The price of the goods we need every day seems to increase every time you visit your grocery store. Inflation is on the rise for over a year now. An economic downturn and a rise in oil prices is often blamed for this state of affairs. Indeed, the upward movement of prices is no more apparent than at the gas pump. With gas prices as high as they are, it’s easy to see why people are starting to seek out alternatives to save money on fuel costs. One of the newest fads out there these days is something frequently called water for gas, or “water4gas.”

While it may sound attractive to use water for gas, it’s not technically possible to simply put water into the fuel line of a car or other vehicle. It would cause severe damage to the engine. That does not mean that water4gas technology is fraudulent, however. There is a viable way in which to turn water to usable fuel for your vehicle. It is somewhat different from what you would think it is, however.

Water4gas is a bit of misnomer because the water is not the actual alternative fuel, but rather provides the elements hydrogen and oxygen to create the reactive process to boost gasoline performance and economy. There is no dispute that hydrogen gas burns more cleanly and efficiently than ethanol-based gasoline and unlike gasoline, produces no emissions other than ordinary water vapor.

Using water for gas comes from the creation of hydrogen gas, which in turn, an automobile uses to burn gasoline more effectively, thereby reducing the amount of consumption and emissions. By separating the oxygen and hydrogen atoms that make up water, you can generate an alternative fuel source for your vehicle. Here’s an interesting fact: hydrogen fuel is what NASA uses to send space shuttles into space!

What the majority of the various water4gas systems currently out there do is provide instructions for converting your car to use water4 gas technology. Some online sources sell the kits that you put together and then install on your vehicle. For downloadable versions of the water4gas systems, you need to build it yourself by following the instructions provided and purchasing your own materials.

People tend to fear that anything untested or not mainstream is bogus or a scam. A search for the term “water4gas scam” on the internet yields dozens of sites that praise the water4gas system as a true money-saver and just as many that decry the water4gas principle as being a joke or worthless. Noteworthy is that several forums exist that have heated discussions amongst its users regarding the technology from people that claim the systems work to others that criticize it as a scam.

Whether the water4gas system is a scam or a truly revolutionary way for the average person to save money at the pump remains to be seen. However, it is interesting to note that major car manufacturers such as Honda and BMW have plans in the pipeline to produce hydrogen fuel cell powered cars for wide consumption. Honda’s Clarity FCX, the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to hit the market, is scheduled for limited leasing-only availability in Southern California for the 2008 summer season.

Your vehicle is probably running on ethanol-enhanced gasoline as this is currently the cheapest fuel you will find at the gas station. Ethanol has been touted as the answer to reducing Americas dependence on foreign oil supplies as well as reduction in greenhouse gas emission levels. People are beginning to question this proposition as producing swathes of crops is possibly as inefficient as the fuel it produces. Ethanol is a fuel that cars have been using to run without optimization for a long time, so obviously its not the right choice. A new contender for better fuel economy is using hydrogen gas in cars.

The use of hydrogen gas in cars however has seemingly countless benefits over both ethanol and gasoline fuels. It is a much cleaner burning fuel that leave no carbon footprint as its only emission is water vapor which is comprised of mostly nitrogen which make up over seventy five percent of the air we breathe. It also offers roughly two-thirds better fuel economy at about half the price.

There appears to be two major concerns involved in converting to hydrogen gas cars. The first is distance from a hydrogen gas generation facility which may be the most difficult to overcome. Creating the infrastructure, a kin to all the gas stations that you see on every other corner of a street is a massive undertaking. Without available refueling stations, you will have problems finding the hydrogen fuel for your vehicle. The second issue revolves around designing a viable on-board fuel generation system to continuously power the vehicle.

The use of hydrogen gas in cars is currently restricted while traveling long distances out on the road. This is partly due to the present inadequacy of the technology for generating significantly large amounts of this fuel right on the vehicle. Some car manufacturers planning to offer fully hydrogen-powered cars are also planning home hydrogen gas fueling stations. A home hydrogen gas fueling station may possibly not only fuel your car but power your house too, which will offer big savings both monetarily and environmentally.

A few viable alternatives exist for converting your gas-powered car into a hydrogen fuel hybrid which will let you benefit from both increases in fuel economy and a big reduction in the car’s emissions. There are kits for sale that output a small amount of hydrogen fuel. They do this by using a supply of water and the electricity from your car to produce hydrogen and mixing that with the existing gas that is already powering the car. Such kits can be simple models that can be purchased for a few hundred dollars, or specialty deluxe models that will set you back thousands.

Large-scale commercial production of hydrogen fuel shows signs of expanding, and it will likely become more widely available. This will allow us to begin seeing innovative new methods of using hydrogen gas to fuel vehicles. some prototypes exist in the major car manufacturers research facilities, but they are purely research cases. No commercial prospects yet exist. Until that day, backyard mechanics and car enthusiasts can experiment with putting together their own version of a hydrogen gas hybrid using a few easy-to-find parts and water. You can find instructions for this so-called “water4gas” kit at various websites.

It’s not only do-it-yourselfers and automobile manufacturers paying attention to hydrogen gas in cars, energy companies and even governments are now exploring hydrogen fuel technology. With more interest along with financial resources to back up continuing research, the day may soon come that hydrogen gas will be the fuel of choice powering your car.