"We are Addicted to Oil. "May 2006

$3.59

--Mobil Station 

Price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.  

(Torrance, California 5/7/06)

We are addicted to oil.

     --President G.W. Bush (2006)

The last successful initiative aimed at lessening our nation’s dependence on foreign oil took place in the southeastern region of the United States in 1962.   Mr. Jed Clampett, by his own admission a poor mountaineer, accidentally struck oil.  This infusion of domestic crude oil made Mr. Clampett and his family extremely wealthy, but more importantly helped keep the cost of gasoline at or below 35 cents per gallon until 1979.  The ethical and moral compromises we have made in the Middle East with shahs and scoundrels in our pursuit of oil are well documented.  That we find ourselves in a bidding war for fuel with China’s deep pockets suggests that gas prices will not be dropping anytime soon.  It is no consolation that the “winner” gets to emit more carbon monoxide to clog the roads, spoil the air, and melt glaciers.

Amazingly, I know someone who is working feverishly and intelligently to address this complex issue.  If the world (or at least the United States) would listen to Rick Woodbury of Spokane, Washington, we could end the energy crisis.  I know what you are thinking, but this is not another visionary I met at the Greyhound bus station, or a friend of the albino dwarf from Cleveland who knows who killed Kennedy.  Unlike those of us who talk about ideas for world peace and never get further than a few sketches on a napkin (which gets thrown out “accidentally” by someone I will not name),  Rick is a sane fifty-something engineer who has designed and built a highway-ready electric car.

The car exists.  Rick has walked through the field of dreamers and constructed the first “Tango” -- so named because it takes two.  Actor George Clooney purchased it and drives it when he and a date (when he can get one) attend Hollywood premieres and other high profile events.  The Tango is a two-person commuter car about the width of a motorcycle.   The passenger sits directly behind the driver.  The car has great strength and stability due in part to the weight of the batteries which double as the floor of the vehicle.  And the Tango really moves.  This is not a hopped-up golf cart, but a safe ride perfect for getting to and from work.  Look on 35W: during the week 80% of the cars are only transporting a driver.  Gas, pollution, and traffic aside, think of the money we are spending on infrastructure to widen and expand roads.  A 39” wide, 5’4” length Tango takes up approximately half the space of a traditional automobile.  As a bonus, we would immediately double our available parking at no cost.

The Tango is solidly constructed and able to accommodate two six-footers.   I have sat in one and know some of the basics, such as 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, but my intent in writing is to pique your curiosity, provide the web address, and hope you will visit the site.  If you are interested, forward the link to others.  Rick makes a good “Mr. Smith”: quiet, unassuming and, in the Frank Capra tradition, a hero undaunted by astronomical odds.  Both naive and shrewd, he is manufacturing the Tango in a hostile environment.  He is unflappable and not given to complaint. The last ten years have seen him battle uphill, against the wind, and in the face of special interests and a federal bureaucracy that should be rushing to embrace and subsidize him. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I wish to point out that JoAnne and I had Rick over for lunch (bean and cheese burritos) and a bike ride along the ocean the last time he was in L.A. on business.  Rick is not in this for the money, but instead, I suspect, for the challenge.  Somehow he has no discernable ego and speaks glowingly of being able to undertake this crusade with his son and vice-president Bryan. Other than a fondness for clean air, I have only a rooting interest in the Tango and no financial stake.  This is not a plea for money by him or me.  To my knowledge he is not currently even offering stock to the public.  

My goal is to use my column, this small and rickety forum, to help publicize this humanitarian endeavor.  Malcolm Gladwell, prolific writer for The New Yorker suggests in his bestseller The Tipping Point that our collective consciousness increases exponentially and that ideas -- particularly those surrounding technology -- gather momentum as they are discussed.  If you are not tinkering with such a vehicle in your basement (wondering how you will get it up the stairs), perhaps you know someone with a piece to add to the environmental puzzle.  Rather than wait for Washington to provide any help we need to act constructively and support the creative innovators in our midst. Contact Rick; he answers his own mail and is a soul who will restore your faith in humankind.  

To learn more and see a short video of the Tango in action, go to:  

www.commutercars.com    

Or Google the words tango electric commuter car Rick Woodbury 

(most any combination of the above gets you there)

Tom H. Cook is tired of feeling victimized at the pump.  He cannot remember the last time he received a free set of tumblers with fill-up.