What do you think of when you see the term "hydro powered car?" Do you picture the high-tech hydrogen powered cars being developed by companies like BMW? Or do you think of a car that somehow uses water instead of gasoline as fuel? Or perhaps one of those old steam-powered monsters that inventors tinkered with 100 years ago? When I think of a hydro powered car, I think of something slightly different, a cross between an all-hydrogen car and one that somehow uses water as fuel. You can call it a hydrogen-gasoline hybrid. Many people just call it a car that runs on water.

The idea of using water directly as fuel is still science fiction. On the face of it, the idea seems absurd. Yet today you can buy hydro powered car kits that use the hydrogen in water as fuel (to supplement the gasoline) in standard automobiles, resulting in much higher mileage.

Why Should You Care?

This kind of hydro powered car certainly isn't the futuristic all-hydrogen vehicle you may have heard about, or the seemingly magical vehicle that runs on just tap water that we would all love to have. So why should you care about this kind of hydrogen-gasoline hydro powered car? There are lots of good reasons:

If you've bought gasoline recently, you know that the price is high and looks to be heading still higher. A hydro powered car can get much higher mileage than an all-gasoline car, which means big savings on gas.

Gasoline comes with lots of baggage. The West's dependence on foreign oil makes it dependent on countries like Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, and Russia for energy. External hostility to the West, along with internal instability and unrest, make it scary to rely on many oil-producing countries. Anything that reduces Western dependence on their oil reduces the risks.

The sad fact is that Americans have a tremendous reliance on gas and the steady supply of it. Most simply don't live in areas where alternative fuels are readily available. Many Americans must endure lengthy commutes to work, traffic jams and rush hour, not to mention routine errands that can't be accomplished on foot. Public transportation is an option, however many areas of America don't offer such services.

Don't forget pollution. Burning gasoline for fuel pollutes the air. A hydro powered car gets better mileage and so reduces that pollution.

Last but certainly not least, you can convert your own car into a hydro powered car today using readily available parts. You don't need to wait for the ideal hydro powered car to come out of the auto company labs. You can turn your own car into one and start getting the benefits right away.

How Does This Kind of Hydro Powered Car Work?

How can water, the same substance that comes from your kitchen faucet, be used to fuel your car engine? The key is hydrogen. What is water when you go down to the molecular structure? Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. Get the hydrogen out of the water and mix it with your car's gasoline and voila! a hydrogen-gasoline hybrid car.

Hydrogen is a highly desirable source of fuel because it delivers lots of energy and burns with virtually no pollutants. But cars that run solely on hydrogen aren't ready yet and won't be practical for a while. Using hydrogen as a supplemental fuel is a safe and effective alternative that's available right now.

Hydro powered car kits available today use electricity to convert common water into hydrogen and oxygen in your car as needed. The hydrogen is immediately mixed with the car's gasoline and burned, delivering better fuel efficiency and cleaner exhaust. It is an ideal solution for today's world, and thousands of people around the world have purchased these kits to convert their own vehicle into a hydro powered car.