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Running on empty (and loving it)

The Murfreesboro Post -- If Middle Tennessee State University agriscience teacher Cliff Ricketts’ vision comes to fruition, Americans need never worry about running out of fuel.

They can forget about high gasoline prices as well as air-polluting auto emissions.

Ricketts imagines a day when cars will operate efficiently and cleanly via solar and hydrogen power.

The Mt. Juliet native made one of his dreams come true last March when he and a hand-picked crew drove from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific in a relay of three vehicles using hydrogen-fueled water, solar energy and 43 gallons of E-95 (ethanol 95).

Come Saturday morning, Ricketts and his seven like-minded, energy-efficient road warriors intend to repeat the 2,500-plus-mile cruise, this time without burning a drop of gasoline.
“This year our goal is to..

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Submitted Mar 03, 2013 By: EZExit

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tomok Champion Author Portland Posts:33,069 Points:2,347,460 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Mar 23, 2013 2:26:31 AM Ignore tomok Report Abuse Running on empty? Prove it! IT may not be burning a carbon fuel but at what cost? Expensive vehicle and fuel with this empty option. This is many many years away from any practical use. Drive vehicles with high MPG, are very safe, reliable, have a ‘reasonable’ cost and a good ‘value’ for the money. The price of fuel at the pump is too high!
mamabeck Champion Author Florida Posts:1,658 Points:363,710 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 8, 2013 1:09:27 AM Ignore mamabeck Report Abuse Good luck to them! There have been several articles here recently on this so it's becoming a bit boring
honda0105 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:18,643 Points:1,611,470 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 12:01:42 AM Ignore honda0105 Report Abuse wishing them all the best.
snerd All-Star Author Pennsylvania Posts:935 Points:656,000 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 8:28:58 PM Ignore snerd Report Abuse Hmmm
jrs4125 Champion Author Indiana Posts:2,768 Points:593,695 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 8:20:16 AM Ignore jrs4125 Report Abuse alright then
gravityhurts Champion Author North Carolina Posts:4,103 Points:939,455 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 7:32:30 AM Ignore gravityhurts Report Abuse Yesterday's news
FBI2991 Champion Author Michigan Posts:4,220 Points:1,141,815 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 7:27:07 AM Ignore FBI2991 Report Abuse Old post
Bonanza Champion Author Boston Posts:12,093 Points:2,552,730 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 5:15:54 AM Ignore Bonanza Report Abuse Doubt if I will ever see it
mcmonsta Champion Author Honolulu Posts:3,232 Points:820,270 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 2:47:00 AM Ignore mcmonsta Report Abuse it takes vision and a lot of peoples talent and drive to pull it off
dougtaylor1 Champion Author Phoenix Posts:1,761 Points:449,275 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:25:31 AM Ignore dougtaylor1 Report Abuse Now do it without subsidies and in a way that everyone can afford it.
crreed1 Champion Author West Virginia Posts:1,995 Points:2,528,285 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:19:03 AM Ignore crreed1 Report Abuse ok
boatfloyd Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:1,728 Points:389,925 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:15:00 AM Ignore boatfloyd Report Abuse Sounds like a "Neat Car". Just need to get the price down and start building them.
wz Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,499 Points:1,279,265 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:10:47 AM Ignore wz Report Abuse Solar generated hydrogen continues to look like a promising oil-free fuel, although the manufacture of solar panels is not a green endeavor. Other sources to generate electricity (hydro, tidal, wind, geothermal, nuclear) will need to be added to the mix to produce enough power for business and residential customers, as well as the electricity required to produce hydrogen. One piece missing from the equation is how long it takes the sun and water to create the hydrogen for the trip. If this is to be a commuter fuel, an average suburban home would need to produce a day's fuel every day - even on a cloudy day. I like the idea of using it for farm tractors, although they don't mention having actually built one. Farmers have the room for larger solar arrays (or wind turbines), and since they need most of their fuel for planting and harvest, they could have and large storage tanks that take months to fill and remain self-sufficient.
