Sputtering Ahead

NEWSWEEK just interviewed him . He's working on water purifiers and robotic arms right now.
Ray: [Laughs] Tell him to call me. Because I gotta say, as exciting as the technology behind the Segway was, it was a pretty big disappointment. From him I kind of expected the car of the future: the car where you throw banana peels in, close the lid and convert the stuff into hydrogen right on the spot. I guess the most promising thing is the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid.

You said in the press briefing this morning, "Get a Prius." That's as close to an endorsement as we've ever heard out of you guys.
Ray: It's probably as close as you're going to get, [because] even it has its shortcomings. Technologically it's a complex little car. I think when these cars get old, people who buy them secondhand are going to be disappointed at the size of the repair bills. Not to mention the cost of replacing the batteries.

What do you think is going to be the most problematic thing for the Prius?
Ray: It turns out the steering on that car is pretty complex … Are they going to figure it out and refine it and simplify it? Yeah. Does that mean we shouldn't pursue these cars because they're complex? No. They just have to figure out how to do it. And we just have to figure out how to fix the stupid things. [Laughs]

A lot of the interesting innovations highlighted in your special were not coming out of Detroit. They were from think tanks and independent car manufacturers. Will their ideas trickle up?
Ray: I wouldn't be surprised if [Detroit was] drawing on outsiders, because there's too much new technology that has to come in the next five to 10 years.
Tom: It's not going to come from [the big automakers] until it's proven somewhere else.

You guys wrote a letter to Congress about the energy bill that included a list of technology that could improve engines.
Ray: We cited seven or eight or 10 technologies that already exist. The question is whether Congress should force automakers to have cars get 35 miles to the gallon by 2020. And of course all the Detroit guys said, "Oh no, that can't be done!" In the past when they've been asked to do something like that, whether it's to improve safety, they always say, "We can't do it. People won't be able to afford the cars. It'll put us out of business. We'll all be driving tricycles." In every case their predictions have been so wrong it's unbelievable.
Tom: They lie!
Ray: And they have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. They know how to make money with what they're making, and they don't necessarily know how to make money with new technologies. And they don't want stuff foisted on them.

What types of technology did you recommend in the documentary?
Ray: We cited start-stop technology, which makes your engine stop when you're at a traffic light, regenerative braking, cylinder deactivation, turbos, diesels, direct-injection gasoline vehicles, hybrid diesels, lightweight materials. Our vehicles weigh 6,000 pounds. It's preposterous! All of these technologies are out there right now. Is it that simple to put any one or combination in current cars? No. But they've got 12 years to do it. And the truth is they could probably do it in two or three years. They've milked the SUV craze as much as possible, and now the public is going to demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, especially with gasoline prices getting up to near four bucks a gallon. I secretly hope they go higher, because it'll push the process along.