Ford Mustang E85 Hybrid At Washington DC Auto Show Gets 110 MPG
Published: Janurary 30,2011
Just a few days ago, the Auto Channel recieved an interesting email. It was from Douglas Pelmear, owner and chief engineer of HP2g, an Ohio grass roots company that developed a 110 MPG E85 V8 Hybrid Mustang. He told them that, “due to his inability to raise additional working capital he would have to abandon his good work.”
Doug’s Ford Mustang utilizes 350 times less gasoline than the Toyota Prius. He has tried desperately in the last three years to get an OEM company to take an interest in his technology with no such luck. This car gets 110 MPG. 110! All of this hard work and Doug has to close up shop.
The Auto Channel was rather disappointed to say the least, responded immediately and published a public letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. How could someone spend money on other ridiculous “energy saving” ideas such as EV development but not on Doug’s solution to our gasoline gulping ways? E85 is a real drop-in replacement for gasoline.
That ordeal certainly ruffled some feathers and Doug was invited on NBC’s Morning Show to talk about his plant having to close. After the showing, he was then invited to the Washington DC Auto Show.
From Doug:
The HP2g car was driven to the show in the middle of the snow storm last Wednesday night. We, along with several other people, were caught 60 miles out of town stuck in traffic waiting on the plows to get through to clear the roads. This was no ordinary snow storm. There were layers of ice, slush and snow. As cars were forced off to the side of the road, people began to walk home.
Others were not so lucky. As we drove closer to DC, it looked as though a bomb had gone off. Cars, trucks, semis were tossed everywhere you looked. There were miles of traffic in front of us and behind us with all the exit ramps snowed in. Sitting in my car, I knew we had to do something. I grabbed our shovel out of the car, went car door to car door gathering people to help move a Semi that was stuck in the middle of the road in front of us. Together, we pushed the Semi to move down over to the road and drove on to the show.
HP2g is in the Washington, DC Auto Show Advance Technology Super Highway Hybrid section. It was left with the salt on the car to show it is a REAL car!
I want to Thank everyone who helped out on Highway 70 - 270 on January 26, 2011. Together, we pushed though the storm to arrive just in time to the show.
I am tell people to write their senators and congressman that banks are closing small business by not loaning the money and I am an example. (This is my Hail Mary pass to try to stay in the game.)
Source: www.theautochannel.com
HP2g driven to Washington DC in the Snowstorm 1-26-2011
Doug Pelmear of Napoleon shows off his second Mustang that he converted into a vehicle that can get 110 miles per gallon. The V-8 engine runs on E85 fuel and produces 400 horsepower. ( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )
Dearth of financing stalls inventor of 110-mpg engine
Article published May 28, 2010 By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
WAUSEON - A year ago, hundreds of people flocked to a 100,000-square-foot former factory building in Wauseon's industrial area where a Napoleon, Ohio, inventor promised to begin building engines that would travel more than 110 miles on a gallon of E85 gasoline.
But time and the economy have not been kind to Doug Pelmear's plan to revolutionize the American automobile.
The factory today is largely dark and empty, Mr. Pelmear's dreams of putting northwest Ohioans back to work are still constrained within two file drawers full of job applications, and his hopes of mass-producing his HP2g engine have fallen victim to a lack of funding.
"We can't get the banks to look at us," Mr. Pelmear said yesterday.
Mr. Pelmear said he hasn't sought money from more traditional capital sources such as investors, selling stock or bonded indebtedness, because such sources would likely cost him control of HP2g LLC - something he's unwilling to provide.
A partnership Mr. Pelmear forged with Revenge Designs Inc., a Decatur, Ind. specialty carmaker that had planned to use his engine in its upcoming "Verde" supercar, dissolved this spring.
Mr. Pelmear traveled to Washington to meet with officials in the Department of Energy on March 10, sharing his designs and testing on his prototype vehicle by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He submitted applications this month for grant funding to further his designs, and asked for loans to help him bring his engine to market.
A year ago, when he had his Wauseon factory's open house,
Mr. Pelmear had eight employees and planned to hire another 25 "within three months."
Today, he said his company has fewer employees than it did a year ago, most of them are part-time, and most of their time is spent selling and shipping his original invention, the Valley Girdle - an add-on device that makes V-configured engines more efficient.
"That's what we're living on right now, the sales of the Valley Girdle," Mr. Pelmear said.
On May 14, an attorney filed his patent application for his "internal combustion engine and method of operating same," allowing him theoretically to begin selling the engines or at least some of its technology.
He said he is trying to source the castings for his aluminum block in suburban Cleveland, the electronic components in metro Toledo, and a firm to assemble it in Adrian, but he admitted his hand-built engines would be prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of consumers.
He is moving forward with efforts to manufacture an electronic component of his technology to sell on a retail level, he said. He hopes to begin selling an aftermarket component that would add variable displacement - sequentially shutting off cylinders when they aren't needed.
He estimated the price for the component would be around $7,500, and said he hoped to begin selling and installing them in vehicles by the end of the year.
"You have to crawl before you can walk. You have to know what you can do," he said of the delays.
While Mr. Pelmear struggles to properly fund his company, automakers, inventors, and engineers worldwide are continuing to develop ways to improve fuel efficiency, said Don Walkowicz, executive director of the United States Council for Automotive Research in Southfield, Mich. The council is a collaborative research organization for the nation's three domestic automakers.
Douglas Pelmear, president of HP2g.com in Napoleon, and Henry County Commissioner Richard Myers met with officials of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, D.C. on March 10 about possible funding for his firm’s hybrid engine. Pelmear said they had discussions with DOE officials to educate them about his HP2g V-8 hybrid engine, which has achieved 110 miles per gallon. He explained the technologies of the engine and provided documentation of its performance ratings to DOE officials. The Hp2g engine features variable displacement and electromagnetic pulse power within the same engine.It can achieve fuel economy of 110 MGP with tests showing better results than the 2016 standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to Pelmear.He claims the HP2g hybrid engine operating on E-85 ethanol fuel will help preserve the environment by reducing emissions by more than 66 percent. The company is seeking startup funds to establish manufacturing operations to produce the engine. Pelmear said the DOE is guiding them through the process for two programs for possible funding, one for grants and another for low-interest loans. “We’re moving at the speed we can, working with our own funds. No banks are willing to consider financing us,” Pelmear said as the reason for turning to the government for possible funding. HP2g is also working to qualify for numerous ISO certification requirements for manufacturing automotive products, Pelmear said. “America needs this technology now more than ever as gas prices continue to rise and more people are desperate for work. I’m just an inventor who wants to see my products out on the road but I can’t do it alone. It requires is a team effort.
