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Winter Storm Hits Maryland, Part 3
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Howard Co. Men Invent Device That Saves Gas
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CBS
Some enterprising Howard County highway workers have come up with a device they say saves gas.
Suzanne Collins reports the county executive is intrigued by their idea and has ordered it to be tested on county trucks.
When you drive your car, a percentage of the gas in your tank goes right out the exhaust pipe. Some Howard County highway workers have devised an HHO generator to attach to trucks, which makes them more fuel efficient.
"We tried it out on the bench in the welding shop and it worked quite well. We were surprised, and went through about six different designs," said Carl Fugate, inventor.
The four county employees got the idea from the Internet two years ago. They bought parts for under $200 and tweaked it until it worked. The latest version has cut gas mileage.
Several county workers put the devices on their own vehicles. One vehicle used to get 17-18 miles per gallon. Now it's getting 21-22 miles per gallon.
The device has plates that when electrified produce hydrogen and bubble up in a container of water. That gas is piped into the air intake.
Some experts have said this concept can't save money based on the rules of thermodynamics, but the men say they've proven it.
"There's a whole lot of people who don't believe a lot of things. But myself, I've been using it over a year and it's working fine, so I'll keep using it," said one worker.
County Executive Ken Ulman heard about it, and has ordered it to be tested on two county trucks for six months.
"I really appreciate the innovation. I loved seeing it when I went out there. Now I'm looking forward to seeing the test results. Look I know some people think it may not work and that's why we're testing it," said Ulman.
The devices will be assembled and installed on two highway trucks this weekend.
The highway workers say they're not trying to patent their device or make money. They just want to save gas.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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