But I know that even in the 70's it was possible to get high effeciency cars as far as gas milage. I had a pinto, which for various reasons, had the PCV valve disconnected (due to an accident). It wasn't until I started driving it across country that it came to light. I went from New london Ct (east coast) to S.F. Calif (west Coast) on three tanks of gas (I had a 12 gallon tank). So if you do the math (3000 Miles/36 gals of gas) you see the engine was getting a hell of a good gas milage, but because the auto industry didn't want to actually do anything about pollution (cut into profits you know), they did thier Bugger-it-up trick and didn't do anything really smart so the public would moan and complain and demand it be removed.

But I have to agree with John on the one issue; they have had plenty of time to do the research and didn't because it was 'profitible enough'. They figured about the time we ran out of oil would be a good time to start looking for a replacement.

On the hand, the idea of something like the Hydrogen cells my be the best in the long run. Use a photo-cell to generate the electricty to break apart the water into H2, and O, and then bottle it like anything else. Even using some of the part of the crude that are waste, and 'Cracking them' in a hydrogen Cracker would be a better idea that now, which is sit with thier thumbs up thier ass and do nothing. But until we remove the incentive to keep doing the same stupid things over and over, we aren't going anywhere.