Paraphrased text of interview done with Tom Ogle, December 1977

Demonstration In New Lab

12/30/1977

     Tom Ogle revved the 225 horsepower engine to 2,500 rpm, then escorted his visitors to the tailpipe and asked them to take of whiff. There wasn't the usual pungent exhaust odor. Then, as if that wasn't enough, while the motor was turning at a simulated 35 to 60 miles per hour, he removed the radiator cap and stuck his finger into the coolant. It didn't burn his finger, or any of those of his visitors who tried his little experiment.

     Ogle, 26, gave the local newspaper another demonstration of his controversial vaporizer fuel system that made headlines last May when he drove a 5,000 pound car from El Paso to Deming, New Mexico seemingly on less than two gallons of gas. That averages out to about 100 miles per gallon. Thursday's demonstration took place at his new laboratory at 254 Nevarez in the Lower Valley.

     His claims of 100 mpg stirred the interests of El Pasoans as well as residents of cities across the US. Another El Paso inventor, Dan McCoin, 36, who has built an "infinitely variable transmission" that he guarantees will double fuel economy in stop-and-go driving, was also on hand Thursday for Ogle's demonstration.

     Ogle ran his vaporized fuel system on a 225 horsepower, 302cid Ford engine mounted on a test stand, attached to a three speed standard transmission powering two rear wheels. Prior to starting the engine, he poured a measured five gallons of gas into the specially designed, 1/4" reinforced steel fuel tank. The engine was idled for one hour at about 2000 rpm to simulate 55 to 60 mph at freeway speeds. "We figured we'd do it this way so that nobody could say we had extra fuel tanks hidden in the doors or under the seats," he said. At the end of the test, gas in the tank had not depreciated noticeably, and water in the  radiator was cool enough so that McCoin could stick his finger in it without getting burned.

     McCoin, who has maintained cautious skepticism about Ogle's invention since the local paper first ran stories on it last May, was briefed by Ogle on the entire mechanical apparatus. Mike Gable, who helped McCoin build his transmission, was also on hand.

     The first thing Ogle did was take his visitors to the rear of the test stand for a whiff of the exhaust  being emitted by the engine. "How do you like that?" Ogle asked. "There are no hydrocarbons and very little carbon monoxide coming out." McCoin and Gable both examined the exhaust. "Normally, it would burn your eyes," McCoin said.

     Ogle previously had his system tested on a $75,000 emissions analyzer at Casa Ford of El Paso that indicated there was very little pollution being emitted by the engine. During the 1-hour test period, Ogle and McCoin talked shop, with McCoin more than frequently pulling out his calculator to do some figuring on Ogle's claims. Afterward, while sharing a beer, Ogle and McCoin got together to discuss some of the specifics of the fuel system. First off, McCoin suggested that Ogle run a similar test on a dynamometer, a federally approved instrument that would give more exact interpretations to his claims. "I'd like to know the exhaust temperature, and the exhaust flow," McCoin said, "as well as the air-fuel mixture ratio and the temperature of the fuel before and after the test run.

     Ogle generates vapors in his special fuel tank by running re-captured heat from the engine and radiator through the fuel tank. Because of the process, the gas in the tank expands. When it was poured into the tank the gasoline was probably 70-75 degrees. After the engine had been running, the gasoline was heated to about 90 degrees. Ogle said he planned to hook up his system to a dyno soon, hopefully within the next 3-4 weeks. At that time, he added "you'll see that I can get 100 miles per gallon."

     McCoin's own calculations of potential fuel economy was something less than Ogle's, about half as much. "I'm still convinced that 50 mpg would be pushing the limit," McCoin said. "I'm not saying you (Ogle) can't get 100. You could have something here that nobody else has accurately interpreted. That remains to be seen.

     "I'm just saying the theoretical maximum is between 300-500% increase over standard fuel economy based on current technology and methods of testing," McCoin said. But, McCoin added, "What in the world would be wrong with that? Who wouldn't be satisfied to increase their gas mileage from 10 mpg to 30, or from 25 to 75?"

     Ogle, however, as he has repeatedly done since his controversial story first went public, defended his position that he will get 100 miles to the gallon. "No one has ever really looked at vaporized fuel systems. They've always worked with the carburetor to get better mileage," he said.

     "I've said all along that nobody knows how far you can expand gas mileage by running off vapors. We know liquid fuel can only by used to a certain point. A lot of things have never been done because nobody ever tried them. Detroit, for example, has always tried to use raw, liquid gas. What I've done is something that nobody else ever thought about doing.

     I think we might be able to get this thing to do even better. It's still just in the rudimentary stages. There's still a lot of work that has to be done on the system.