Ep 10. Water Car

In this episode of Science Max season 2, viewers are taken on a journey to discover how to make a car that runs on water. Host Phil is joined by his friend and resident engineer, Daniel, to help him build the car. The duo explains that the concept behind the water car is to harness the energy created by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis.

In the beginning, Phil and Daniel explain the basics of how the water car will work. They start by explaining the concept of an electrolysis cell and how it can produce hydrogen and oxygen gas when an electric current is passed through it. The pair then proceeds to demonstrate this concept using a basic electrolysis setup, a power source, and a bubbler to collect the gases.

Next, Phil and Daniel start building the water car. They take apart a toy car and modify it to fit the components required for the electrolysis process. A battery powers the cell, which is set up with two electrodes, one of which is made of stainless steel, and the other of which is made of graphite. The graphite electrode is used to produce oxygen, while the stainless steel electrode is used to produce hydrogen gas. The gases produced by the cell are fed into the toy car's combustion engine, where they are ignited to produce motion.

As Phil and Daniel work on constructing the car, they go through the various engineering challenges they encounter. One of the biggest challenges they face is ensuring that the car's engine can burn the hydrogen and oxygen gas efficiently. They conduct several experiments to optimize the hydrogen-to-oxygen ratio and the air-to-fuel ratio in the engine to ensure it is running as efficiently as possible.

Once the car is constructed, it is time for a test drive. Phil and Daniel take it for a spin around the Science Max studio and along with the way, talk about how the water car can actually be an eco-friendly alternative to regular gasoline cars. They also discuss the challenges and technology hurdles that are now preventing the widespread adoption of this type of car.

Finally, the episode wraps up with Phil and Daniel recapping the entire experiment and outlining the takeaways about how water cars work. They explain how a water car can be an example of clean energy but is still significantly more expensive to build and operate when compared to conventional cars. Viewers are also introduced to working at the cutting edge of science and technology and developing engineering skills since they are illustrated seeing the building of a machine.