”Manufacturing the HP2g engine could create jobs not only in Ohio, but across the U.S. The revenue coming from those jobs and engine sales will positively benefit the local, state and federal economy, Pelmear said.“We’re holding confidential talks with major OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the automotive and agricultural farm equipment industries at this time,” he said. Pelmear and HP2g are working with Revenge Designs on plans to use the hybrid engine in that company’s new vehicles. Revenge Designs is in the process of establishing a research and development facility for the vehicles, according to Peter Collorafi, president and CEO of the firm based in Decatur, Ind. Ohio Congressman Bob Latta’s office arranged the meeting with the DOE for Pelmear after previously touring HP2g’s facilities. However, Latta was unable to attend the meeting with the DOE due to prior commitments.CountyCommissioner Myers said he went to Washington with Pelmear to support him and his business.
The county had loaned the company $50,000 last year toward the cost of the application process for the patents on his technology.“It was quite interesting to meet with officials from the Department of Energy.
Doug was able to answer all their questions about ......
Revenge could be sweet for Ohio inventor Car firm plans to use his HP2g engine
By LARRY VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
DETROIT - Napoleon inventor Doug Pelmear's HP2g engine won't be at this year's North American International Auto Show as he planned, but the owner of an Indiana boutique car maker said the fuel-efficient engine could be put in his roadster cars for sale by the end of the year.
Peter Collorafi, owner of Revenge Designs in Decatur, Ind., unveiled his two-seat Revenge Verde luxury sports car concept yesterday at the preview of the Detroit auto show. The metallic green shell is built around a Ford GT platform, but doesn't have Mr. Pelmear's engine mounted inside because there wasn't time, Mr. Collorafi said.
"We were still working on this car at 1 a.m. Monday. This is a concept to get people's opinion, and so far, the response has been 100 percent positive," the Australian-born designer said.
Mr. Pelmear's HP2g engine uses electromagnetic pulses and actuators at the top of each cylinder to help drive the pistons and crankshaft more efficiently. He also employs a variable displacement system that can take his V8 engine down to just one cylinder when additional power isn't needed, yielding gas mileage Mr. Pelmear claims is in excess of 110 miles per gallon of E85 fuel.
A brief video explaining how the engine works is available on the company's Web site, www.hp2g.com.
Mr. Collorafi also said that his exotic sports car, which could be for sale as early as November, would come with one of three engines: a 605-horsepower supercharged Ford engine, the 638-horsepower ZR1 engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette, or Mr. Pelmear's 400-horsepower HP2g engine. If the car is ordered with the HP2g engine, it would be assembled in Henry County, he said.
"It's all about numbers. We can beat on his engine in this car and see how it performs and do all the durability testing in a supercar, and then, next year, move forward with a passenger vehicle when we have all the numbers available," Mr. Collorafi said.
Mr. Pelmear said yesterday his engine company is "shopping" for companies to cast parts and do machining for his engines, which he plans to manufacture as early as this year. Last year, he opened a factory in Wauseon and is in the process of tooling it for production.
Car Or Supercar? Can an automobile with 400 Horsepower get 100mpg?
What would a Luxe high-performance car that’s also fuel –efficient look like? Peter Collorafi and Doug Pelmear think they have the answer; they call it the Verde. Collorafi, president of Decatur, IN custom-car maker Revenge Designs, and Pelmear, founder of Napoleon, OH performance engine company HP2g, will debut the car at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show in January 2010. They plan to ship by July. The pair say the Verde (green in Italian, in honor of Collorafi’s parents) will be an American-made supercar that gets 100mpg from an engine that produces a hefty 400 hp with 500 foot-pounds of torque. Those kinds of numbers would put the Verde in the same category as the Lamborghini Gallardo, which reaches a maximum speed of 201mph, but with one crucial difference: The gas-hungry Gallardo gets a scant 12 miles per gallon on city streets (and just 20 on the highway). To accomplish these seemingly in compatible goals, Pelmear created a “big block” V-8 engine (similar to a Ford Mustang’s) that runs on ethanol. He also developed a proprietary hybrid function that uses ceramic magnets in and around the cylinders to power the car. When the engine needs the full 400hp, the control system makes the V-8 run as a traditional all-ethanol motor and fires up all eight cylinders. When torque demands fade, the magnets power the car, drastically lowering fuel consumption.
The Verde won’t be cheap-it’ll have a starting price of $180,000-but that’s far more cost-effective than, say, a Lamborghini, which sells for a minimum of $250,000 and is expensive to maintain. “That Gallardo’s clutch will run $16,800 to repair,” says Collorafi. “Ours will be done with domestic vendors and labor and run $3,200. That’s a niche we want to fill.” Still, skeptics point out that cars with the price tags north of $100,000 make up maybe 0.5% of the global market, with total sales of around $10 billion. And this market is already crowded with some of the best-known brands in the business, including Bugatti, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce.
Also, doubters wonder how Revenge Designs and HP2g can achieve high levels of power and fuel economy in a mass produced car- a trick that major automakers have never managed to pull off. Martin Lydell, founder of Lydell Industries, a Jamestown, N.Y. mechanical research firm, notes that Ford, GM and Toyota have spent billions on attempts to increase fuel efficiency in high-performance engines-to no avail. “These wonder engines never work out once they come out of the factory and get serviced,” Lydell says.
But Pelmear and Collorafi aren’t worried. They argue that the auto industry has hardly been a model of innovation. And given the right investment, they believe their cutting- edge concepts can be mass-produced. In fact, the two plan a 2012 launch of a four-door sedan that will cost roughly $60,000, broadening their market reach. Plus, they know there’s plenty of room for innovation in the luxury car market. “Luxe car buyers are not just looking for the wow factor,” says Tom Du Pont, founder of Du Pont Publishing, a St. Petersburg-based luxury marketing firm. “They’re looking for the breakthrough factor. If these guys can get this car to work as advertised, they have a real shot.”
DuPont Registry
Special Holiday Edition
December 2009
Revenge Verde
Green means “GO” in super car hybrid. Super cars and hybrids don’t often play well together, especially when the frumpy looking little critters are unconsciously tootling along clogging up the left lane.
But even if you think Al Gore’s nearest relative is Chicken Little, these days no one feels good about leaving Sasquatch sized carbon footprints along the highway.
Enter the revenge Verde super, the world’s first guilt-free super car. Slated for production starting late 2010 at facilities in Ohio and Michigan, the Verde will initially be offered with a hybrid drivetrain in association with HP2G, LLC, whose CEO Douglas Pelmear has developed a 400 horsepower 4.8 liter V8 that can deliver up to 110 miles per gallon using E85 fuel. Revenge designs president/CEO Peter Collorafi proudly calls Verde, “the first supercar to smoke the tires and deliver 80 to 110 miles per gallon.”
Collorafi is an Australian who has developed for supercars during 30-plus years of automotive design. The last four have been spent in the U.S. where Revenge design has made its mark with aggressive body enhancements for the Pontiac GTO, Honda Ridgeline and the GTM-R supercar concept shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show.
