For more than a century we have depended on oil to power our cars. The world’s oil supply is about to run out. Because oil is a non-renewable resource, once it runs out, there will be no more for hundreds of thousands of years. Our resources will not be depleted today, or tomorrow, not even next year. However, the day will come when we will run out of fuel for our vehicles. So what? Why are we waiting for this day to come without looking for green energy sources to power our cars?

Did you know that water can be used to propel cars? It’s true. German automakers BMW have already produced the world’s first hydrogen-powered car. However, they only produced 100 of them. Can you imagine if they built more and these cars were on the road?

This initial car model is called the BMW Hydrogen 7 and uses the body of the 760i model. When you lift the hood of this car, you will immediately notice that it is different from a gasoline car. Under this hood is a gas and hydrogen system.

Hydrogen energy allows the car to travel 4.7 miles on one gallon of water. In the future, these figures will more than double. For now, we still need duel engine cars because we refuse to give up our gasoline vehicles entirely.

The biggest challenge in using water as a source of green energy is in the motor. Hydrogen combustion engines are still in their infancy. The technology for these engines is less than 10 years old and growing. Who knows where the future will take us.

To prevent evaporation, large 30-gallon, two-layer, highly insulated tanks should be installed on the vehicle. There is a danger of water evaporating into compressed gas without these safety devices. Another safety mechanism is in the valves that open if the pressure in the tank exceeds 5 bars.

Due to the success of the BMW H7, the German company has presented a new car called H2R. Although it runs on water, we can’t just take our garden hose and fill it – these vehicles actually use liquid nitrogen for fuel. Tests on this new car show that it can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 6 seconds. With a maximum cruising speed of 185.5 mph, this vehicle can achieve 285 hp. This is an extraordinary vehicle that shows promise for the future.

The advantage of water over gas or diesel is demonstrated in the lack of harmful gases released into our atmosphere by water-powered cars. Water also weighs less than hydrocarbon fuels and burns faster than regular gasoline.

Water-powered cars are expected to be available to the public in the next 10 to 20 years. When more automakers decide they want to build green energy vehicles, we will see a dramatic change in what we drive today. Until then, we handle what’s out there.

Right now, our best green energy option is electric cars. Since 1999, more and more people are choosing to drive these cleaner-running vehicles. It’s not a bad idea when the cost of gas hits an all-time high per barrel.

Which leaves us with a final question: if we can harness water to use as an energy source for our cars, why can’t we use the sun’s energy as a fuel source?