A CD-Powered Car?

Could your electric vehicle be powered by a CD?  Paul Smith of Plasma Kinetics Corp. says his company is ready to build a prototype of a hydrogen-powered electric vehicle.

But instead of being compressed, the hydrogen is stored in a disc that looks like a CD. The hydrogen is released when a light shines through the disc. A device in the trunk, about the size of a small suitcase, would hold enough discs to keep the car going for about 220 miles.

Drivers could recharge by either swapping out a set of discs -- similar to a propane exchange -- or recharging the discs at home. With a standard electrical charge, they can draw the hydrogen they need from water, with a charging time of about 5 hours.