The Verde, designed totally in-house, uses the experience gained with the GTM-R but in a totally new lightweight mid- engine aluminum space-frame chassis combined with an aggressive, low-slug carbon fiber and aluminum body. It will weight in around 2950 pounds.
The hybrid power train may capture headlines, but Collorafi’s real goal is to capture super car enthusiasts who are looking or high performance without the high maintenance and operating expenses most exotic car owners endure to satisfy their craving for speed.
“I’m trying to bring the cost of super cars down with a car you buy and pound on without the service cost wiping you out,” he explains “where you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to pull a wheel off or work on the car.”
If that sounds like a Ford GT to you, you’re not off the mark as Collorafi has lined up many of the suppliers who were associated with the late Ford supercar. For performance race bred enthusiasts Revenge plans to work with Roush to release the Verde RSC supercar featuring the Roush high performance family of engine combinations from 500 horsepower to supercharged monsters.
The $190,000 Verde will come with a sequential 6-speed transaxle and ride on 20-inch (9-inch wide fronts, 12-inch wide rears) wrapped in 255/35 ZR20 (front) and 315/35 ZR20 (rear) rubber.
Top speed should be over 200 MPH with 0-60 coming in about 3.5 seconds.
Hybrid version or track day special, the Verde is ready for whatever green flags wave. Please see the international unveiling of the Revenge Verde at the North American International Auto Show January 11th-24th, 2010. Purchase inquiries: 260-724-4000 or team@revengedesigninc.com
Pelmear explains how 110 mpg motor works BY KIRK DOUGAL
Times Bulletin Editor
kdougal@timesbulletin.com
Published 11-7,2009
LAS VEGAS - A year after Doug Pelmear and his Hp2g motor burst upon the automotive scene with claims of a car that could get 110 mpg, he is back.
Last year Pelmear made news when he drove his 1985 Ford Mustang to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and averaged over 100 mpg for the round trip. Now, after a year of applying for patents and continuing testing, he is back at SEMA and this time he was there to tell how his Hp2g engine works.
On Tuesday of this week, he told an audience that the car contains the marriage of an electric motor and a V-8 internal combustion engine, according to a press release based upon his presentation in Las Vegas. While that idea has been around for a while, the type of electric engine and how the V-8 works are new ideas. First, the motor which has eight cylinders, can run on any variable down to only one. The automotive industry refers to this as variable displacement. Excessive wear and carbon buildup is avoided by cycling the cylinders in use through all eight chambers.
The second change is the electric motor. Unlike other electric motors today which use what is called full saturation, Pelmear's electric motors operate on a pulse basis, meaning they cycle on and off in rapid succession. It is powered by two spiral core gel batteries. These are common in the racing world and Pelmear has placed them on each side of the car, recharging them from existing technology such as regenerative braking. Also, unlike other cars that use both an electric and gas motors, Pelmear's design allows him to use both at the same time if necessary to achieve a massive 500 ft. lbs. of torque. The variable number of cylinders in use also mean he can go from 400 horsepower all the way down to 15 while cruising.
The dual setup allowed him to pass an EPA test in May of this year, without a catalytic converter, and falls well beneath the new standards established for automakers.
Over the past 18 months, Pelmear claims to have put over 22,000 miles on the Mustang and The complete article can be read @
Inventor Doug Pelmear plans at an automotive products convention in Las Vegas Tuesday to reveal how the custom engine he built and installed in a Ford Mustang has averaged 109.7 miles per gallon for 22,000 miles.
As he did last year, Mr. Pelmear left his home in Napoleon, Ohio, last week to drive his Mustang out to the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show, which starts today and runs through Friday in the Las Vegas Hilton.
His automobile is one of about 100 displays in the show's second annual "Making Green Cool" zone, said John Waraniak, the trade group's vice president for vehicle technology.
Mr. Pelmear has not publicly disclosed the technology behind his design, saying that he was awaiting submission of his patent applications before he would show or explain how his engine works. His mileage claim has not been verified by independent third-party testing, although his vehicle and engine have undergone emissions testing.
A document on Mr. Pelmear's Web site dated June 30 from Perrysburg attorney J. Douglas Miller indicates that Mr. Pelmear has filed patent applications for his inventions. But the applications do not show up in searches through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site. Mr. Miller yesterday verified the contents of the letter.
The appearance at the automotive show this week is the latest display by Mr. Pelmear's company, hp2g.com, of his black Mustang. In addition to last year's show, he also displayed the car in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
In a discussion last month with The Blade, Mr. Pelmear said he has continued to refine the design of his hand-built engine and other portions of the vehicle to wring out even greater fuel efficiency. He also said he has installed other copies of his V-8 engine in different test vehicles with similar increases in fuel efficiency.
"We're looking down the road at other size engines and designs," he said.
He is tooling up a factory in Wauseon to "hand build" copies of his engine for a new four-door sedan, the Revenge Verde, which is to make its debut in January at the auto show in Detroit. He has about a dozen employees, he said, and is working with students and faculty at Northwest State Community College to construct models of his design.
Although Mr. Pelmear has repeatedly grabbed attention as he sought to promote his engine design and technologies, he is far from alone in trying to revolutionize how and what America drives. Indeed, in just the last few years, automakers have introduced advancements to their vehicles - such as Ford Motor Co.'s Ecoboost engine or Fiat SpA's multi-air technology - that have significantly improved fuel economy.
Mr. Warniak, of the Specialty Equipment trade group, said, Complete article can be read at ---
Article published November 03, 2009 by Toledo Blade
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE STAFF
How does the car engine that Doug Pelmear developed get the equivalent of 110 or more miles to the gallon and still keep its horsepower?
He told The Blade: marriage and frugality.
His technological achievement has been the marriage of an electric motor into his E-85-fueled V-8 internal combustion engine, he said. It also has controls, he said, that allow the combined power plant's output to range from more than 400 horsepower to as little as 15 horsepower, depending on what is required at the time by the accelerator.
This range of energy output is accomplished because his gasoline-powered engine can transition from running on all eight cylinders down to firing on just one, Mr. Pelmear said.
Other automakers have used so-called "variable displacement" - shutting down usually half of an engine's cylinders when not under load - for several years to improve fuel economy. But unlike other designs, Mr. Pelmear said he has discovered a way to vary which cylinders shut down. He avoids excessive carbon buildup in part because he uses cleaner-burning E85 ethanol gasoline as his fuel source instead of a standard gasoline blend, he said.
The engine's power plant picks up added efficiency because his incorporated electric motor - greatly responsible for the 500 foot pounds of torque the power plant generates - operates on a pulse basis, instead of at what is called full saturation, Mr. Pelmear explained. In other words, the electric field used to generate power to the vehicle's wheels can rapidly cycle on and off as required, saving energy.
The vehicle uses just two "spiral core gel" batteries, common in racing, one on each side of the vehicle, and reclaims some energy from more established technology, such as regenerative braking, which captures energy that otherwise would be lost as a vehicle decelerates, he added.
