Article:Ronn Motors' Scorpion using Hydrogen Booster

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The Scorpion was designed by Ronn Maxwell, drawing from 40 years of building for others, Ronn put his best ideas in this car. Click here for a 1650 px wide version of the above photo, compressed for computer viewing. Or you can download (6 Mb) the full resolution version.

Intro by Sterling D. Allan
Pure Energy Systems News
August 13, 2008

The sexy $250,000 Scorpion sports car by Ronn Motors is making energy history by implementing hydrogen boost technology as part of the factory design, due out at the end of 2008 or beginning of 2009 the beginning of 2010.

Until Scorpion, the hydrogen boost approach has been largely a movement of garage tinkerers and do-it-yourselfers, who have built a near infinite variety of on-board electrolysis units which duct the hydroxy (HHO) gas into the air intake, catalyzing a more efficient burn of the fuel. This improves fuel economy at least by 20%, and according to some internet gossip, can produce a near doubling of the mileage. There are also a few commercial operations producing and selling various hydrogen boost devices for retrofitting existing vehicles.

In several mainstream news stories about fuel efficiency, the "official" line has been that no fuel-saving devices or techniques actually work, adding in one case, "if they did, surely the automobile manufacturers would be taking notice and implementing them into their vehicles for a competitive edge in the marketplace" [1] This isn't a very convincing comeback, considering the history of emerging technologies.

Currently, however, the hydrogen boost approach is getting a huge shot of credibility with this visionary development by Ronn Motors, who will be integrating an on-board electrolysis unit of their own design.

Inasmuch as Ronn Motors has more resources than most groups pursuing hydrogen boosting, once they have their design fully optimized, they plan on licensing it out for another company to make available as a retrofit for other vehicles.

The system involves a 1.5 gallon tank for water electrolysis. Ronn Motors is working on being able to fill the tank with condensation from the air conditioning system, which will allow it to replenish itself. This injection system is very efficient, stretching fuel mileage an extra 20 to 40 percent.

As of Aug. 14, 2008, the company has one prototype, without the body design, that has achieved 178 mph. Two other prototypes integrating the body design will be built and displayed at a Vegas unveiling.

"We got tired of being turned down by the Big Three automobile companies, so we decided to build our own company." -- Ronn Maxwell

DUB Magazine: 200 mph Hybrid - The Scorpion Supercar

• The Scorpion supercar blends the world of exotic 200 mph performance cars with eco-friendly fuel solutions. The biggest appeal of the eco-friendly supercar is the innovative engineering it utilizes to reduce CO2 emissions and improve gas mileage. All this is made possible by Ronn Motor Companys exclusive Hydrogen Fuel Injection (HFI) system, which directly injects hydrogen into the motor. Fuel mileage is boosted 20-40% with nearly no CO2 emissions. The Scorpion encompasses the vision of Ronn Motor Companys CEO, Ronn Maxwell, and his love for the automotive form. His styling cues are a combination of European exotics and American muscle. The carbon fiber body of the Scorpion is as functional as it is beautiful with its curvy and muscular elements that give it an aggressive stance. Visit ronnmotors.com & dubmagazine.com for more info. Also, check out the Scorpian in the JAN/FEB '09 issue of DUB Magazine. (YouTube; Jan. 9, 2009)

Press Releases

Ronn Motors Scorpion Eco-Exotic Gets Publisher’s Choice Award

• Hydrogen Cars Now - July 30, 2008.

The eco exotic Scorpion supercar from Ronn Motors in Horseshoe Bay, Texas has received the duPont REGISTRY “Publishers Choice" award. The duPont REGISTRY is a premiere luxury marketplace for cars, homes and boats, catering mostly to the rich and famous.

According to founder and publisher Tom duPont, “When deciding on the ‘Publisher’s Choice’ vehicle, we often look for a car that symbolizes where the luxury and exotic market is headed. The Scorpion provides environmentally-conscious consumers with a car that has the stand out design and performance of an exotic car, but keeps carbon footprints at a minimum."

