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Sure, average gas prices are currently $3.94 (diesel: $4.11), according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, and climbing toward the highest recorded average of $4.11 that crippled travel back in 2008.
But that doesn’t mean you have to give up your summer road trip. It’s one of America’s greatest travel traditions—so don’t let these high fuel prices stop you.
Mary Meadows says she can increase mileage and reduce emissions. She’s the founder of an Arizona company that makes a system that converts cars, pickups, trucks, recreational vehicles, and boats to hydrogen hybrids, reported The Arizona Republic.
“We’re not replacing the fuel; we’re just supplementing the fuel to make it highly efficient,” said Meadows, CEO of H2 Pure Power, which is based at the Innovations incubator.
The company manufactures the Hercules Hydrogen System, which is about the same size as a car battery and can be installed under the hood or in the trunk. The system manufactures hydrogen, mixes it with fuel, and puts the mixture into the engine by air intake.
“It’s a very sophisticated system,” Meadows said. “A lot of systems out there don’t work; they don’t last.”
She says that the Hercules Hydrogen System works—and it lasts.
One of the problems to overcome was that post-1996 model cars and pickups contain computers that sense when a vehicle is using less fuel. That triggers the computer to increase gasoline or diesel to compensate. If the computer automatically pumps more gas or diesel into the fuel system, it defeats the driver’s effort to get better fuel mileage
To counteract that problem, Meadows has a chip that affects the air/fuel ratio and allows the hydrogen mix to power the vehicle without triggering the computer.
H2 Pure Power, Inc. founder Dr. Mary Meadows. (Credit: Charlie Leight/The Arizona Republic)
The Hercules Hydrogen System retails for $3,500, but Meadows is currently offering it at a discounted price of $2,500.
Hercules works with any kind of fuel: gasoline, diesel, propane, or biodiesel. And the system can be traded among vehicles, such as moving it from a motorhome to a car.
It is Meadows recommendation that the Hercules Hydrogen System be installed by a mechanic, but some vehicle owners have installed it themselves. She provides buyers with detailed instructions on how to install, and will stand by on the phone to assist in the installation.
Long-haul truckers can expect a 30 percent increase in mileage, according to Meadows. Cars and pickups have seen increases of 30 to 50 percent, and RVs, 50 percent, she said.
Meadows installed the system on her car, a 1977 Cadillac El Dorado.
“That car went from 8 miles per gallon to 32,” she said.
I would be happy with half that!
Others reporting good results with the system include a company engineer, Gary Miller, who has it on his pickup; a Western Power vehicle; an independent trucker; a panel van driven by a Phoenix locksmith; a panel van in Yuma; and a pickup truck in Golden, Colorado that pulls a large trailer.
“My 45 foot RV just cruises up the inclines instead of having to shift down into third gear. And, I have increased my mileage by 30 percent. The hydrogen is miraculous in taking the diesel smell away,” reported Jerry in Portland, Oregon.
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