In addition to how it uses energy, Mr. Pelmear's design picks up efficiencies because of tight tolerances and sturdy design that reduces engine vibration and heat, all of which drain energy output from traditional vehicles.
The resulting combination has allowed Mr. Pelmear to log more than 22,000 miles of real-world driving on his 3,250-pound 1987 Ford Mustang over the last 18 months with an average fuel economy of 109.85 mpg.
EPA testing confirmed that - without the benefit of a catalytic converter, which his design does not require - the Mustang's tailpipe emitted 86.6 parts per million of hydrocarbons and 0.46 percent carbon monoxide, both well below the newly imposed EPA standards for all automakers of 132 parts per million and 0.73 percent, respectively.
So how does Mr. Pelmear's design differ from other vehicles with electric drive components?
A traditional two-mode hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, for example, uses its gasoline engine and electric motor in tandem - so that when one is working, the other usually is not. Such vehicles have large, heavy banks of multiple batteries that are charged up by the gasoline engine and drawn down by the electric motor.
Other vehicles coming to market, like the Chevy Volt, use stored battery power from a plug into the electricity grid to power their electric motors until the stored power runs out, when they begin to COMPLETE article can be read at ---
Napoleon resident Douglas Pelmear, inventor of the Hp2g engine, which he reports travels the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon of gasoline, will speak at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA) annual convention in Las Vegas on Nov.3. It is expected that Pelmear will reveal the basic technologies behind the engine. The SEMA convention is the world’s largest exhibition for automobile manufacturers, component part manufacturers and every segment of the automotive industry. This is the second consecutive year that Pelmear has been invited by SEMA to exhibit the engine. Like he did in 2008, Pelmear will drive cross-country to Las Vegas and back to further test and prove the fuel economy and clean emissions of the HP2g.
VAN WERT OHIO - The Van Wert Rotary Club meeting at Willow Bend Country Club on Tuesday was packed as members and guests attended to listen to Doug Pelmear speak.
Pelmear is the inventor of the HP2g motor which he says will revolutionize how the world looks at automobiles. The motor is now in a 1987 Ford Mustang and produces 400 horsepower at 500 ft./lbs. of torque on E85 fuel. As reported in the Times Bulletin previously, despite this drag car-like performance, Pelmear has also documented the motor achieving 110 mpg on a trip to Las Vegas for SEMA show.
For those who have been following his progress, he gave an update on the performance of the motor. While at an auto show in Washington D.C., Pelmear reported that the HP2g motor achieved 90 mpg. The difference in the mileage was explained by revealing that he and his crew drive the car to the auto shows. As such it was loaded down with multiple people, luggage, tools and their show equipment. Also, while at the show, the car was in an outdoor display area so it sat running at an idle for up to 12 hours so that visitors could hear it running.
Conversely, Pelmear recently allowed NBC News and a car manufacturer to put it through its paces, though he declined to say which manufacturer. During that test, he loaded the car as if it was on a normal commute to work. At that time, the car reached just under 137 mpg. EPA emission tests also showed that the car is emitting about 1/3 of what the Obama Administration wants other autos to cut back to by 2016.
Pelmear reported that he had received his U.S. patents but that he was still working on his international patent protection. He also pointed out that one of his other inventions was completely financing the Hp2g project, that he had not needed to take in outside investors at this time. Pelmear has also met with POET, one of the world's largest producers of ethanol, who also has a facility in Putnam County.
During the question-and-answer segment, he was asked about his goal for the motor. Did he intend to perfect it so that he could sell the technology to a car producer like Ford or GM or even one of the oil companies? He laughed and shook his head.
"If I was going where money talks, I'd already have been sold," said Pelmear. "I've been offered more money than you could ever believe."
But that does not stop people from attempting to buy his invention. He said that he had been contacted again just on Monday by Chinese investors wanting to take the technology overseas. But Pelmear said his goals are much bigger than merely money.
Published: August 27 2009 By: Editor David J. Coehrs
ON TRACK
Fifth DistrictUS Congressman Bob Latta paid a visit to HP2g.com in Wauseon, where President Doug Pelmear gave a presentation of his revolutionary engine, which gets 110 miles per gallon on ethanol-based fuel. Latta praised the engine, saying Americans need such innovations to halt their dependence on fossil fuels.
US Congressman Bob Latta @ HP2g Engine Plant
Article by The Toledo Blade publishedAugust 14, 2009
HenryCounty approves loan for car builder Indiana vehicle customizer has ties to engine designer NAPOLEON, Ohio - Henry County officials have agreed to provide a $300,000 loan guarantee to a specialty car company in hopes of luring the small Decatur, Ind., firm to expand into the area. Revenge Designs Inc., an automobile customizer that has plans to introduce production vehicles, must secure at least $450,000 in private funding and agree to build in Henry County for the revolving loan guarantee to come into play, county Commissioner Rich Myers said. "There's multiple locations in the mix, and we're one of them. We're trying to do our best to entice him to come to HenryCounty," Mr. Myers said. County officials are optimistic of bringing the firm to their area because of its ties to HP2G LLC, the Napoleon-based firm whose owner, Doug Pelmear, is developing an engine that reportedly gets the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon. Mr. Pelmear is in the process of securing his intellectual property rights and setting up a factory in Wauseon in which to build his engine. Peter Collorafi, Revenge Design's chief executive officer and president, could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, the company's Web site has been detailing efforts to expand by building an assembly and endurance-testing facility on approximately 170 acres. The Revenge Verde is to be the first production vehicle to feature Mr. Pelmear's engine, and Revenge Designs has agreed to be the exclusive after-market retailer of the HP2G engine.
Published by: Crescent-News August 5, 2009 NAPOLEON -- HenryCounty commissioners on Tuesday approved a loan to support a local company that is developing a fuel-efficient car.
The board granted a $50,000 loan from the county's revolving loan fund to Horse Power Sales.net Inc., which is owned by Napoleon inventor and mechanic Doug Pelmear.
A Northwest Ohio start-up company is nearly ready to create 2,000 green auto industry jobs!
By Laura Rice NBC 24 Friday, June 26, 2009 at 9:38 a.m.
Received 312,000 orders in first month
WAUSEON -- A Northwest Ohio start-up company says it has generated enough business in their first month of operation that they could create two thousand jobs.
NBC24 was the first to bring you the story of Doug Pelmear and his HP2g engine that gets more than 110 miles per gallon.
On June 1st Pelmear started up production of his engine with just ten people on staff.
But already, he says, the company has received more than 300 thousand engine orders from four companies.
Inventor’s 100-mpg engine to power production cars
Source: Toledo Free Press
Published June 14, 2009
Inventor and entrepreneur Douglas Pelmear is taking giant leaps toward an HP2g engine powering a 100 mile per gallon (mpg) production car.
Pelmear recently opened the new engine production facility for his company, Horse Power Sales.Net in Wauseon, before a crowd of nearly 400 automotive industry and media representatives.