N5EXY Champion Author Austin Posts:5,502 Points:1,512,030 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:10:00 AM Ignore N5EXY Report Abuse And probably running on guvamint money also.
obimerrill Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:1,450 Points:291,665 Joined:Jul 2012	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:08:53 AM Ignore obimerrill Report Abuse We will see...
tedjm1 Champion Author New York Posts:5,609 Points:800,300 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:08:30 AM Ignore tedjm1 Report Abuse Go,go,go. This is the way to make experiments. How come our gov't. minds did not come up with this idea?
rahcat Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:2,478 Points:664,900 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:06:47 AM Ignore rahcat Report Abuse No subsidies.
HEBster Champion Author Kentucky Posts:8,793 Points:2,375,300 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:06:11 AM Ignore HEBster Report Abuse Good luck!
mcbrownie220 Sophomore Author Toledo Posts:225 Points:155,125 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:04:49 AM Ignore mcbrownie220 Report Abuse ok
Math6149 All-Star Author Jacksonville Posts:873 Points:1,798,125 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:04:42 AM Ignore Math6149 Report Abuse So.
RevDrCBJ Veteran Author Ann Arbor Posts:365 Points:188,275 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:04:16 AM Ignore RevDrCBJ Report Abuse Sounds good.
Tsunamiron Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:1,439 Points:559,775 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:04:12 AM Ignore Tsunamiron Report Abuse Keep up the great work. I would love to see gasoline powered vehicles vanish.
SkooterG Champion Author Phoenix Posts:1,359 Points:329,335 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:02:35 AM Ignore SkooterG Report Abuse Good luck with that.
Toppers Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,022 Points:2,472,645 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2013 12:02:16 AM Ignore Toppers Report Abuse Good read!
lowspeed All-Star Author Akron Posts:731 Points:202,255 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:59:09 PM Ignore lowspeed Report Abuse Get r done
CCLighthouse Champion Author Hartford Posts:1,013 Points:214,980 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:59:01 PM Ignore CCLighthouse Report Abuse Yah and we'll all starve to death because we're using our food for transportation! ; (
VikingWoman Champion Author Washington Posts:1,283 Points:253,615 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:54:57 PM Ignore VikingWoman Report Abuse This article doesn't give a clue about the cost. When gas gets so expensive I can't afford to drive 14 miles round trip to work or take the car out for groceries I will park the car and take the bus.
preacherjohn Champion Author Modesto Posts:3,994 Points:1,920,715 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:54:30 PM Ignore preacherjohn Report Abuse this should have already been done--why the long wait.
gd83goldwinger Champion Author South Bend Posts:1,428 Points:504,980 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:53:36 PM Ignore gd83goldwinger Report Abuse Ok, when we get there and all can afford it.
CiVX Champion Author Oakland Posts:7,055 Points:1,359,610 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:53:10 PM Ignore CiVX Report Abuse Sounds good but I wonder if the hydrogen was a biproduct of oil refining.
tdioiler All-Star Author Detroit Posts:895 Points:421,625 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:51:19 PM Ignore tdioiler Report Abuse One item I haven't heard much about is using methane as fuel. Anyone else hear anything??
clermont40miles Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:10,583 Points:1,774,295 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:49:39 PM Ignore clermont40miles Report Abuse Good comments that I agree with... ---- Driving cross country with support vehicles is only a stunt to show that the car could be driven solely off of solar-produced hydrogen. ---- Producing hydrogen from water uses A LOT of electricity. It would be more cost effective to just use the electricity to charge an electric vehicle. Plus, it takes a lot of energy to compress the hydrogen into the fuel tank. All this means that hydrogen is a very expensive fuel source. ---- I'll just leave it at that.
waynemustang Champion Author Indiana Posts:6,387 Points:1,667,735 Joined:Nov 2006	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:49:03 PM Ignore waynemustang Report Abuse Solar or hydrogen will NOT work.
FlyNFool Champion Author South Carolina Posts:8,249 Points:1,686,925 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:49:00 PM Ignore FlyNFool Report Abuse Interesting
