A startup has found a way to use water to power electric vehicles. The Australian-Israeli company Electriq~Global, formerly known as Terragenic, has developed a fuel comprised of 60% water, according to the company’s press release.
The technology extracts hydrogen from the fuel, which is then harnessed to create electricity to power vehicles. The company will present the recyclable fuel at EcoMotion 2018 ‘Smart Mobility Summit” in Tel-Aviv, on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.
According to the company the system contains three elements: Electriq~Fuel, Electriq~Switch and Electriq~Recycling. The liquid fuel reacts with a catalyst to release hydrogen on demand. The spent fuel is then captured and taken back to a plant where it is replenished with hydrogen and water for reuse. According to the company, the process is safe and enables zero emissions vehicles.
The liquid fuel is safe at ambient temperatures and pressures. Compared to green energy competitors like lithium-ion batteries or compressed Hydrogen technologies, the company achieves twice the range at half the cost, according to the press release. The energy density is up to 15 times that of electric batteries in vehicles like a Tesla.
When comparing electric buses, those powered by batteries provided a range of 250 km and require up to 300 minutes to recharge. Buses powered by Electriq~Fuel provide a range of 1,000 km and can be refueled in 5 minutes, according to the release.
"Our technology brings dramatic news of improvement in driving range, refueling time, and cost of fuel and changes the rules of the game in many fields, including transportation and energy storage,” said Guy N. Michrowski, Electriq~Global CEO.