Many of you already know this, but Pennsylvania was the birthplace of the oil industry. It's true. In Titusville, PA, the very first oil wells were dug. Soon, wells were popping up everywhere as we found new and innovative uses for oil-- like powering automobiles.
But it's been a long time, and most of our state's oil is gone. So why did Toyota make a pit stop for fuel at Oil Creek?
For the water.
Well, okay, they could have gotten water anywhere. It was mostly to make a point. A symbolic gesture. A nod to history. That sort of thing. You get it.
The point is, fuel can be made from water! At least a certain kind of fuel, for a certain type of car: hydrogen, and the Toyota Mirai.
Hydrogen fuel is really cool. You can get it to separate from oxygen in water molecules by applying electricity. Then, when it re-combines with oxygen inside a fuel cell, it generates electricity, and becomes water again.
Essentially, it acts as a battery, but it produces no harmful chemicals or emissions.
The only problem is the source of electricity you put into it. If that energy is coming from a coal-burning plant, well... it's not so good. But there are fuel stations in existence today that create hydrogen from water on-site using solar panels. Woo! Big win for the environment.
It's going to be awhile to get a sustainable hydrogen infrastructure going. Until then, Del Toyota Inc. offers many new vehicles that are easy on gas, and produce low emissions, such as the Toyota Prius.
