The Daily Kos blogger of course completely neglects the fact that what is possible on a one-off, custom, basis is not always simple or practical on a production basis. For example, there are thousands of home-built electric cars tooling around in North America. Ask Tesla (or GM for that matter) how simple it is to produce a reliable, marketable and practical (debatable with the Tesla roadster) electric car in volume even with checks in hand from buyers willing to plunk down $100k for every one of them they can produce for the first couple years.

The automotive industry is just that: an industry. They manufacture product which they intend to sell, in volume, at a profit. Innovation and engineering are part invention, part cost-benefit analysis. The fact they haven’t come up with a 40mpg diesel Hummer yet has nothing to do with engineering talent, but everything to do with the fact they aren’t interested in selling a couple hundred vehicles per year.

Any wily engineer knows that the success of his practical project lies in the hands of technicians with trade school educations.

We have a lot of bad things going on in our large organizations, including government, but this story is over the top. Not surprisingly given the source.

If this guy’s stuff is really all that great, then even an evil, stupid, and lazy corporation would steal his ideas and create sub par copies. They haven’t, and are not even trying, so the argument falls apart.

As for the legend of the working guy, it’s true. One in a thousand are like that. Given the population size, that means we can find plenty of examples. Unfortunately, one reason large corporations are even close to being bad as they are is the other 999 workers out of 1000. Management must manage those people, so they end up being, well, management.

I seriously envy the Europeans who can walk into almost any car dealer and buy a Diesel in almost any model and any trim. Ferrchrissakes they can buy Alfa Romeo Spyders with Diesel engines!

Yes, I know that GM produced a line of con-rod busting, craptastic Diesel sedans in the mid-80s that did all sorts of damage to the reputation of the fuel, but it is about time that Detroit gets over it. It is also about time that California give up quest to kill Diesel technology.

–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org

Check out what some other dude says he can do with a different GM (well, GM-branded) product, the Metro:
http://www.knowledgepublications.com/hydrogen_car_dvd/h2_car_dvd.htm

Here are some Metro modifications/general driving techniques (some of which are realistic and reasonable):
http://metrompg.com/posts/efficiency-mods.htm

He turns out well ballanced dyno tuned 600whp M5s like its just another day at the office, and we’d always have one of the Bass family’s Ferraris in to get that extra pony at the rear wheels.

Its attitudes like that that make me hate these so called “intellectuals.”

Goodwin has done no such thing. As pointed out above, he is merely modifying cars in the American hot rod tradition.

It’s the circle of life. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Also, the $28K cost isn’t saying any vehicle made his way will be +$28K in price. That price is the cost of having the engine, electronics and emission system of the original vehicle ripped out, the new engine, transmission, electronics, and whatnot sourced, the labor (lots) and overhead to do all that, some R&D costs, and finally some profit.

Amen. And I reckon Chapter 11 is the key.

I read the original article yesterday and while I do honestly think that we can do better, the modifications in this article are impractical. I’d love to see more small diesels in light trucks and diesel-electric hybrids. That’s practical. Hydrogen injection and turbines tied to super capacity batteries, not so much.

Here are some of my favorite points:
“With a $5,000 bolt-on kit he co-engineered–the poor man’s version of a Goodwin conversion–he can immediately transform any diesel vehicle to burn 50% less fuel and produce 80% fewer emissions.” So what is this kit? A hydrogen injection system… And apparently this hydrogen fits no where in to the energy calculation. It just is magically and freely available.

“Goodwin, perhaps, can afford to be a visionary. He has the luxury of converting cars for fancy clients who’ll pay handsomely to drive on higher moral ground. (He charges $28,000 for a “basic H2 conversion to diesel”
The people who wrote this article seem to think diesel engines are some sort of mystical, futuristic device. A quick google search reveled several companies that will convert a Hummer to diesel, plus I believe GM is planning on coming out with a Diesel H2 next year; at much less than a $28,000 add on.

“Pound for pound, diesel offers more power and torque; it’s also inherently more efficient, offering up to 40% better mileage and 20% lower emissions in engines of comparable size.”
Wow, 20% lower emissions. I mean, that’s just plain wrong.

I think there is a factual error or exaggeration in every paragraph of this fastcompany.com article.

I don’t doubt that there are many smart engineers working hard to produce great vehicles, but part of the job of these massive corporations is to stifle true creativity and genius; to mash down intelligent people until they serve the narrowly defined roles designated to them. Outside, independent actors are necessary and not so surprising as they might seem; anything is possible and within the reach of properly equipped ingenious individuals.

It is indeed to culture of Detroit that is preventing the world-changing ideas of the engineers working for the Big 3 from ever making it to market. The greater truth here is that this is how things are done all across the marketplace and it will be a revolution if someone actually figures out how to effectively unlock and access the genius contained within every company.

The whole blog post is about how ridiculous this take on Detroit is.

No matter what I think about Detroit’s prospects, I understand that they’re doing their best to do their best.

I am quite sure Mr. Goodwin could have executed his mechanical wizardry with a Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, or Honda Accord.

The fact he chose domestic makes has nothing to do with the larger arguement that ALL cars—irrespective of country of orgin—could probably increase gas mileage through engineering excellence. Remember, Toyota is now sitting at the same CAFE table in Washington as Detroit.

One thing the original article delves into a bit, that Kos nor TTAC address it at all.

Distribution of these alternative fuels and the very high cost of these modifications. I'm sorry, but $28,000 to get a diesel in an H2 is ridiculously expensive and could only be afforded by the most guilt-ridden eco-heads among us.

Hydrogen injection? I guess I'm missing the hydrogen pump at my local gas station.

I agree that this guy is uber cool for his abilities, but to say that Detroit is lame for not implementing this stuff is short sighted. I don't see any other manufacturers pumping out large economy vehicles either.