Hydrogen, without any fuel cell necessary, can be used to power internal combustion engines. Hydrogen gas burns, very quickly I might add, in place of gasoline. If sufficient hydrogen can be carried in an automobile you can travel for a considerable distance and you do not need complex fuel cell systems to make it work. The problem is carrying the hydrogen and the answer is usually a hydride, a substance that absorbs hydrogen and then releases it when heated.
United Nuclear is developing a hydrogen fuel system that consists of a hydrogen generator, cylinders containing a granulated hydride and a system designed to work with several specific automotive engines. Their site says the systems, which are not yet available for sale, will cost in the neighborhood of $7,000 to $10,000. They have no actual test data available so how their system actually works is not yet known.
We'll keep an eye on this system for further developments and when we get more information, we'll let you know.
Update: This item was also covered by Gizmodo and a reader of that site points out that United Nuclear is run by Bob Lazar who is known as a person with somewhat outlandish claims concerning UFO's and other scientific curiosities. That fact, in conjunction with the lack of data on the site put this hydrogen fuel system into the highly suspect category. In other words, steer clear.