The Ronn Scorpion is the first car company to use hydrogen on demand technology as a standard feature on its automobiles. Current estimates are that the Scorpion that can blaze a trail from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds can also get 40 mpg highway. The exotic eco car is powered primarily by gasoline and uses the electrolysis of water to create hydrogen to supplement the fuel inside the cylinders.

I had talked previously about the Ronn Scorpion in early June this year and about how 190 limited edition vehicles were to start rolling out this Fall. The numbers have now been increased to 200 vehicles and the timeframe pushed back a bit to January 2009.

In recent months, aftermarket hydrogen generators for cars have been storming the marketplace. Drivers have been adding hydrogen generators to their vehicles in order to save on gas mileage and reduce emissions.

But, the Ronn Scorpion is the first car to offer this technology as standard so one can expect several other car companies, to take the hint that green is good and quickly follow suit. In other words, there is green to be made by going green. And, hydrogen on demand technology can be implemented upon most vehicles right now.

June 3, 2008 - Central Texas Innovators Ronn Motor Company Building New Generation of Hydrogen Cars

(Credit: Ronn Motor Company)

Company Taking Orders for One of America's First Premium Eco-Exotic Vehicles

Ronn Motor Company (RNNM) is well on its way to proving that efficiency can be delivered to the automobile consumer without giving up performance or styling. The Company today unveiled the key to a new generation of “green cars" by revealing the nuts and bolts of what it expects will help drive down consumers’ cost to travel the highways with on demand hydrogen production.

“What we are revealing today is an innovation in the automotive industry and demonstrates American ingenuity at a time of real need,“ says Ronn Motor Company’s Chief Executive Officer Ronn Maxwell. “We’re designing and building cars with performance components and unique styling with the objective of making the new environmentally friendly vehicle stand out with never before seen style and approximately 40 mpg plus efficiency", he adds.

The new car, now in pre-production, is called the “Scorpion", and the Company plans for it to be available to consumers this fall. The hydrogen delivery system with dual computer processor controls produces hydrogen on demand, and in real time, which will be inducted through the air intake manifold and blended with gasoline at a ratio of 30-40 percent hydrogen, according to Maxwell. The fuel for this system is derived from fracturing water molecules drawn from a small on board water tank, and will not require a high pressure, on board hydrogen storage tank or hydrogen fueling station.

Ronn Motor Company, located in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin, was founded by Maxwell and former Dell, Inc. Executive Adrian Pylypec of Austin, who is Vice President for the Company.

“We have partnered with automotive industry elite like Hydrorunner to design and produce eco-exotic cars with exclusive styling and uncompromised performance", says Pylypec. He adds, “The Scorpion is a proof of concept vehicle that helps solve consumer energy problems today and we expect will serve as a platform for our second generation vehicles".

About Ronn Motor Company: It is located in Horseshoe Bay, Texas and is a design and manufacturing company focused on leading edge design, finely built premium automobiles, and balancing stunning looks and performance with eco responsible alternative power systems. These systems include Hydrogen Fuel, Hydrogen Fuel on Demand, Fuel Cells, and Plug in Electrics.

Ronn Scorpion Supercar Gets 40 MPG

Note: Initially, Ronn Motors was going to use/modify a hydrogen boost system developed by HydroRunner, but Damon Kuhn, COO of Ronn Motors said they were not able to adequately test the HydroRunner system and that they are developing their own hydrogen boost system. (Aug. 18, 2008)

• Hydrogen Cars Now (June 3, 2009)

Move over Bugatti, Lamborghini and Saleen, the Ronn Motors Scorpion is a supercar that will scoot 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and achieve 40 mpg, too. For those who think this sounds a little far fetched, on May 1, 2008 I had talked about Ronn Motors teaming up with the Hydrorunner G3, which is an onboard water and electrolysis unit (from Check Engine in Florida) that creates hydrogen-on-demand, improving gas mileage significantly and reducing emissions.

