Air Force Reportedly Develops Fuel Saving Device

Iran's Air Force says it has developed a fuel saving device that can help improve the fuel economy of both diesel and gasoline vehicles while simultaneously reducing exhaust emissions.

The device can be produced domestically and has reportedly passed quality control assessments, Tasnim news agency reported.

The invention is said to be able to reduce fuel consumption to a considerable degree through electrolysis—the process of running an electric current through water to split its molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

Gasoline engines can run on hydrogen but the gas is too expensive and there are storage difficulties.

Electrolysis supposedly provides enough hydrogen to burn in the cylinder along with other fuels which can optimize the vehicle's operation, reduce emissions by 50% and improve the initial acceleration.

However, the efficacy of fuel saving devices have long been disputed by reputable entities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the American Automobile Association, whose studies on these devices have failed to show any measurable improvements in fuel economy.

While the details of the device made by the Air Force are not known, electrolysis devices have been developed elsewhere without tangible results.

The mechanism of an onboard electrolysis device involves pulling water from a storage tank, and, using electricity generated by the car's alternator, splits the hydrogen and oxygen. These are then injected into the engine, supposedly giving the car a power boost and saving fuel.

The problem, however, is of capacity. To split the strong bond between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water, a vast amount of electricity is required, and in a car that puts significant additional load on the alternator (a generator that produces an alternating current).

The car may produce hydrogen fuel, but it would burn more energy than it creates.

As a result, hydrogen generators typically produce miniscule amounts of the gas. And while hydrogen may make it into the car's fuel system, it simply is not enough to produce the claimed power or boost mileage.