Inspired by the film Back to the Future's Delorean that could run off garbage, Professor Xavier Salueña and student Aleix Llovet, from ETSEIAT, have patented a RC car that runs off of aluminum. Working off of a reaction of aluminum and sodium hydroxide, hydrogen is produced. From there the hydrogen moved through a vinegar filter with water to remove any hydroxides. Then the hydrogen passed through a silica gel ball filter to remove moisture. And then the hydrogen enters an onboard fuel cell where electricity is produced from the combining with oxygen. The result, an RC car that can go 30km/h for 40 minutes with a full tank of aluminum. The leftover residuals of the reaction is water and aluminum hydroxide, which can be reused.
The team made the website "dAlH2Orean," as in Delorean, showing off their invention. They claim that current fuel cell cars cost €2,400 and also require an electrolyser for an additional €1,500. The dAlH2Orean is estimated to cost around €800. Purchase options not available just yet.
Adopting this concept for larger vehicles is the 2 inventor's next step. They are currently working with other companies to study other possibilities.
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