UpSol7 Champion Author Augusta Posts:1,659 Points:760,725 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:47:17 PM Ignore UpSol7 Report Abuse a goal to strive for
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,805 Points:415,365 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:39:10 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse @ElectDsgnEngr said, "There is no substitute for just trying. Our nation was built on people trying one thing or another. Edison did not succeed on his first prototype, but it takes positive encouragement to our researching teams to look for solutions. Is there one solution that will solve all... probably not, but there is always the ability to try different things." And right on to @Eugenian who wrote, "Well said, ElectDsgnEngr. Too bad we have so many Luddites and oil industry shills on this site trying to shoot down every renewable energy effort."
Brucevanf Champion Author New Brunswick Posts:1,366 Points:246,235 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:37:51 PM Ignore Brucevanf Report Abuse This is what overpriced oil will create in the future.
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,805 Points:415,365 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:37:07 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Jeez, @BigKart. You really missed the point. Nobody said you put the solar panels ON the vehicle. In the real world, you would install them at the fueling station where the electricity generated goes into producing the hydrogen which would then be compressed and stored in tanks, ready for fueling. Driving cross country with support vehicles is only a stunt to show that the car could be driven solely off of solar-produced hydrogen.
us4usa Champion Author Missouri Posts:5,998 Points:1,114,340 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:34:29 PM Ignore us4usa Report Abuse Big oil will not like this article...
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,805 Points:415,365 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:32:34 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Running a car on hydrogen is not much different than running one on compressed natural gas. The main difference is that hydrogen needs to be stored under much higher pressures than CNG or else you won't be able to drive very far between fill-ups. Now, onto the cost. Producing hydrogen from water uses A LOT of electricity. It would be more cost effective to just use the electricity to charge an electric vehicle. Plus, it takes a lot of energy to compress the hydrogen into the fuel tank. All this means that hydrogen is a very expensive fuel source.
TheSnowstorm Champion Author Montreal Posts:8,629 Points:1,915,730 Joined:June 2005	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:32:28 PM Ignore TheSnowstorm Report Abuse I'm all for it, except for the ethanol part.
bvrbill Champion Author Eugene Posts:3,229 Points:520,575 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:30:13 PM Ignore bvrbill Report Abuse Good Luck. I hope it works.
tidalwave3 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:1,307 Points:1,464,785 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:28:18 PM Ignore tidalwave3 Report Abuse nOT SURE IT WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD :(
Ken825 All-Star Author Pennsylvania Posts:627 Points:146,435 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:27:34 PM Ignore Ken825 Report Abuse This has got to be government funded.
txkrb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,563 Points:639,965 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:24:08 PM Ignore txkrb Report Abuse Hydrogen will not be viable fuel without some scientific breakthrough and E95 is not a good alternative for gasoline, proven time and time again
monarch57 Champion Author British Columbia Posts:1,629 Points:135,780 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:21:40 PM Ignore monarch57 Report Abuse That would be great. It sure would put the greedy oil companies out of business.
chillyman3 Champion Author Illinois Posts:1,355 Points:425,890 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:19:08 PM Ignore chillyman3 Report Abuse Thats great.....
abcdMA Champion Author Worcester Posts:7,932 Points:1,576,930 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:18:21 PM Ignore abcdMA Report Abuse far fetched now, common place soon
rf6480 Champion Author Miami Posts:1,538 Points:549,510 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:16:28 PM Ignore rf6480 Report Abuse good luck to them
Chris46 Champion Author Dayton Posts:23,683 Points:2,083,290 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 3, 2013 11:15:50 PM Ignore Chris46 Report Abuse I'll believe it when I see it.