His V8 engine has reached a 110 mpg in road tests and will power the new Verde four-door sedan to be produced by Revenge Designs, a specialty automotive company in Decatur, IN.
That company plans to introduce the Verde concept vehicles at the L.A. International Auto Show this December, according to its president and CEO Peter Collorafi. He said the production sedan and a sports car model could be available for sale by June 2010.
Since the announcement, Pelmear said he was contacted by five other car companies about the quantities in the range of 20,000 engines that would put him in year four of his five-year business plan for his company.
“I have letters of intent from several automakers and am currently in negotiations with them,” Pelmear said.
The Hp2g engine uses alternative energy powered by E-85 ethanol fuel with clean emissions technology. The engine also passed emission standards.
“We passed everything on the EPA,” said Pelmear, referring to the HP2g engine being tested at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cleveland on May 29.
The engine in Pelmear’s 1987 Ford Mustang passed all tests for fuel emissions, according to the Ohio E-Check vehicle inspection report issued. The car surpassed all EPA standards without catalytic convertor, Pelmear said.
The inventor declined to discuss the engine’s technology with patents pending in the United States. The company is preparing to apply for international patents as well.
“I need to protect myself properly,” said Pelmear, who is working with Susan Cornfield, an Ann Arbor attorney who specializes in intellectual property law.
Collorafi and Pelmear have developed a plan that they say will “revolutionize the automotive industry” Revenge Designs and HP2g are making real-time advances in fuel-efficiency and offering the world a practical alternative-energy solution, according to them.
“Common ordinary people have good ideas, but it takes a lot of people to bring them to fruition,” Pelmear said. “The true inventor is here to make a difference. I do believe in America and what it stands for. It’s not just about me, but the bigger people.”
Revenge Designs will become the exclusive source for Certified Installation Centers in the United States for selling HP2g engines to aftermarket purchasers.
Collorafi said he plans to open 150 centers in the United States to install the HP2g engine in existing vehicles. The company is already negotiating with a number of auto-mechanic shops about becoming certified installation centers, he said.
The state of Ohio is working with Revenge Designs to bring the testing and production of the Verde cars to a proposed 170-acre site on state Route 30 in Van Wert.
“It’s only one proposal and possibility. It’s not official yet as previously reported,” Collorafi said about the Van Wert site. “We have not chosen a site yet, but expect to make an official announcement on the site shortly.”
Collorafi said they are having discussions about funding and incentives for possible sites in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.
Pelmear said he has done it all with his own funds without any bank or investors involved, and understands he will need capital investment to reach year four in year one.
Pelmear is working with the Rocket Ventures staff at the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) in Toledo on the development of his business.
“Rocket Ventures is designed to help entrepreneurs like Doug by providing them with the best experienced advice and management support we can,” said Todd Davies, business development manager for advanced sciences at RGP.
“He’s a free thinker who put it together when the bureaucracy of large corporations doesn’t allow it,” Davies said.
“I’m very unconventional,” Pelmear said. “Thinking outside the box is what it is all about. People accept unconventional now because conventional methods have not worked.”
In another development, Pelmear officially withdrew his team and the 1987 Mustang powered by the HP2g V8 engine from the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition on June 4. He said it was no longer in the company’s best interests to compete in the cross- country race.
After Team HP2g had been accepted as a letter of intent contender, X PRIZE reduced the prize amount for the mainstream class of the competition from $7.5million to $5 million. The race date was moved from the summer of 2009 to the summer of 2010, which no longer fit into Pelmear’s business plan.
We as a nation need this now. I need to move into production,” Pelmear said about dropping out of the X PRIZE competition. “We can have cars for sale before the race ever takes place.”
State Sen. Steve Buehrer (left) was on hand Monday to congratulate Doug Pelmear (middle), president and CEO of Horsepowerales.net and HP2g, as well as Peter Collorafi (right), president and CEO of Revenge Designs. Pelmear and Collorafi have entered into a contract to house Pelmear’s HP2g engine in Revenge’s automobiles. (Photo by BRENNA GRITEMAN)
By BRENNA GRITEMAN
NWS Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, June 2, 2009
WAUSEON - In partnering with an Indiana-based auto company and opening his first engine facility, one local man’s 10-year dream may be fueling vehicles in the northwest Ohio region and beyond as early as mid-2010.
Doug Pelmear, president and CEO of Horsepowersales.net, Inc. and HP2g, LLC, both of Napoleon, unveiled his first manufacturing facility at 115 W. Linfoot St. in Wauseon Monday. He plans to initially hire 25 individuals to build his V8 engines, which run exclusively on E85 fuel and achieve the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon, before possibly phasing in 25 additional workers about three months from now.
Over the next three to five years, Pelmear expects expansions to result in the creation of as many as 2,000 support jobs.
Pelmear earned regional fame last fall when he departed on a 4,000-mile round trip venture from Napoleon to the SEMA auto show in Las Vegas. He drove his HP2g vehicle, a 1987 Ford Mustang, and said he earned an average of 109.8 miles per gallon along the way. Pelmear gained greater fame at the Detroit Auto Show, where he signed a deal to house his engines
“We’re happy to be in the joint venture with Doug Pelmear,” said Revenge President and CEO Peter Collorafi.
“He’s got a car, I got an engine,” Pelmear said of Collorafi. “You know an engine is only good if you have a car to put it in.”
Revenge has proposed an approximately 170-acre production site for its Verde Super Car along U.S. Route 30 in Van Wert. If approved, Revenge would hire an initial 150 employees to begin production in early 2010. Collorafi expects about 100 vehicles to be manufactured in the first year, adding, “We’ll ramp up from there.” He suggested an additional 50 individuals would be hired for engine installation.
The Verde is expected to cost between $50,000 and $60,000 and would be available the middle of next year. This will be the first automobile to be produced with Pelmear’s technology, and Collorafi noted “every vehicle is hand-built” with American parts.
During Monday’s celebration, Wauseon Mayor Jerry Dehnbostel thanked Pelmear for showing faith in the Wauseon community, adding, “Now it’s up to us to prove to him that Wauseon is the right place to be.”
Pelmear noted although he has currently settled in Wauseon, he will be hiring from all surrounding counties and will also need to open a parts division.
“This is just a start,” he said of the Fulton County site.
“This is about people. It’s not just about one person becoming rich,” Pelmear continued. “It takes community, it takes people intertwined ... so this is about other people too.”
Wauseon plant to open Monday for 110-mpg car engines
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Article published May 30, 2009 The Toldeo Blade
WAUSEON - The man who drove his 20-year-old Mustang from Napoleon, Ohio, to Las Vegas and back last year on 39 gallons of fuel will open his first manufacturing facility Monday to allow others to get 110 miles per gallon.
Doug Pelmear, owner of Horse Power Sales.net Inc. and Hp2G LLC, will hold an open house Monday morning in the idle 100,000-square-foot factory he has leased in Wauseon to begin manufacturing his revolutionary engine.
