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CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) - Politicians and automakers say a car that can both reduce greenhouse gases and free America from its reliance on foreign oil is years or even decades away. Ron Gremban says such a car is parked in his garage.

It looks like a typical Toyota Prius hybrid, but in the trunk sits an 80-miles-per-gallon secret - a stack of 18 brick-sized batteries that boosts the car's high mileage with an extra electrical charge so it can burn even less fuel.

Gremban, an electrical engineer and committed environmentalist, spent several months and $3,000 tinkering with his car.


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I hear in South America they use ethil Alcohol made from corn...but that was shot down over here by big business as usual.

As will Gremban's concept and car!

I personally think there's going to be a run on Priuses in January. After more oil shocks and the disemination of the knowledge of the $9000 tax credit on hybrid vehicles, people will be flocking in droves to get those ugly cars.

$20,000 base, $27,000 luxury.

I wouldn't mind having one myself if it had dark tinted windows. It would be interesting to see what kind of gas milage it gets when the body is covered in solar cells.

It is stupid we aren't using more of these fuels for transportation, but they tend to be little putter mobiles that are ugly, slow and tend label you as some sort of eco-dweeb.

I'm not so sure the amount of land needed to produce the amount of ethanol we would use is even do-able without affecting the food supply in some manner. Whether it is corn for tortilla chips, high fructose corn syrup for soda, or feed for animals there isn't enough unfarmed land to produce all that ethanol and the food we currently produce.

We should be blending more ethanol into our fuels. It is good for farmers, the environment, and should lower the relative increase in gas prices due to oil prices. We would add drought to the equation, but it would be less of an effect than oil prices.

I have heard that the energy neede to produce ethenol is a negative sum total which would make it a poor option. With gas getting to three dollars a gallon I could care less how ugly a vehichle is as long as it is practical.

I ran a gas station back during the arab oil embargos during the early 80's. What I find interesting with this current run up is that it seems as though people are ignoring it as if it will be going away at some point. I continue to see all many, many SUV's and PU trucks running around with one person driving. I for one need to drive my van for my business, but there are so many driving around these land yaghts driving around that are not being utilized.

Back during the embargo foreign car makers flooded the market and people began to drive smaller cars in an effort to save money. I don't see that happening this time.

What' will it take to make our country wake up on this issue?

$3.00 a gallon?
$5.00 a gallon?
$10.00 a gallon?

I for one am tired of enriching Arabs...

What I would like to see:

1) Imediate contruction of refineries.
2) Drilling in Anwar
3) Easing of government restrictions on seaching for oil.
4) Instead of tax breaks for high MPG cars how about a government subsidy to lower the entry cost? Low income people could care less about the tax break.
5) Build more nuclear plants.
6) Governmental grants and prizes for inventers such as the man who built the car that gets 250 MPG.
7) Governmental grants and prizes for those who research alternate fuels.

Anyone else have some ideas

That exists already

It's called a patent.. that allows them to reap the benifits of licences for 17 years

Gasohol is used in South America, where cane is not subsidized at the prices by American producers it would have been too expensive. Given the price of gas today, it might be worth while, even if it were more expensive we would be independent of foreign oil. This idea however is not to the advantage of the corporations so don't hold your breath.

I think folks are waking up.

From Seattle to Indianapolis through Tennessee into Albany on to Miami.

Middle class americans are starting to identify that there are serious implications for the rising gas prices and their pocketbooks.