The WaterCarOne Prize - Win 5 million euros for building a water-powered car. Maybe.

We know their superslick website is going to have everyone completely convinced that they actually do have 5 million euros to dispense in prize money to anyone who actually builds a functioning water-powered automobile, but even if Creventis doesn't have the money for the WaterCarOne Prize (which real or not, is probably at least slightly inspired by the Ansari X Prize), it'd probably be good for the planet for someone to invent one anyway.

[Via TRFJ]

[Wuddel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Yeah, screw Carnot, Helmholtz and the rest of these fuckers ;)

[Side Step @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Wouldn't that be nice?

[Concerned @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Yeah, cleaner air, but what would happen to our water supply after years of usage?
I guess it depends on how much it would take to run a car.

[Thyatis @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

wouldn't that be a steam powered car?

[christopher wanko @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

How would you produce the steam, Thyatis? Burning a fossil fuel, perhaps?

And a water-powered car wouldn't actually use up the water permanently, unless it's used to open a transdimensional portal to carry your car from point A to point B.

Then, sure, you might eventually run out of water on Earth and have to think about moving to that transdimensional exhaust pipe.

[danny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

"wouldn't that be a steam powered car?"

No, a steam engine still requires some source of heat to boil the water. It can be wood, coal, oil, etc. I'm guessing the prize is supposed to be powered by water only.

Someone should do a prize for a good electric car, or improved solar panels.

[Lane @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

You could create a chemical reaction to create steam. There are many combinations that would do that. I believe most are pretty combustible though.

[dingo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

BMW already has done this with there Clean Energy project.

They have a whole fleet of cars that run on water. Through electrolysis, the Hydrogen and Oxygen is seperated from the water. Then the Hydrogen is burned in a combustion engine, then recycled back into water in a closed system.

Here is a link to the BMW info on their site:
http://www.bmw.com/generic/com/en/fascination/technology/cleanenergy/index.html

So will they give BMW the prize? :)

[mirko @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

what about poo as fuel?

poo fermentation can make gasses such as methane,
Do they offer money for this?

I'm ready to build my poocar

(check my site http://www.mac-sucks.com/)

[keith coutinho @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

in a material and mineral sciences lecture, the demo guy (noel) made a little water powered car.

well........ he charged a battery then used that to power the toy car. :P

[Zac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

There's no such thing as a water powered car, and there never will be. Water is the "discharged state" of two highly volatile components, hydrogen and oxygen. This is like saying you want to make a car that runs on dead batteries.