The factory, on the Fulton Industries Inc. campus in Wauseon, will be tooled to initially turn out 20 of Mr. Pelmear's custom engines per day with one shift of 25 workers.
A Decatur, Ind., specialty car company, Revenge Designs Inc., has contracted with Mr. Pelmear to purchase 2,000 engines for use in a new vehicle it plans to unveil at the end of this year at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. The vehicle is to be called the Revenge Verde Super Car, which will use Mr. Pelmear's 400-horsepower engine and its 500 foot-pounds of torque to travel up to 200 mph and get 110 mpg - though admittedly not at the same time.
"The engine is going to be a really great partnership with the car," explained Emily Levault, a spokesman for Revenge Design. "The idea behind this was to give people what they want while putting people back in their jobs."
Ms. Levault said the Verde will be introduced as both a left and right-hand drive, so that it can be marketed around the world.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at: lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.
Fulton County scores plant for building custom engine
By DAVID J. COEHRS
Expositor Features Editor
Published: May 28,2009
A revolutionary engine poised to change the face of the automotive industry will be manufactured in Wauseon, with production beginning as soon as the fourth quarter of 2009.
However, creator Doug Pelmear won't guarantee that Fulton County will remain the home base.
Built exclusively for E85-fueled cars, the custom engine will be produced in an approximately 68,000 square-foot, $450,000 facility next to Fulton Industries at 135 Linfoot St. Phases One and Two will eventually create up to 55 jobs.
Pelmear selected the Fulton County site over potential locations in Williams County because it doesn't require major construction.
"Where we were looking at every place, we were going to have to build," he said.. "The facility already fits in the criteria. I can just turn the light switch on and go to work."
The V-8, 400-horsepower engine gets over 100 miles per gallon on E85, an ethanol-based fuel. It is the only engine in the nation being manufactured solely for E85 fuel. Pelmear expects 500 to be produced by the end of this year.
The Wauseon facility will be used for both manufacturing and research and development. Some personnel have already been pre-qualified for positions.
DECATUR, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Would you like a car that goes more than 100-miles per gallon of fuel, has the exotic sports car look, lots of horsepower, lots of torque and can go 0 –60 in a short amount of time?
A local Decatur man has a plan and is receiving support from the federal government.
His car has all those amenities like 400 horsepower and 500 pounds of torque, yet it gets 110 miles to the gallon. Well it's true and it will be on the streets before 2009.
Revenge Designs is a specialty automotive company and based right here in Indiana
Peter Collorafi and Douglas Pelmear have come up with a plan that they say will revolutionize the automotive industry.
Imagine a V-8 engine producing 400 horsepower, 500 foot lbs of torque, running on E-85 fuel, and an all American made V-8 engine.
Douglas Pelmear, president and CEO of HP2G LLC has signed an agreement with Peter Collorafi, president and CEO of Revenge Designs Inc., a specialty car designer and production assembler, to make an engine Pelmear has designed.
“The first ever 110 MPG production vehicle in the history of the automotive industry will become a reality, all made in the USA,” Pelmear said.
The HP2g engine powering the Verde Super Car by Revenge Designs is an alternative energy, clean emissions technology, powered by E-85 fuel, achieving 110 MPG.
“Revenge Designs and HP2g are very excited to be making real-time advances in fuel-efficiency and offering the world a practical alternative energy solution without compromising the consumer’s needs,” Pelmear said.
Revenge Designs’ Verde Super Car is currently in production stages. It is anticipated to be released at the L.A. International Auto Show in December. Revenge intends to display two versions of the Verde; one left-hand and one right-hand drive with the purpose of releasing the vehicles to the world market.
Also, Revenge will become the sole and exclusive certified installation center in the United States for HP2g engines to aftermarket purchasers. Satellite installation centers will be established throughout the country.
Both companies agree the true win is seeing fuel-efficient production vehicles driving down the roads while helping reduce the reliance on oil and putting Americans back to work.
Revolutionary engine may be manufactured in county
By DAVID J. COEHRS Article published :April 16,2008 Fulton County Expositor Features Editor NAPOLEON - Doug Pelmear is on the fast track to manufacture his revolutionary invention, an innovative engine that gets over 100 miles to a gallon of ethanol-based fuel. In what could translate to big news locally, Pelmear has placed FultonC
The owner of Horse Power Sales.net Inc. in Napoleon, Pelmear said mass production of his engine through his company, HP2g.com, will become a reality by 2010. Phase One of his business could be in operation by this summer. The manufacturing plant will eventually generate up to 45 jobs. Up to 25 may be available as soon as July. The county is one of He is currently working with area economic officials to determine what local and state incentives are available. Details
Wauseon Mayor Jerry Dehnbostel is enthusiastic about the possibility. "It would be just a great shot in the arm for Wauseon," he said. "I think it's a great opportunity for us to partner with a start-up business." The V-8, 400 horsepower engine has garnered so much attention nationwide that other locations have begun beating a path to his door. "(Michigan g
He has also caught the attention of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, area state representatives, the vice president of General Motors and Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "It will be made by Americans in America with American pa Small area businesses willing to build the engine parts include TJ Automation, Inc. in Archbold and Fulton Industries, Inc. in Wauseon. And a specialty market car manufacturer is interested overseeing the first two years of production. Sometime next year, Pelmear will run his Mustang from New York to California in the mainstream category of the Progressiv There are currently 117 teams participating in the X Prize. The purse is $7.5 million for the mainstream winner and $2.5 million for the winner in an alternative category. In the event Pelmear wins his category he would use the winnings as seed money to finance his engine plant. Plan B includes an application for $40 million in start-up stimulus money. A drag racer, Pelmear started developing his engine about 10 years ago with trucks and SUVs in mind. Through changes and refinements it now boasts 110 miles per gallon of E85, a fuel with an ethanol-gasoline ratio of 85/15. "A lot of people say it's perfected already, but I think there's more to be done yet. I'm still tweaking it," Pelmear said. The engine has turned heads at new car shows in Detroit and Washington. D.C. It won the Green Zone Award at the Special Equipment Manufacturers Association Following a third party test in February, an original equipment manufacturer expressed interest in licensing the engine. Pelmear has also received offers to sell the technology but turned them down. "A true inventor wants to see everybody use their product, wants to make a change," he said. "Doing something that no one else has done. Isn't that the idea?" Mark Schnitkey, HP2g.com vice president of business development, said Pelmear's talent lies in his unconventional thinking. "Doug does not limit himself to what other people say," Schnitkey said. "Doug pushes the envelope. 'It can't be done' is not in his vocabulary." Even as he contemplates the potential financial windfall his invention could reap, Pelmear said it was not crafted with riches in mind. " I am true American. I believe in what America stands for," he said. "Our true driving force is to change America" This story can be read at http://www.ourtownsnews.com/FUL/100-mpg-engine
America."
