Denise Reid, Gleaner Writer
The hydrogen generator as it looks when it is installed in the engine of the car.
WATER IS life. This is a popular slogan perhaps everyone agrees with. Water is gas is not quite as popular, but it is the idea behind Harlo Maynes hydrogen generator, a device which will save motor vehicle owners cash at the gas pumps.
A small rectangular object made from 3/4 one-grade stainless steel, it really resembles a heavy-duty water bottle. The hydrogen generator has two electrical wires. One of these is linked to the air intake and takes hydrogen gas (HHO) to the air manifold of the engine and combusts with the regular gas. The other is connected to the relay. It is simple technology that anyone can use.
An inventor for over 20 years, Mayne has a registered company, Maynex, in the United States of America (USA) and is the inventor of such devices as the tri-fold toothbrush and the power mop.
Ease of connection
Spurred by rising gas prices and the HHO phenomenon in the United States of America, he spent the last three years working on his own version of a machine which would reduce the amount of money consumers spend on gas.
Ease of connection thats what I had in mind. So someone can hook it up in 10 minutes or under and I accomplished that, Mayne explained.
HHO gas is created when water is poured into the generator. The electricity from the battery goes into the water and splits the water (H2O) into hydrogen gas (HHO).
Mayne, after immersing himself into as much material as he could find on the subject, set to work.
cost effective
Initially, he called the finished product a fuel economiser and he has applied for a patent for certain aspects of it, which is now pending. Nowadays, however, he simply calls it a hydrogen generator.
The device he says, can save up to 70 per cent of the money normally spent on gas, depending on the power of the battery and alternator. But not only will the device save money, it also cleans out the engine causing it to run smoother and giving it more power.
At present, Mayne says that everybody loves the device, however, everyone is skeptical about it until he pulls out his laptop and shows them various video clips of the device; being successfully operated in the United States.
Automotives found at least one believer. Chosen to test the product in an experiment, Lascelles Tomlinson, a member of the St James Taxi Association gave positive feedback after trying the product over a two-day period.
Initially, Mayne was skeptical of how much gas the generator would be able to save Tomlinson as his car is a 1988 Corolla, which means that the battery is not as powerful as that carried in newer models.
While a bit doubtful, Tomlinson was upbeat about the hydrogen generator prior to using it, saying, If you can burn half the amount of gas in a day, its really important and will enable you to save a lot of money.
Tomlinson who is a taxi operator says he normally fills his tank twice daily.
He starts his day with a quarter tank, which normally lasts him until around midday, then he refills again by 3:30 or 4 p.m.
good results
Thursday, I put $800 in it at about some minutes to 1 p.m. and I haven't put any more in it since (we spoke to him shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon), and I even go out and work since morning, remarked Tomlinson. Nevertheless, he said that at that point the vehicle was in need of a refill.
Normally when I put $1000 worth (of gas) in there, by the time it finish I would have $2000 (earnings), and yesterday, from the $800 I put in there and take it up to quarter of a tank I made $3,000 ... never happen, he admitted.
Tomlinson tallies his overall savings at $2000.
Mayne pointed out that the ailing Jamaica Urban Transit Company now operates at a loss, and stated that if it had the technology of the hydrogen generator, it would be operating at a profit. He revealed that because of the powerful battery used in those cars they could operate using only water.
Harlo Mayne shows the hydrogen generator when it is installed in the engine of a car. - Photo by Denise Reid
