Interesting inventions that seem to vanish

06-08-2011, 03:19 AM

06-08-2011, 07:26 AM

Here are some conversations/opinions about this invention: http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/u...6;t=002848;p=0

06-08-2011, 08:31 AM

I can't comment as to the validity of this particular invention, but inventions vanish regularly anytime they are a potential threat to the status quo and the big business that feeds from it.

I remember reading an article that appeared in the Asheville Citizen, the main paper for this part of the state, in the early 90s. It was somewhere between '92 and '94.
It was a short article about the public demonstration of a new fuel technology. If I remember correctly the demonstration was taking place in Arizona.
The article stated that this new fuel for powering cars could be delivered by existing gas stations and manufactured and sold at the pump for 25 cents per gallon (at the time of course).
A modification to the engine would be required in the form of some sort of add on part that it said could be installed for $500 including labor.

So basically for a $500 investment your car could be adapted to run on this new fuel that could be produced and sold for 25 cents per gallon. Gasoline at the time was around $1 to $1.25.

That one article was all I ever heard about that new invention. I've even searched for some sort of mention of it on the net a few times over the years and found nothing that resembled what was described.
I figure the inventor of it is now retired with a healthy bank account while the patent for the device is in the possession of one of the big oil companies, sufficiently buried until such a time as it is needed, after they've made all the money they can from petroleum of course.

06-08-2011, 09:28 AM

My company developed an algae based fuel that can be grown and harvested very inexpensively. A modification to gas engines would allow this fuel to burn. BP now controls the technology so don't expect it to ever come to the market.