Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Hydrocar Educational Clean Energy Kit
Slow, expensive and awesome.
Pros
- Very involving, highly educational, runs entirely off renewable energy
Cons
- Car drives very slowly, the hydrogen doesn't last long, expensive
Bottom Line
Although it is slow, expensive and doesn't last long between hydrogen harvests, the Hydrocar Educational Clean Energy Kit is a fantastic example of renewable energy in a form that most people will understand.
-
Price
$ 129.00 (AUD)
Your kids may not thank you now, but the Hydrocar Educational Clean Energy Kit carries a timely message about renewable energy that will hopefully last longer than car's power source. It is a collection of parts that users assemble into a working car that runs completely on renewable energy.
The hydrogen-gathering process sounds great on paper. You put water into a tank and use a solar panel to run electricity through the water to extract hydrogen. This is then put through a special "reversible Proton Exchange Membrane" that turns hydrogen into electricity.
The renewable energy that comes from this process is ready to be pumped through cars and homes without the need for fossil fuels or dangerous nuclear power and its potential for glowing bunny rabbits.
This kit points out both the exciting potential and major problems that stop the widespread use of hydrogen fuel.
With its $129 price tag, the Hydrocar isn't cheap. At this price, the less green-conscious consumer could get themselves a nifty set of EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles.
Nor is it exciting, with a very slow speed and a short life-span. In our tests the Hydrocar lasted between 1min 24sec and 2min for each full "tank" of hydrogen. The sensors on the front of the vehicle are inaccurate and often try to drive the kit straight off the edge of a table, suggesting yet another secret conspiracy to force us to use petrol-power.
But all of this is largely irrelevant. The kit uses clear tanks filled with water to explore the potential of hydrogen power, and putting it together is a hands-on process.
Once you're finally ready, after a long wait filled with watching and waiting as bubbles of gas enter the tank, there's an undeniable thrill that comes as the car starts up and the lights turn on.
So while your kids would probably prefer to find a stocking with a Nintendo DS, they might appreciate your geeky parenting down the track when they're driving hydrogen cars and living in solar-powered tree houses.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Deal: Sony's AirPod-killers are $199
- Cyber Monday Deal: Galaxy Note 20 for $999
- The Best Australian Amazon Black Friday Tech Deals
- Looking to buy an iPhone this Black Friday? These are the deals you're looking for
- Black Friday Deal: Galaxy Z Flip for $999
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?