Debunked "Run Your Car on Water" Hype
One fuel efficiency claim that is ceaselessly touted across the Internet is the application of Brown’s Gas with H2O conversion kits being offered. Hopefully, a study by the automotive crew at Popular Mechanics and an undercover expose by Dateline NBC will put the farce to rest. Before even performing the test, editor Mike Allen tossed around some simple math showing that the sheer volume of air consumed by an engine far exceeds the hydrogen output capability of the kits – basically rendering them useless from the beginning. Mike admits the concept is valid but requires a hydrogen generator so large that it 1) won’t fit in your car or 2) consumes more power than it will return. And the expose by Dateline NBC revealed the installer simply made wild claims about the performance of his work – despite the subsequent EPA test lab showing a slight increase in fuel consumption. It should be noted that the MythBusters also debunked Brown’s Gas generators in episode 53 where they tackled “The Great Gas Conspiracy.”