Now, Ronn Motors has publically unveiled their Austin, Texas based exotic car, the first vehicle ever to come standard with a water-fueled hydrogen on demand unit. I spoke today with Ronn Motors Vice President Adrian Pylypec about the Scorpion and Hydrorunner partnership.

According to Pylypec, the Ronn Scorpion will achieve about 27 mpg without the Hydrorunner hydrogen generator installed, which is excellent for a supercar. With the Hydrorunner, however, the engineering department is expecting to achieve 40 mpg by the time the first of 190 of these limited run Scorpions rollout in October 2008.

Hydrorunner G3 Increases Gas Mileage at Least 84-Percent

In a time when people are looking for a way to increase gas mileage and reduce emissions, two men from the Check Engine Service Center in Tampa, Florida have invented a hydrogen boosting system for internal combustion engines (ICE) to do just that. According to John Swangler and William Wylie, their Hydrorunner G3 hydrogen on demand system is able to boost gas mileage and reduce emissions on diesel or gasoline powered ICE vehicles.

On the Hydrorunner website is an independent report from Automotive Testing and Development Services (ATDS) in Ontario, California that verifies that the Hydrorunner G3 was able to increase the fuel economy of a 2001 Ford F-350 diesel by 84-percent. The tests showed that without the Hydrorunner G3 installed, the F-350 averaged 21.1 mpg and with the hydrogen additive system installed the F-350 was able to achieve 38.9 mpg.

According to Swangler and Wylie, a 2-liter reservoir for the water is recommended along with adding water every 3,000 to 6,000 miles. They even say that distilled water is not necessary for their system to work and that tap water or water from a garden hose will work just as well.

The Hydrorunner G3 works by taking electricity from a car’s alternator, electrolyzing water and injecting the hydrogen into the intake manifold. This method displaces some of the gasoline or diesel fuel and helps it to burn more cleanly reducing greenhouse gases by up to 90-percent.

The electrolysis happens without the use of a catalyst common with other hydrogen boosting systems. The Hydrorunner system has also been shown to increase vehicle torque by up to 10-percent. The Check Engine Service Center will install this system for vehicle owners, though no price has yet been published.

Data

• 2008 Cummins Turbo Diesel powered Peterbuilt H2GO Test Results

Price

$250K USD.

Profiles

Ronn Maxwell, CEO

Quoting from RonnMotors.com

Ronn Maxwell first met Adrian Pylypec in Johnson City, Texas, at the Silver K Café to discuss the possibility of building an American exotic sports car in August, 2007. For the next 3 months, they created a business plan and laid a foundation for their fledgling company. In November 2007, Ronn registered and created the first entity, Ronn Performance Engineering, in order to raise private funds and begin the prototyping process.

During the design process, Ronn decided that the company’s first car, the Scorpion, needed to be more than an exotic performance car -- it needed hydrogen. With the current emphasis on fuel efficiency and carbon emissions, using hydrogen injection was a strategic decision that would give the Scorpion a special place in the automotive industry.

Ronn Maxwell, has dedicated his professional career to every aspect of the automobile: building, construction, fabrication, racing, painting, restorations, and sales. Having owned several high end automotive shops, Ronn is a multi-talented, energetic entrepreneur with experience and vision. Ronn has the operational and interpersonal skills required to manage the complex tasks that transform dreams into reality.

In 2007, Ronn was engaged to by an American firm to explore and develop a joint venture with a Chinese company, Zhonda International. The third largest bus manufacturer in China. As director of Engineering and Manufacturing, Ron developed building processes and quality control procedures that would be integral to the operation, as Zhonda increased its global presence in preparation for importation of its buses into the United States. While in China Ronn birthed the concept and design for the "Scorpion", now Ronn Motor Company's first automobile.

Damon Kuhn, COO

Damon Kuhn has been involved in various aspects of car building for forty years.

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