their cars.
The classic car lover is a fan of those big, strapping gas hogs.
Trouble is, the same people continue to throw thousands and thousands of dollars into their tanks at the pump.
So every year at the August car show, Kennedy cruises around with a Mark IV and an increasingly popular message: This baby runs on water.
"I thought the old boys who put thousands of dollars into their vehicles would pay more attention than the average person," said Kennedy, a retired lecturer on holistic medicine and avid advocate for alternative fuels, particularly hydrogen.
His 1974 Lincoln Mark IV is as big as Kennedy's opinions about Detroit, the American car industry and the burning of fossil fuels. Its hydrogen-unit-equipped engine, which he installed himself, doesn't use a drop of fossil fuel, which Kennedy likens to an addictive drug.
Even the recent "Cash for Clunkers" program and continued advancement in hybrid technologies still leave Americans addicted to oil and gas, he said. People forget that electricity-powered vehicles also end up using natural resources - and plenty of energy.
"If people start plugging in," said Kennedy, "the system can't handle it."
So far, Detroit's answer has been to protect its and the oil industry's interests, he said.
"I've watched with shock and awe Detroit go through what they just went through," he said.
Kennedy's message is simple: That old clunker is just fine. It's the oil-chugging engine that needs a makeover - specifically, a hydrogen one.
And more specifically, a water one.
But this is not the stuff of science fantasy, he said. It can be done now.
At a relatively low cost, almost any car can be converted to hydrogen fuel - he said. One of the challenges is that each car model is unique, so widespread conversion of cars would have to be done on an individual basis.
Car computers also complicate things, as their regulation of the engine's performance also conflicts with conversion.
"The computer doesn't understand it," he said.
Kennedy has had an interest in alternative fuels for decades - solar power, and fuel additives he claims can more than double gas mileage.
But water is the key to the future of transportation, he believes, and as the extraction of hydrogen from H20 nearS 100 percent efficiency, people will realize that the answer to the fuel question comes from the sky.
"My ultimate goal is to take the dinosaurs we're driving and get them to run on water," Kennedy said.
From: Man envisions future filled with water-fueled cars
By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian | Posted: Saturday, September 19, 2009 2:00 am
Lawrence Kennedy likes to show off the Mark IV that he’s equipped with a hydrogen-unit engine. Courtesy photo
To contact Lawrence Kennedy, call (406) 756-4140 or visit Home | Starline Unlimited Ankhs, Soft Laser Therapy, and Kirlian Photography.
As a founder of the Mission Valley Cruisers in Polson, Lawrence Kennedy hangs around people who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on their cars.
The classic car lover is a fan of those big, strapping gas hogs.
Trouble is, the same people continue to throw thousands and thousands of dollars into their tanks at the pump.
So every year at the August car show, Kennedy cruises around with a Mark IV and an increasingly popular message: This baby runs on water.
"I thought the old boys who put thousands of dollars into their vehicles would pay more attention than the average person," said Kennedy, a retired lecturer on holistic medicine and avid advocate for alternative fuels, particularly hydrogen.
His 1974 Lincoln Mark IV is as big as Kennedy's opinions about Detroit, the American car industry and the burning of fossil fuels. Its hydrogen-unit-equipped engine, which he installed himself, doesn't use a drop of fossil fuel, which Kennedy likens to an addictive drug.
Even the recent "Cash for Clunkers" program and continued advancement in hybrid technologies still leave Americans addicted to oil and gas, he said. People forget that electricity-powered vehicles also end up using natural resources - and plenty of energy.
"If people start plugging in," said Kennedy, "the system can't handle it."
So far, Detroit's answer has been to protect its and the oil industry's interests, he said.
"I've watched with shock and awe Detroit go through what they just went through," he said.
Kennedy's message is simple: That old clunker is just fine. It's the oil-chugging engine that needs a makeover - specifically, a hydrogen one.
And more specifically, a water one.
But this is not the stuff of science fantasy, he said. It can be done now.
At a relatively low cost, almost any car can be converted to hydrogen fuel - he said. One of the challenges is that each car model is unique, so widespread conversion of cars would have to be done on an individual basis.
Car computers also complicate things, as their regulation of the engine's performance also conflicts with conversion.
"The computer doesn't understand it," he said.
Kennedy has had an interest in alternative fuels for decades - solar power, and fuel additives he claims can more than double gas mileage.
But water is the key to the future of transportation, he believes, and as the extraction of hydrogen from H20 nearS 100 percent efficiency, people will realize that the answer to the fuel question comes from the sky.
"My ultimate goal is to take the dinosaurs we're driving and get them to run on water," Kennedy said.
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