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The most efficient way of making the national auto fleet guzzle less fuel would be to slap a stiff tax on gasoline (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEED7163CF933A1575AC0A966958260)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/wouk.jpgVictor Wouk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Wouk) - New York Times - Oct, 1990

Reply from the father of the modern hybrid (http://eands.caltech.edu/articles/LXVII3/wouk.html) -- Ed.

LEAD: To the Editor:

To the Editor:

You are both right and wrong in ''The Second-Best Way to Save Gas (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9407)'' (editorial, Sept. 20), considerations of higher gasoline taxes aside. Yes, fuel economy of 40 miles a gallon can be achieved without all cars being Pinto sized, but it is wrong that Detroit can achieve the goal in lighter cars that embody improved safety features. To get much higher gas mileage with current car designs, weight must be reduced substantially, even if it is Detroit that says so.

A news article back in 1974(Jan. 27) described a full-sized car (of which I am co-inventor), which can get 40 miles or more a gallon and can be built with existing technologies - the gasoline-electric hybrid. The vehicle achieved the emission levels mandated by Congress for 1976. Detroit caught up with this 1974 hybrid a decade later. Hybrids solve the two problems of the limited range of electric cars and the excessive gasoline consumption of conventional cars. The hybrid employs batteries that can be charged overnight, an electric motor and an engine smaller than today's oversize engine. The major source of propulsion energy is transferred from on-board gasoline, or any alternative fuel, to off-board generated electricity. With hybrids, Senator Richard Bryan's bill, which seeks 40 miles a gallon for all cars by 2001, could be met. Los Angeles is buying 1,000 hybrid vehicles... http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEED7163CF933A1575AC0A966958260

While I had an internship at GM in summer 1991, Congress was attempting to pass a law that would mandate a 40 MPG CAFE standard. Posters all over the interior of the GM Tech Center in Warren encouraged employees to call their representatives and ask them to discourage the bill or face potential layoffs.

When I asked my father, a long-time GM employee, about the actual potential, he flatly stated that it was correct -- after all, GM had only one car in production at the time that would meet such a standard, the Geo Metro, and it wasn't built by GM.

AFAIK, the situation hasn't improved substantially over the last 17 years, and they haven't prevented layoffs either.

Wonderful reading. Thanks!

Damn that Mr. X.

cheers,
Bill

Where would we be today if there had been no Mr. X?

It should be noted the the Buick Skylark was a PHEV, because of the limitations of battery techology at the time. The Wankel engine, while compact is not that fuel efficient, so imagine if a Honda CVCC engine was used.

In recognition of his efforts, Toyota gave Mr Wouk a Prius.

The geo metro and storm were the only cars ever badged GM i would call a success. Success to me though is not selling 700k units a year...its 50mpg :)

Fascinating ! Excellent interview. And Wouk did this all without computers. Just fantastic.

A very interesting read indeed...

Thank you, EPA! :(

That's when my Dad switched to Toyota... well, right after the gas crunch... he got his first Corolla, then when the Toyota minivan first came out, he got rid of the old Aspen and both cars were toyota... never went back to America Made until he was in his 50's and finally got his Mustang he always wanted (and because he only drove 3 miles to and from work and only a few tiems a week) Now the big car is a Honda (Element) and the convertable he insisted on having living at the beach is Chrysler... but again... doesn't go very far...

He was a loyal American car guy until the 70's... the next 30 years were all toyotas until I turned him on to Honda 5 years ago and he found the element...