A Chinese automobile company received a 118 million yuan subsidy from the state for the development of new energy vehicles. It claimed to have developed a "water-hydrogen engine", which means that future vehicles only need to add water. Will water energy vehicles replace fuel vehicles when driving on the road?
The automobile company mentioned at the beginning is Youth Automobile Company. It claims to have invented a "hydrogen car" and received a subsidy of 118 million yuan from the state in 2019. It has really come true. Water-fueled cars?
The company was founded in 2001. As early as August 21, 2017, Pang Qingnian, the person in charge of the company, announced that the world's first water-hydrogen fuel vehicle was launched.
The working principle of this "water-hydrogen engine" is that water can be electrolyzed to form hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is a gas that can be burned, and then produces Energy can be used as a fuel.
According to Pang Qingnian’s relevant instructions, the company’s water-hydrogen fuel vehicles have a water storage tank installed on the roof of the vehicle. Under the action of the conversion equipment in the vehicle, it can be decomposed into hydrogen production capacity It uses electric energy, so with the addition of water, the battery life can exceed 500 kilometers, and the car can reach 1,000 kilometers.
If it can really be realized, it will be a major change in the field of automobile energy. Currently, oil is still the main fuel for automobiles, but it will emit a large amount of carbon dioxide during use, causing serious air pollution. Pollution affects the global environment, so replacing oil with water will reduce air pollution.
But in fact, the "hydrogen car" claimed by the Youth Auto Group is a scam. It has declared bankruptcy this year. What is going on?
On May 23, 2019, Nanyang Daily published relevant reports about the water-hydrogen engine rolling off the assembly line in Nanyang, making the youth car once again appear in the public eye.
Reports pointed out that the hydro-hydrogen engine has rolled off the production line at the Nanyang factory, enabling vehicles to produce hydrogen from water, which means that the vehicle can be driven by adding water. This immediately aroused doubts from all walks of life. The public does not believe in hydro-hydrogen vehicles. Has been successfully developed.
After the controversy lasted for five months, Youngman Auto also received subsidies from the state. On October 11, 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released subsidies for the new energy vehicle field in 2017. Among them, after being identified by the expert team, 549 cars promoted internally by Youth Cars received a subsidy of 118 million yuan. It should be noted that these cars do not include "hydrogen engine" cars.
In the face of public doubts, Youth Auto has not made a clear response before. Now the company has declared bankruptcy, which also means that the public opinion storm has officially ended.
On August 11, 2021, after a court ruling, 21 related companies were included in the ranks of bankruptcy liquidation, including Youth Automobile. Therefore, the development of "hydrogen vehicles" has not yet been truly realized. With the current technological level, it is a business that cannot make ends meet for enterprises. Why is this?
If one kilogram of water is decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen, at 100% efficiency, approximately 4.4 kilowatt hours of electricity will be consumed, and this kilogram of water can only produce about 4.4 kilowatt hours of electricity. Energy, but also need to consider the efficiency of water splitting and fuel cells, which is obviously not cost-effective.
In fact, Youth Automobile Group is not the first example of the "hydrogen car" scam. As early as 1996, an American man named Stanley Meyer claimed that he had The invention of the water-heating car caused widespread heated discussion at the time.
The device Stanley set up is related to Brown's gas. He used this gas to combine hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms in a golden ratio of 2:1. It not only has safety performance, but also has higher efficiency than gasoline combustion. After it is officially put into use, 83 liters of water can enable the car to travel 3,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to crossing from the eastern United States to the west. Of course, all of this is Stanley's statement.
Because this patented technology was in the hands of Stanley, many people invested in the project in order to find the truth. However, during subsequent cooperation, the investors discovered that Stanley did not actually Using advanced technology, but still using the traditional electrolysis method, they took it to court. Finally, after a court trial, it was determined that the water-fuel vehicle claimed by Stanley was a scam and deceptive, and required compensation of US$25,000.
The research and development of "hydrogen vehicles" by automobile companies around the world has never stopped, but judging from the current development situation, oil is still the main fuel for automobiles.