So after the first half of our trip, I would like to introduce you to the baby we´ve been traveling in so far: A bull-strong 4×4 Pajero which can conquer the gravel roads and rocky slopes of Lesotho easily. Remember, this country is called “Kingdom in the Sky” for a reason!

You might wonder how a project of climate protection and a petrol intensive 4×4 are compatible. Well, you got a point there. I guess it´s not. But with most of the project area located in the rural part of Lesotho, you are dependent on a car bringing you safely there and back. And we had our reasons to pick exactly that car:

First of all, after two months of driving the Pajero I’m used to it and in case of a break down (which actually happened twice just last week!) I´m rather able to fix the Pajero than a car I’m not familiar with.

Changing a flat tire in the middle of nowhere – in of the night… That incident actually happened only a couple of hours after I picked up Gesa from the airport!

The second reason is that Michael gave us a customized roof tent. It’s as compact as it is comfy and handy. Now this really puts our camping to a whole new level!! Being the proud owner, he was kind enough to let us borrow both the car and the tent (plus a solar lamp, an axe, firewood, a complete Save80 set, and some other useful equipment). Hurray! We definitely need to find him a generous souvenir from Cape Town!

Furthermore, there is a reason number three (my personal favourite): the car drives partly on hydrogen won out of distilled water inside the engine. The Pajero is not particularly new (260.000km on the tachometer and built about 15years ago) but thanks to this small gadget called HHO system, it saves you up to 20% fuel! For example, we only used an average of 11l of diesel per 100km on our mountainous trip. The concept is brilliant. In fact, the process of electrolyse is known even longer than the equivalent petrol engine but it´s more complicated and – reason number 1 – who earns money if people drive with water?

How does the HHO system work?

1. Well, the engine itself uses electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
2. That same hydrogen is then mixed with the diesel right before the ignition and reduces the percentage of diesel the car needs.

What are the advantages?

1. It reduces the diesel consumption BY TWENTY PERCENT!
2. The HHO Genesis System reduces exhaust emissions by EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT!
3. By partly burning Hydrogen, the car engine is cleaned of carbon residues which results in an extension of the total engine lifespan.

The Hydrogen Generation Unit

So is that little gadget the solution for all our problems?

Nope, it´s not! Sadly, our planet suffers from pollution in so many different ways. Two thirds of the carbon dioxide emissions are produced by the industry and the transport sector. The HHO Genesis – Hydrogen on Demand System could be a little piece in the puzzle we should all be working on. However, it´s only reducing the consumption of diesel but not replacing the need of it. What I personally find more interesting is the variety of engines you can build it in to: A month ago, Michael took me to a quarry and guess what, the heavy machine grinding the big rocks down into small gravel is running on diesel and now thanks to Michael partly on hydrogen! Industrial machines of all sorts, heavy trucks as well as regular cars all over the world are running on diesel. The HHO System works, was tested and approved and could be used in all these engines. You can modify your diesel engine within hours and it´s gonna pay off quickly: you´ll be able to save money and you´re diesel becomes a bit greener. Yet, in an oil-loving world dominated by huge concerns, this seems to be a big challenge and I´m curious how long it will take humanity to finally abandon the dirty slop from our engines…