By By Cliff Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A Hartselle auto mechanic has gained national attention after developing a fuel system that enables him to run motor vehicles using water as the primary energy source,
After Larry Thrasher revealed his secret to the Hartselle Enquirer and other media representatives less than two months ago, he has been bombarded with phones calls, emails and personal visits.
Thrasher said he recently installed his hydrogen fuel system on a 1993 full-size pickup truck. Plus, he has orders to build and install the system on 10 other vehicles.
Thrasher uses a generator in the engine compartment of a vehicle to convert filtered water into hydrogen. The pure hydrogen, which burns at a higher temperature than gasoline, is mixed with gasoline be fore it reaches the engine’s combustion chamber. The system doesn’t have any moving parts and doesn’t leave pollutants behind. It uses only about 1.5 ounces of water every 60 miles.
Thrasher has been experimenting on his own personal car, a 1996 Cadillac, for nearly a year. He has almost tripled its fuel efficiency, increasing its miles per gallon from 19 to 53 on the highway. His wife’s Toyota sedan has the same system and is getting 71 mpg on the interstate.
Thrasher, an ordained preacher, uses spiritual not scientific terms to explain how he came up with his invention.
Thrasher’s workshop is located at the junction of Vaughn Bridge and Blowing Springs Roads, five miles west of Hartselle. He has a website, www.hydrogen fuel systems.org