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Developments in the hydrogen power industry are moving at a fast pace.

Earlier this month, Blacklight Power, working with scientists at Rowen University in New Jersey, announced it was able to generate more energy from hydrogen than the process of mining hydrogen from water consumes. The breakthrough has tremendous potential since the opposite has always been true, a drawback that has constrained hydrogen’s potential as a pollution free fuel for cars, airplanes and power plants.

Chava Energy conceives of a auto engine that never needs fossil fuel or electricity to run

Now Blacklight competitor Chava Energy of Sebastopol, CA, is claiming an equally impressive feat. The company claims it is running a motor partly on what it calls “fractional hydrogen,” a key step in the quest for a fossil-fuel-free internal combustion engine.

“The evidence so far is encouraging,” says co-founder Mark Goldes. “We believe it is true.”

Fractional hydrogen is a compressed version of the hydrogen atom and it creates enough kinetic energy to push a piston or drive electrons through copper wire.

Goldes said the company passed the milestone earlier this year. If true, “it changes the whole ball game,” he said. “It clearly has some very significant implications.”

One implication is an automobile that runs without fuel. Just add a gallon of water every 1,000 miles or so and rely solely on hydrogen. Another is a self-contained power plant without a belching smoke stack.

Goldes declines to discuss the scientific details behind his process. But he estimates he will be able to market a fuel cell in a year and a vehicle motor in two years. The motor will sell at a price competitive with internal combustion motors, he says.

Size is not expected to be an issue. The first MagGen (stands for magnetic generator) will be a box about 12 inches in length and five inches high and wide. Two will have the juice of a 120-volt socket – initially making them appropriate for charging an electric car and ending the need to plug it in at night. Performance is expected to improve and size will shrink.

Goldes says he has begun to seek new funding to accelerate his push to the market. He is shying away from venture money and leaning towards more friends and family money. But, it might make sense for him to rethink that stance. First to market advantage is crucial even if you own a little bit less of your company.