Local engine maker seeks area manufacturing sites
By BRENNA GRITEMAN NWS Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 10:28 AM EDT
One local entrepreneur is currently scouting sites in Henry County and the surrounding area for buildings to manufacture engines and a diesel product.
Doug Pelmear, president of Horse Power Sales in Napoleon, said he is currently working with economic directors, mayors and other officials from Henry, Fulton, Defiance and Williams counties, “looking for the best sites” to manufacture his HP2g engine.
“I’m looking at building in our local area here for leasing,” Pelmear said Monday. “I do want to stay here in northwest Ohio.”
Henry County Commissioner Rich Myers said Pelmear has looked at “multiple sites” in Henry County. Pelmear would not specify how many sites he is looking to lease, but did say he would also need service and parts divisions, adding, “It’s not just an engine manufacture.”
“It would be nice to have it here because you get the tax base that goes with it,” Myers said, adding Pelmear is currently in the process of finalizing his patents.
Pelmear is also working with the state to develop employee incentives. He has applied for federal stimulus funding to manufacture clean diesel, and has also held recent talks with Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office in support of the project.
“This is more than one person can tackle,” he said.
Myers also noted there may be funding options from a variety of entities - not just the federal stimulus package.
“I can assure you people from Columbus to Washington know what’s going on,” he said. “I appreciate anyone who has the entrepreneurship who can make a car in America made by Americans.”
In October, Pelmear unveiled his HP2g vehicle in downtown Napoleon, where he was formally congratulated by Gov. Ted Strickland. Pelmear maintains the engine - built with the help of his crew at Horse Power Sales in Napoleon - runs on E-85 fuel and is capable of achieving up to 110 miles per gallon. The engine is housed in a 1987 Ford Mustang and has been featured at the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) convention in Las Vegas, as well as the North American Auto Show in Detroit.
Pelmear said he hopes to be on his way to manufacturing in mid-May. Once a site is settled on, the first hiring phase would employ 25 individuals. The second hiring phase would likely add another 25 workers.
Pelmear noted no matter where the facility is located, it will have a positive effect on the area economy.
By Laura Rice Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 1:50 a.m.
NAPOLEON -- Efficient auto engine inventor Doug Pelmear is ready to take his motor to the production line.
He wants to start his business in Northwest Ohio as soon as May.
"A true win is to see Americans back to work, see my products driving down the road," said Palmear.
He wants to start making the HP2g not in Detroit or Chicago but near his hometown of Napoleon.
"This is a great place to start," said Palmear. "I've grown up here, I went to school here and there's a lot of people that need jobs here."
That is one big reason area leaders are joining Pelmear in his business effort. Unemployment in counties like Henry is high.
"Last month it was 14.9% and the month before that it was 15," said Henry County Commissioner Rich Myers.
Though many of those people lost their jobs in the auto industry, the officials do not think they will turn down this new opportunity.
"I think that once the people understand and see what the potential is of it that it'll turn things around and make America strong in the auto industry again," said Myers.
Myers and others are working to get incentives and stimulus money to jump-start Palmear's company, no matter which county it ends up in.
"I think this is something that benefits all of us and I think we can all work together to make this happen in Northwest Ohio. And no matter where it lands it's going to benefit all of us," said Wauseon Mayor Jerry Dehnbostel.
Pelmear says his company will start in this area but he expects it to grow and change.
"Even Honda started as an engine company," he said.
This week, a big new development: pending patents for his Decel invention, the first of its kind, that will make diesel engines more efficient.
Napoleon inventor's 85-mpg ethanol car may miss $5M race
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE THE TOLEDO BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
NAPOLEON - The northwest Ohio inventor who drove his 1989 Ford Mustang to Las Vegas and back on 39 gallons of fuel last year may not be included in a high-profile cross-country race next year to showcase advances in fuel efficiency.
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize yesterday released what it said was its official list of 111 teams that will compete in a cross-country race during the summer of 2010 for vehicles that can exceed 100 miles per gallon or equivalent fuel economy.
Not on the list: Horsepower Sales Inc. of Napoleon and its owner, Doug Pelmear, who had been spotlighted by the X-Prize Foundation and whose ethanol-powered engine won the top Green Zone Award at last year's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.
"He was not accepted into the competition because he didn't get materials in on time," Automotive X-Prize spokesman Carrie Fox said yesterday.
"He was given multiple opportunities to get registration materials in before Feb. 28, and he did not get materials in on time."
The contest, sponsored by the X Prize Foundation, is to focus attention on and improve technology for fuel economy. Private teams compete in two categories - mainstream and concept - and compete against one another in a segmented race that will judge performance, fuel economy, and marketability.
But Mr. Pelmear maintains that he did register on time, hasn't gotten back his $10,000 registration fee, and still wants to participate.
He said he's been in a dispute with the X-Prize after the organization changed the prize amount in its mainstream category from $7.5 million to $5 million and twice delayed the start of the race, which is now scheduled to take place in the summer of 2010 instead of this summer, as originally planned.
Mr. Pelmear said his engine can produce up to 400 horsepower and can get the equivalent of more than 100 mpg.
Because the vehicle operates with ethanol-based E-85 Flex Fuel instead of gasoline, its actual
mileage is closer to 85 mpg.
He uses more precise tolerances and manufacturing techniques to decrease heat and energy loss and increase the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. He said he has more than quadrupled the industry average of about 8 percent efficiency.
He has applied for more than three dozen patents, a number of which have been placed into "pending" status
Horse Power Sales.net, "HP2g " . All-electric is all the rage here in Motor City, but other approaches to saving fuel do not get the chops they deserve. Take Napoleon, Ohio-based Horsepower Sales.net Inc. This company showed its HP2g vehicle at the show. And no self-respecting car nut would do less than swoon over this auto. President Doug Pelmears says his vehicle can get 110 miles per gallon running on E85, an ethanol-based fuel made mostly of corn in nearby fields. And what a car. The HP2g is built around a good, old-fashioned all-American V-8 that pumps out -- get ready for it -- 400 horsepower, or about 50 hp less than a 2007 Porches 997 Turbo. That's a lot. And this alcohol-breathing monster lays down a simply terrific 500 foot pounds of torque -- or about 100 less than a souped-up Corvette ZR1, which, again, is really a lot. Said another way, this is a muscle car that gets 10 times the gas mileage of any competitor. It's ridiculous, but in a good way. The larger message here in Detroit was, if these two tiny companies can do so much with so little, why can't the rest of the auto industry be this innovative?
The Street .com Jan 20-09
Car connoisseurs enjoy razzle dazzle in Detroit
Article published January 18, 2009
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
While a number of foreign automakers don't have a presence at this year's North American International Auto Show, there is one large new feature in the basement: an indoor track where show-goers can ride in one of more than a dozen electric-drive or hybrid cars and trucks.
In the basement of Cobo Center at the show is a display from one northwest Ohio company - Napoleon-based Horse Power Sales.net Inc. - that is trying to leapfrog existing gas-saving technology and is drawing a lot of industry attention in the process.
