At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the tired cliché of trying to source for a 100 per cent clean, renewable alternative fuel might just as well be “cold fusion” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion).
However, all that is about to change, not in 10 years, not in five. In fact, the solution is just right around the corner and has already been test-proven on Malaysian roads. Claimed to cut petrol consumption by half, the Hydrogen Fuel Technology (HFT), developed by HFT Sdn Bhd, works by “supplementing” the conventional fuel-air mixture in petrol and diesel engines with a combustible, yet renewable source of fuel – hydrogen.

HFT is expected to hit the market by this July, starting with the rollout of 5,000 units of 1.3-litre Proton Iswara being primarily used as cabs. Each HFT unit is expected to be sold for RM3,000 and has a service life of five years.

In general, a HFT-powered vehicle would consume two parts of water to one part of petrol. Thus, for an average 50-litre fuel tank, HFT would need 100 litres of water.

Water consists of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen (H2O). The HFT system simply splits water back into hydrogen and oxygen.

HFT Sdn Bhd’s chairman Mohammad Isa Abdullah claims that the HFT’s design is an intellectual property which has already being patented. But he would not disclose any other information on what makes it tick, other than the fact it is based on a “high-compression nano technology”.

Of course, it is no secret that extracting hydrogen and oxygen from water is simple Form Four chemistry involving a battery, two carbon rods, two test tubes, a beaker, common table salt and water in a process called electrolysis. In theory, it sounds about right, but in practice, it will take like forever to produce sufficient amounts of hydrogen to power a car.

So, there is something about HFT that sets it apart. But to the naked eye, the system simply consists of a canister no bigger than a large can of powdered milk that is tucked inside the engine bay – suitable for an engine no bigger than 1,600 cubic capacity; the bigger the engine, the bigger the canister.

However, the design of the water tank is left to the automotive manufacturer to incorporate into their cars.

According to Mohammad Isa, the water tank does not necessarily have to be big since water is easily available. A typical day drive of about 150 kilometres around Klang Valley should not require anything more than 10 litres of water.

Thus a 20-litre water tank is plenty and would only require topping up every three to four days of daily driving. A small inconvenience to halve the use of petrol.

However, the HFT system takes three minutes to start up, the first time it is initialised. Subsequently, the system produces hydrogen as and when the engine needs it, as it is already “half-way” being produced.
At the same time, the HFT system has an internal reservoir of hydrogen smaller than a cup. Thus, it does not pose as much danger as, say, a hydrogen-filled airship.

The oxygen by-product is released back into the atmosphere since Mohammad Isa claims that feeding pure oxygen into the combustion chamber would result in “too much combustion”.

Note that hydrogen does not have as much energy per litre compared to petrol. Thus, a reduction of three to five per cent in power should be expected with the HFT system.

It is negligible, but those who are obsessed with performance should just use petrol straight up. And fortunately, the system does allow for drivers to switch from hydrogen/petrol to purely petrol, should more power be needed for race day.

Currently, the HFT system runs on a 50/50 hydrogen/fuel mixture. The goal is to get it to a 70/30 ratio with an upcoming new system which would translate into a whole lot more fuel cost savings.

At RM0.96 cents (half of RM1.92 per litre of petrol), Mohammad Isa estimates that the HFT is cheaper than Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) at RM1.25 per litre or RM1.75 per 1.4 litre. And best of all, you do not have to queue up to top up your water tank!