LARAMIE - Sixteen years ago, Dennis Jarrett set out to build a three-wheeled alternative fuel car.

What he ended up with is a design for a hydrogen-electrolysis add-on system that provides better fuel mileage.

The add-on system has not been installed in "Car Hydro 1," still a work in progress, but he has installed the add-on system into his 1985 Ford Ranger.

Jarrett said he is working on his 10th design of the system, and one of the first designs he put on his truck about six months ago increased his horsepower by about 15 percent and nearly doubled his fuel mileage from 18 to 35 mpg.

He said that his latest design is not getting the increase in mileage he had with his earlier design - and he's working to figure out why. The earlier design was larger, used a copper loop and was mounted on the outside of the vehicle, while the new designs are smaller and fit under the hood.

The system connects to the battery and uses about 10 amps. He said it also runs through the radiator to warm up the liquid.

Jarrett said he uses six tablespoons of baking soda per gallon of distilled water. He said normal usage of a vehicle will use about 6 ounces of the water mixture per tank of gasoline.

The battery provides electricity for the electrolysis, which separates the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gases. The gases are then sent into the air intake. Jarrett said 1.4 volts are all that is needed for electrolysis to occur.

The hydrogen-electrolysis system, Jarrett said, provides fuel efficiency because hydrogen burns cooler than gasoline. When hydrogen is mixed with gasoline, the gasoline can burn at a lower temperature, which is easier on the engine.

He said the hydrogen also makes the engine fuel burn more completely, thus causing fewer emissions.

He said a normal gasoline engine burns 92 percent of the fuel with 8 percent ejected from the exhaust. With the hydrogen mixture, the engine burns about 98 percent of the fuel.

Jarrett said he uses distilled water because the salt in other water is too corrosive.

While the mixture does go through the radiator, Laramie's subzero temperatures cause the water to freeze when the vehicle is not running. So this winter Jarrett added some Everclear grain alcohol, which kept the water from freezing without appearing to damage the efficiency of the system.

Jarrett has sold the system to two Laramie residents and five out-of-state residents. He said the increase in performance depends on the vehicle, but he said all his customers have noted higher horsepower.

When working on his Car Hydro 1, Jarrett said he wanted an alternative-fuel engine.

He began researching and reading up on hydrogen fuel. Jarrett said he knew a complete hydrogen-fuel engine would be cost-prohibitive for him, so he began looking at alternatives.

As he researched other companies' and individuals' designs for hydrogen electrolysis, he decided to work on his own design.

"I don't understand why everyone is saying it is hard," Jarrett said. "It seems simple and uses common sense. There are quite a few people out there with different designs."

He said his system is similar to that used by Gorilla Development, but the systems sold by Gorilla are for much larger vehicles.

Jarrett said he wanted to design his own system rather than use someone else's product because he wanted to learn more about how a hydrogen system works.

"If you don't make your own mistakes, you never learn," he said.

Jarrett said he will continue to work on designs for his system until "it is as good as I can get it and does what I want."

During a recent City Council meeting, Jarrett outlined his alternative fuel system, providing a demonstration to council members and city personnel.

But if the city wants to try the system in its larger equipment, like garbage trucks, it would have to purchase a unit from Gorilla Development, he said.

Laramie Street Division Manager Harold Colby said the city may be interested in one of Jarrett's systems for use in an older pickup that is outside the warranty. He said personnel that read water meters use the pickup.

Colby said the city wants to contact Jarrett's customers to see how they like the hydrogen-electrolysis add-on system.

According to information on the Gorilla Development Web site: "The development of hydrogen for automobile usage is not a new concept. You can find many units being produced today that are the 'first generation' of electrolyzers for aiding in increased fuel efficiency."

According to the company, the future of hydrogen-based transport is inevitable, and companies like Gorilla are helping the country "wean" itself off gasoline.

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