Scorpion Sportscar to Burn Gasoline and Hydrogen

Adding Hydrogen to an internal combustion engine is no new idea, gearheads have been tinkering the garage with it for years. Ronn Motor Company out of Texas hopes to be the first to put that into use in a production car that still offers a respectable performance edge.

The concept car, named Scorpion, looks amazing, but the real challenge is making it fast and green at the same time. Instead of opting for the traditional high-pressure tank to store hydrogen, Ronn Motor Company has developed a "hydrogen on demand" system. Electricity from the vehicles alternator is sent to a tank of water. The energy fractures the molecules and causes Hydrogen to be released. It is then sent straight into the cylinder where it is combusted.

"This means that as we're driving down the road, we're producing hydrogen in real time, and blending it with gasoline at a ratio of 30 to 40 percent," says Ronn Maxwell, CEO of Ronn Motor Company. "We are still using gasoline, but we're gonna be using 40 percent less," Maxwell said. "The hydrogen cleans up the emissions. It actually consumes carbon. It's not the perfect car, not electric, but it is something that'll work right now."

The engine Maxwell chose to use was a 3.5 liter VTech made by Acura. It has 280 horsepower stock and it comes with a twin-turbo option that makes 450 horsepower. Power goes the rear wheels through a 6-speed transmission. By using the new system, Ronn Motor Company claims a 30 to 50 percent greater efficiency over the stock 3.5 liter VTech.

So far several orders have already been taken and more are expected. Maxwell plans to produce 200 units this year and within 5 years increasing to 500 units. The target audience is people who collect cars like the electric powered Tesla and exotics. So far the reaction has been respectable, but not huge. The next question is if the target delivery date of October will be made.

Via : CNet