Japanese firm Genepax recently presented a ground-breaking water-driven energy system and demonstrated its ability to power an electric car.
The claim has attracted many sceptics, but Genepax said that it is collecting third-party data to support its technology and is planning a detailed presentation to the media.
During the demonstration in Osaka, Japan, water was poured into a large cell in the luggage compartment of a compact electric car, which subsequently was driven on its own. Sceptics believe that the demonstration was a trick to attract investors, citing similar claims in the past which later proved to be unfeasible.
The news attracted wide media attention in Japan, but Genepax did not disclose the details of its innovation.
"We understand these criticisms since we cannot reveal the core part of this invention," said the company's PR Manager Jun Onishi.
According to Onishi, Genepax is not a car manufacturer but inventor of a system that can "produce heat and electricity from pure water." The demonstration showed that water can be used to power an electric car. The system was used to charge the battery of an electric car manufactured by Takeoka Mini Car Products Co., Ltd.
Genepax's system employs a known method called membrane electrode assembly (MEA), in which hydrogen is used to generate electric currents like in a hydrogen fuel cell. While hydrogen fuel cells require the gas to be filled and stored in high pressure tanks, the hydrogen used in this system comes directly from water.
Genepax's system extracts hydrogen from water more effectively than any other known method. As long as water is added to the system, hydrogen is continuously extracted.
"Our technology needs no outside energy to split hydrogen and oxygen from [water]," explained Onishi. Onishi said that an authorized third party will produce data to backup the company's claims. When the results are ready media will be invited to attend a presentation. A press release will also be issued soon.
Genepax has demonstrated a system with an output of 120 watts and another with 300 watts. The production cost of one system is about $18,500. With mass production the system could cost as low as $5,000, according the Genepax.
"We already have several companies who believe in us and are planning mass production, said Onishi.
Plans are underway to design a 1 kilowatt system that can be used to charge the secondary battery of an electric vehicle, according to a report by Nikkei Tech-on a technical news media network in Japan.
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