Scorpion Hydrogen Super Car

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Have you guys seen this car ? It sure looks nice.....

According to Ronn Motors, the Scorpion supercar will not only achieve 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, but also earns green credentials by getting 40 miles per gallon. This trick is achieved by having a hydrogen-hybrid engine under the hood (also known as hydrogen injection, Water4Gas or HHO.) Small doses of hydrogen are generated and fed into the fuel mixture, making for a more efficient burn. Apparently this technology is a little controversial, but that hasn't stopped Ronn from putting together a bloody good looking car around that special engine, as the second photo underlines.

Petrol-hydrogen hybrid
Rather than using fuel-cells to power an electric motor, the Scorpion from Ronn Motor Company would have an internal combustion engine burning both petrol and hydrogen, achieving 40 miles per gallon (about 5.9L/100km) on the highway. The hydrogen-gasoline hybrid technology comes from Hydrorunner.

Unlike a hydrogen fuel-cell car, the Scorpion's "hydrogen on demand" system wouldn't require a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank. Nor would a driver need to find and fill up at a hydrogen filling station.

Instead, electricity from the Scorpion's alternator sends an electric charge through the water in a storage tank, fracturing molecules and releasing hydrogen, which is injected into the motor, explained Ronn Maxwell, CEO of Ronn Motors in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

"This means that as we're driving down the road, we're producing hydrogen in real time, and blending it with gasoline at a ratio of 30 to 40 per cent," he said.

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So how quick is she?
"We are still using gasoline, but we're gonna be using 40 per cent less," Maxwell said. "The hydrogen cleans up the emissions. It actually consumes carbon. It's not the perfect car, not electric, but it is something that'll work right now."

The hydrogen internal combustion engine can achieve between 30 to 50 per cent greater efficiency over standard gasoline cars, Maxwell added. Under the hood is a 3.5-litre V6 engine from Honda with 208kW stock in stock trim, or 335kW with the twin-turbo option. The car has a 6-speed manual transmission.

A supercar for the super rich
Ronn Motor has taken several orders so far and has plans to build 200 Scorpions this year, eventually ramping up to 500, Maxwell said. He believes his will be the first company to market a passenger car with a hydrogen-on-demand system, which gearheads already tinker with in private garages and which are available for the trucking industry.

Maxwell is targeting the sort of automotive aficionados who might collect Lamborghinis, Ferraris, or an electric Tesla, but said he wants to create a sedan next. It remains to be seen whether Ronn Motor will succeed in delivering its roadster to customers by October as planned.

Meanwhile, building the necessary filling infrastructure remains just one of the barriers to wider adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell cars, which primarily reside in the garages of a wealthy and famous few.

Hydrogen on demand
The Scorpion's hydrogen-petrol hybrid technology comes from Hydrorunner (seen above) and, as we've described already, electricity from the Scorpion's alternator sends an electric charge through the water in a storage tank, fracturing molecules and releasing hydrogen, which is then injected into the engine.