Water engines and sand batteries are novel ways to cut carbon dioxide emissions and reduce China and Russia’s grip on vital energy materials.

China, the world’s top miner and refiner of 17 rare earth metals, can choke off our supply whenever it feels it can leverage our country and allies around the world. It did so last June. Meanwhile, Russia cut off natural gas and oil to the European Union when its army invaded Ukraine.

To combat those embargos, Japanese automakers are devising ways to reduce the dependence on lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and rare earth metals in their products — particularly cars and trucks.

Toyota was the No. 1 automaker worldwide in 2024, and the only manufacturer to sell over 10 million vehicles annually. Honda ranked No. 8 (3.7 million).

China’s rare earth metals are also used in wind turbines, utility grade storage batteries, and critical weapons and defense systems. China’s neighbors, particularly Japan and South Korea, live with the rapidly growing threat of the Chinese army, navy, air force, and space build up.

Honda has a new super hybrid engine which cuts greenhouse gas emissions, increases fuel efficiency, and reduces rare earth metals. Meanwhile, Toyota, which already markets a hydrogen fueled car (Mirai), is getting ready to scale-up manufacturing a new car which runs completely on water.

The new Toyota vehicle cuts the pressurized hydrogen fuel tank and replaces it with a new engine with an onboard electrolysis unit (separates oxygen and hydrogen). Hydrogen replaces gasoline as fuel and only water vapor is emitted. It is not petroleum or rare earth metal dependent.

Imagine just adding distilled water to the tank and driving to Spokane or Sacramento without spending a half hour at hard-to-find charging stations along the way.

The Chinese continue to threaten the takeover of Taiwan — the semiconductor capital of the world — to bring that critical ally back under Communist China control.

We have already seen what happened when the Chinese Communist Party was handed over Hong Kong in 1997 and ended 156 years of British rule. Oppression replaced freedom.

Two and a half years ago, when Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, formerly neutral nations Finland and Sweden scrambled to join NATO. The Ukraine incursion is Europe's largest since World War II, raising security concerns among Finns who recall the brutal Soviet invasion of 1939.

As punishment, Putin cut off natural gas supplies to Finland as well as other EU nations. At the time, the EU collectively bought 40% of its natural gas from Russia. 

Finland also needed a green alternative. Remembering the old 16th century adage that "necessity is the mother of invention," Finland’s Polar Night Energy Co. developed the sand battery using renewable sources — primarily sand.

Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which store electricity directly, this system uses thermal energy storage — heat storage. When electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar is abundant, it's sent to heat sand in an insulated silo (40 feet high by 100 feet wide). Polar Night says that sand heated to temperatures up to 1,112 degrees can be stored for months and accessed when needed using a closed-loop air pipe system.

In June, Polar Night opened its first commercial sand battery facility in Pornainen, which is a small community (5,500) found on Finland’s south central Baltic Sea coast. It is projected to lower annual CO2 emissions by 70%.

Sand batteries may support district heating in Washington state, such as the Port of Bellingham's low-carbon energy project serving 1.5 million square feet of future homes and businesses.

America and our allies must continue to develop new innovations such as sand batteries and water-fueled cars. They increase our choices, reduce security risks, and are environmentally friendly.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He lives in Vancouver. Contact [email protected].