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Tesla Model S Hacked To Make The EV Run Longer On Hydrogen — But Does It Work?

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 02:31 PST, Nov 8, 2017

A Tesla Model S has been hacked by a company in the Netherlands so that it can be powered by hydrogen. According to the Drive, a Dutch gas company called the Holthausen Group says that they have successfully extended the range of the Model S by running it on hydrogen. They’re calling the project Project Hesla, which stands for hydrogen-powered Tesla.

The company sourced a second-hand Model S to conduct their experiment. Adding another power source to the Tesla was no easy feat. These premium electric vehicles typically don’t accept power from an external source, so you have to find a workaround. Finding this workaround was a big challenge for Project Hesla.

But the company claims that they have been able to add the secondary hydrogen power source and double the range of the Tesla Model S. In addition to the onboard battery, the Project Hesla vehicle can run on hydrogen stored in tanks. The hydrogen is pumped from the tanks and into a fuel cell which supplies extra juice for the car battery, adding 620 miles (1,000 kilometers).

One of the goals of the project is to assist Tesla drivers who may be traveling long distances and may not have access to a charging station. As the Drive notes, hydrogen is considered one of the most commercially viable alternative fuel sources on the market right now, with car companies like Toyota making serious investments into the gas.

According to Futurism, hydrogen gas could become even more appealing, as scientists have discovered that it can be created using seawater. There’s also a high-strength aluminium alloy that can turn into hydrogen when it makes contact with water.

However, in the U.S., hydrogen fueling stations aren’t that common; there are less than 40 stations open to the public spread across four states.

The other factor that could block Project Hesla vehicles from appealing to consumers is the cost. Adding the hydrogen power source tacks on an extra $58,000 to the prices of the vehicle. So a Model S P100D would cost $205,000 with the hydrogen gas power included, the Drive calculates.

Do you think that the Project Hesla vehicle is a viable innovation on Tesla’s EV technology? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Tesla Motors]

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