Has anyone actually got, or knows anyone that has fitted an online hydrogen generator to their car engines? Someone called the radio recently and until then I'd never heard of them, saying it roughly halves fuel consumption and costs very little and can usually be fitted yourself.
They basically generate hydrogen which is pumped into the fuel mixture, making it go about twice as far. I haven't a clue how or why they work but they clearly do, but besides that one call and the websites such as this one not one person in the media seems to care about them.

Now either they are a scam, in which case my engineering friend would tell me immediately (he hasn't) or the media have been told (in a nice way) not to say anything about them as the poor oil companies might get upset. It can't be both. I'm sure we have an an engineer or two here who can explain the bits I don't understand and whether it is a genuine method or not.
And if it is (I can't imagine people hooking up dangerous or useless boxes to their cars without major lawsuits and the sites going down within days) then why do only I and the other people who heard the radio call seem to know about them when they could possibly double the time we have before using up the world's petrol?

You might care to read this...

http://reviews.ebay.com/Hydrogen-Generator-Economy-Device-SCAMS_W0QQugidZ10000000005261775

I have heard a lot of things about this, all stating it is the latest consumer rip-off to come down the pike and is fed, obviously, by the high gas prices. Hundreds of people have come out of dark corners recently to tout their 'discoveries' and yet another 'conspiracy and cover-up by the oil conglomerates'. The old saying *if it sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't* applies here, in my opinion. There are already vehicles, bicycles, airplanes, etc., that have been developed and are being improved upon daily, which run on hydrogen cells. Right now the cost is prohibitive, they are very fragile, and changing temperatures are one of the biggest roadblocks scientists are trying to overcome in order to make them practical for consumer use. If some of the greatest scientific minds have not developed this, I highly doubt that the home garage and basement 'scientists' have. The properties of hydrogen alone make it virtually impossible to generate in a cell and then pump it into the fuel mixture.

I just looked at Sue's article and this jumped out at me right away:
"Also the temperature at which HHO Burns is melting point of the metal it touches. SO...your valves and head would burn through in a matter of weeks."

I'm sure there are many who will foolishly spend their hard earned dollars on these and then cry foul when they've ruined their cars.

Thanks for that Sue, I did assume the person calling the radio saying it worked (it was the first I ever heard before then) was genuine and not selling the stuff himself, and the site he mentioned looked quite impressive. But if what the article says is true trading standards would be closing down any of these outfits in the UK, and probably in many more countries. At least at the end he said he found one which did actually work and not melt or blow the engine, so means there is something in these machines which could be refined and sold by a reputable manufacturer, and if successful fit them in new cars.

As for the hydrogen cell, my understanding is this is an attempt to run an engine solely on hydrogen rather than improve the efficiency of a conventional one. No new technology is economic yet and the way it's looking probably never will be. As you pointed out Sandy hydrogen cars are currently so expensive and unstable they're likely to be abandoned sooner or later.
I did hear about a car in France that runs on water but no doubt Evian were trying to promote that...