Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit

Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit Features

Additional Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit Information

The Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car & Experiment Kit provides a playful introduction to one of the most significant technologies of the early 21st Century. With this kit you can build a model car that actually runs on water!

First, add water and watch it separate into hydrogen and oxygen. Then, use those stored gases to power your vehicle across the floor. Now that we have your attention, roll up your sleeves and find out more through experiments and demonstrations you can do on your own, in a classroom or with friends.

Fuel cells are a promising means of producing energy in the future. Some fuel cells, such as this one, do not consume fossil fuels and therefore are considered environmentally friendly. Automobile manufacturers are already experimenting successfully with this technology and it is widely believed that fuel cells will power automobiles and many electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones, in the near future.

With this unique kit, you can build your own experimental reversible fuel cell car to learn more about this energy source. With more than 30 experiments and demonstrations, users will learn how a reversible fuel cell works to perform electrolysis as well as to create energy. The electricity required to activate electrolysis is created with a large solar cell included with the kit. During electrolysis, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen and the resulting energy is stored as a gas. When needed, the gas is fed into the fuel cell, which then serves as the power source.

Ages 12 and up

What Customers Say About Thames & Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit:

The book covers a lot of areas fairly in depth, so even if they are new topics for you, the information is there to get you started on a journey of discovery together. You can talk about gases, matter, volume, comparisons of different volumes, basic electricity, and a host of other science. Despite that issue, this is a great science project.

One word of caution. Put no pressure on the gear box at all. We have loved this toy / science project so far.

I broke the axel free from the gear box with very little force and it can't be fixed. Absolutely one of my favorite science projects. When you put the wheels on to the axel with the motor, it is very easy to break the axel away from the gear box.

Place the wheel on flat solid surface (like a table) and then tap the axel in with a small hammer tapping only on the other end of the axel.

There is also the solar panel that they hype.The manual then does a nice job of using the multimeter to conduct more experiments, like how the intensity of the sun varies over the day. I had an earlier version of this kit; the new car is improved. There is a mix of experiments about the fuel cell and the photovoltaic cell. A couple of their experiments have nothing to do with the car (components in series versus parallel) but the vast majority do. There is a good manual as well.One question I had was "what is in this outside the fuel cell car". They put in a multimeter (ammeter + voltmeter) -- a slightly nicer one runs about $20 at Radio Shack if you're curious.

happy i did Its meant for kids but I liked it.The kit was easy enough for a child (great) and left out all the cartoons so I didn't feel embarrassed playing with it.I looked at several kits and picked this one. I enjoyed it. Fun factor is in the learning part.

Very high quality components, I have used mine as a demonstration system extensively with no issues. PV cell operates in cloudy/lower light conditions much better than others I have used.Strongly recommend.

While I don't necessarily believe hydrogen fuel cells are the answer on their own, they will likely be part of the solution to our decreasing oil supply. The car teaches you about how a fuel cell works, and you get to see with your own eyes how simple the technology actually is. The only negative thing I have to say about this item is that the rubber wheels tend to come off easily, so we've ended up running it without them. I bought this for my 15-year-old son who is very interested in alternative fuels and transportation, and it's incredible. My son played with it for about 8 hours straight and still does every chance he gets.