As we stand at the gas pump and watch the numbers go up and up and up, it’s hard to believe there’s no way to avoid the soaring costs. Rather than accept the reality of gas prices, many people begin looking for some sort solution – any solution. That’s why inventions and technologies to improve gas mileage are currently experiencing a boom. While their overall value remains questionable, fuel-saving innovations have a very important ally at the moment: relevance.
One inventor from Wanganui, New Zealand, is even doubling up by claiming his invention can save on fuel and reduce emissions that are harmful to the environment. Whether or not his invention works, this is exactly the type of new product people are looking for. Victor Whitton spent seven years and thousands of dollars developing his invention, the Econ Fuel Energizer, which he says is currently giving motorist up to 60 more miles per tank (or, in New Zealand terms, 100 kilometers). Whitton says the invention works by changing the molecular structure of fuel so that it burns more efficiently. A cylinder with two hoses emerging from opposite sides, Whitton’s invention idea actually came to him in a dream. Over time, he transformed that dream into a reality.
Currently, his device is installed in over 800 vehicles around his hometown. According to the Wanganui Chronicle, several companies that have tried out the invention have received positive results. Though the installers report there are compatibility issues with older vehicles, most of the feedback has been pretty good. A manager at Beaurepaires, a New Zealand retailer of tires, batteries, wheels and wheel-alignment services, even claimed that using the device on three company vehicles has saved a few hundred dollars over the course of a month. Such results have increased recognition for the Econ Fuel Energizer and the invention is now being tested in the United Kingdom, Australia, Greece and Ireland.
But, like a lot of other fuel-saving inventions, the question arises whether the device is really worth it. At a cost of $150, would the device even save enough to be considered worthwhile to everyday drivers? While the results are still out on Whitton’s invention (especially stateside – where it has not been tested), many other fuel-saving inventions have failed. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has tested over 100 such devices, “in general, they do not meet the manufacturer’s claims for improved fuel efficiency.” The EPA even posts reports on each device they test on the Web – though, unfortunately, the reports are written in nearly indecipherable report lingo rather than straightforward language. The EPA claims the best way to increase fuel efficiency is not through add-on devices but by altering driving styles – avoiding quick acceleration and hard breaking, reducing vehicle weight, keeping tires properly inflated and coasting whenever possible. Despite such skepticism of fuel-saving inventions, Mr. Whitton stands by his device telling the Wanganui Chronicle simply “don’t knock it until you try it”.
