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Motorists are set for a hydrogen boost next month when vehicles are fitted with an American device that splits hydrogen from water and uses it to boost the fuel supply.
The hydrogen is injected into petrol or diesel engines to save fuel and reduce emissions, and vehicles will run for about 80 hours before needing a refill of their distilled water.
The fuel system - the Hydro-charger - will be launched in Queenstown on December 11.
It was developed by American companies Global Energy Options and H to-go and New Zealand distribution rights have been licensed to a Queenstown company, Vision Energy.
The local company is owned by its managing director, Gary Rovin, an American lawyer living in New Zealand.
The devices will be demonstrated in cars, buses, farm equipment and other vehicles which will have fuel use and emissions monitored, Mr Rovin said.
The system has been used experimentally in the US, but Mr Rovin said he had persuaded the developers to use New Zealand as an experimental test-bed for commercial use.
Injecting hydrogen and oxygen made the vehicle run more efficiently.
Mr Rovin said he planned to gather performance data for the devices in New Zealand conditions and begin marketing them next year, probably for between $2500 and $3500.
Hydrogen can be produced from water in a process known as electrolysis, using electricity generated by the vehicle.
An odourless, invisible gas, hydrogen is an extremely combustible fuel, but its only waste product is water.
H to-go chief executive Richard Presley said hydrogen extracted from water is a cheaper fuel than hydrogen extracted from fossil fuels and is safer than carrying a tank of hydrogen in a vehicle.
He claimed that the device could offer fuel savings of up to 70 per cent and emission reductions of 70 to 80 per cent.
The US companies backing it were invited to launch the device here by Renewable Energy NZ, a trust chaired by Professor Blair Fitzharris of Otago University.
- NZPA
