I’ve mentioned Dr. Cliff Ricketts several times in this blog starting in 2007. The last time I mentioned the professor and hydrogen car advocate was in 2012, when he took some of his Middle Tennessee State University students on a hydrogen-fueled road trip from Savannah, GA to Long Beach, CA.
This year, Dr. Ricketts conducted a similar road trip using two hydrogen cars, a 1994 Toyota Tercel and a 2005 Toyota Prius. The trip started in New Tybee Beach, GA on March 8, 2013 and ended in Long Beach, CA on March 14, 2013.
The trip was not totally smooth sailing. There were some flat tires on the vehicles used to haul the hydrogen tanks.
And according to DNJ.com, “There was one freeze-up of a hydrogen fitting, which slowed the filling up of one of the cars … Ricketts and his team of current and former students and other volunteers this year used solar energy to run an electrolysis unit that separates hydrogen gas from water.
“The hydrogen was compressed, put into tanks and used to power one of two Toyota automobiles at separate times during the trip to enable them to travel a total of 2,600 miles …”
A tip of the hat to Dr. Cliff Ricketts for engaging his students and being very hands on when it comes not only promoting hydrogen car technology but to show that it is indeed viable.