Can a small device double or triple your car's gas mileage? ABC News/Good Morning America did a report (see video below the fold) on high gas prices and they found an inventor who claims his Mileage Master can perform that feat. As I detailed in the Mythbusters article on fuel economy devices, some of those amazing fuel saving technologies you hear about are in fact real but are based on known technology. The Mileage Master, by Fred Crane, from descriptions in the report, sounds like regular old cylinder deactivation.

Cylinder Deactivation is something car companies are using right now to increase mpg numbers. Retrofit kits for older cars are also available. However, the cost of retrofitting an older car with cylinder deactivation may not pay for the savings in fuel. Did Crane get improvements from 20 to 42 even 60 miles per gallon? I don't doubt he saw improvements but I think there would have to be a lot of deactivation going on to get significant improvement in fuel economy, plus, turning off cylinders means losing power.

The reporter should have asked Crane about the impact on the car's horsepower, 0-60 time, etc. when using the device. Also, does using the Mileage Master void your warranty? Can you even use this device in modern cars?

The ABC report also talks with a guy running his car on used vegetable oil and Wright electric car but they don't get into too much detail about the problems, like taxes you have to pay on used oil.

[Source: ABC News]

Click to enlarge the Impala

The base 3.5L V-6 in the Chevrolet Impala has been capable of running on gasoline or E85 for a couple of years now. For the 2008 model year, GM is adding flex-fuel capability to the larger 3.9L V-6 as well. In California and the northeast states, the standard 3.5L is not flex-fuel but is rated as a partial zero emissions engine. The flex-fuel engine is optional in those states. The 3.9L is standard flex-fuel everywhere. In the top SS model, the 5.3L V-8 is now equipped with the Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation system. The ability to run on either four or eight cylinders can yield efficiency improvements of up to eight percent. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Chevrolet]