Company President Doug Pelmear has gotten personal visits to his booth in the basement from a number of foreign and domestic auto executives, as well as Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sen. Robert Corker (R., Tenn.), all of them interested in his 1987 Ford Mustang and its custom-built engine that gets the equivalent of 110 mpg.
"I've become very popular," Mr. Pelmear quipped yesterday as a number of public show-goers looked over his outwardly unassuming car. His 110-mpg engine won a "Green" award last fall at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association expo in Las Vegas.
By Rob Packard ( NBC 24 . COM ) Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 3:14 p.m.
Doug Pelmear returned to Napoleon Thursday from a critical cross-country road test. The inventor says he succeeded in averaging more than 100 miles per gallon. His gas bill to Vegas and and back was $87 dollars.
"That includes the mountains, going through the desert," said Pelmear.
Pelmear is testing his engine with a goal to win the $10-million dollar Progressive Automotive X Prize. The high stakes race aims to find an affordable car that gets at least 100 mpg.
"We're looking at this engine going into the SUV and truck market, where it needs it the most."
Pelmear says he managed to top 100 mpg, and still push the pedal. His top speed was 90 miles per hour. Pelmear plans to make more improvements to his new engine. He has support from Rocket Ventures. The Northwest Ohio Organization helps get cutting edge technology into the marketplace. He would like to see it built within the next year and a half.
100mpg car owner has his eye on the prize ( NBC 24 . COM )
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 2:10 p.m.
A local man is taking his fuel-efficient invention on a road trip.
Doug Pelmear says his 1987 Mustang gets 80 miles per gallon and 400 horsepower. Now, he is taking his invention on a 4,000-mile round trip to Las Vegas in hopes of winning the Progressive Automotive X prize.
The $10 million prize is given out in a 'race' to find an affordable, marketable automobile that gets at least the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon of gas.
Pelmear leaves for the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas Wednesday. His team will track the car's gas mileage. Pelmear hopes his invention will soon make it to a production line.
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has said Pelmear's invention could change the nation and the world. He says it is time to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
NAPOLEON -- Gov. Ted Strickland stopped in Napoleon on Wednesday as he toured through northwest Ohio, visiting a send-off gathering for a Napoleon man who says he has developed an engine that gets the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon of gasoline.
The event was held outside the Henry County Courthouse for Douglas Pelmear, who is driving his 1987 Ford Mustang on a 4,000-mile trip to Las Vegas and back.
Pelmear is driving the car, which he says puts out 400 horsepower and runs on the ethanol fuel known as E85, to Las Vegas for the 2008 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show.
"It was Ohio and Ohioans who invented the airplane," Strickland said. "Ohio is a place where creative people live and work. Can you imagine the effect such a creation will have on America and the world?"
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, 75th District Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, 1st District Sen. Steve Buehrer and others also attended the event, and close to 50 individuals braved the cold to watch Pelmear drive away in his vehicle.
The Napoleon inventor has dubbed his vehicle the HP2g and cites years of working on engines with his late father in developing the car.
"With HP2g, I have developed a revolutionary alternative energy solution that will reduce our reliance on foreign oil and keep our environment clean," Pelmear said.
Because E85 has different characteristics than gasoline, the actual mileage per gallon for the vehicle is close to 85 miles per gallon.
X Prize competitor from area ready to give his car real-world mileage test
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
NAPOLEON - Doug Pelmear will jump into his Mustang tomorrow morning with a buddy and head for Vegas, but this is no ordinary 4,000-mile road trip by two middle-aged guys in a 21-year-old pony car.
Mr. Pelmear's trek is all about the engine under the hood, an invitation to show it off at a prestigious automotive expo, and a "dry run" for next year's $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize race.
"There's no way to really put a good test to a car unless you go out and prove it," said Mr. Pelmear, president of Horse Power Sales.net Inc. and the man behind the company's entry in next year's cross-country fuel-economy race.
Mr. Pelmear says his "real world" engine can deliver power and torque levels equivalent to today's high-performance engines but with fuel economy nearly double that of a Toyota Prius gasoline-electric hybrid.
The Progressive Automotive X Prize is sponsored by the X Prize Foundation to focus attention on and improve technology for fuel economy.
Private teams compete in two categories - mainstream and concept - and compete against one another in a segmented race that will judge performance, fuel economy, and mar-ketability.
"Most of the cars that are entered [in the X Prize race] are electric-type cars," Mr. Pelmear said. "They can't do a 2,000-mile jaunt [because of range limitations]. This car can outdrive my ability to drive it."
Mr. Pelmear said his engine can produce up to 400 horsepower and can get the equivalent of 100 mpg. Because the vehicle operates with ethanol-based "E-85 Flex Fuel" instead of gasoline, its actual mileage is closer to 85 mpg.
Tomorrow's trip to Las Vegas - Mr. Pelmear said he figures it will take about 40 hours to drive there, with breaks - is primarily because of an invitation he received from the Specialty Equipment Market Association.
The association holds its annual show, which features cutting-edge automotive technology from around the world, next week in Las Vegas, and invited Mr. Pelmear to display his modified 1987 Mustang.
"It's a big honor, especially to a car guy like me," Mr. Pelmear said. "I'm just your typical inventor. I'm a guy that had a dream and wants to see it to reality. I want to see it go down the road and have an impact on people's lives."
Mr. Pelmear is guarded about the secrets of his engine - he has applied for more than three dozen patents - but not so much his methodology.
Napoleon man's low-profile auto aims for $10 million mileage prize
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
NAPOLEON, Ohio - Doug Pelmear has lots of secrets beneath the hood of his black 1987 Ford Mustang on which the only outward hint of individuality is a series of stickers.
But looks can be deceiving. Mr. Pelmear's 21-year-old pony car has enough technological innovation to quadruple the classic Mustang's original gas mileage while almost doubling its available horsepower.
That's 80 miles per gallon and 400 horsepower, folks. And the electronics engineer and master mechanic is not done yet.
The third-generation automotive tinkerer hopes that next year his Mustang - more specifically its engine - will help him win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X PRIZE: a "race" to find an affordable, marketable automobile that gets at least 100 miles per gallon, or its equivalent.
"I'm an optimist, and I think people need to know there is hope out there," Mr. Pelmear said. "That's why I decided to enter the X Prize race. I could have sold this [technology] off, but then people might not have seen it.
"It's not about the money. Our country really needs this."
To read this this article in full we direct our readers to this link:
It's a race to the finish line that will be won by a vehicle that achieves the energy equivalent of at least 100 miles per gallon.
Napoleon Horse Power Sales owner Doug Pelmear has accepted the challenge and will put his years of work to the test this weekend when he will demonstrate his car during the fifth annual Aeromotive NMRA Ford Nationals today through Sunday at Milan Dragway in Milan, Mich.
This weekend's event will be a test-run for Pelmear, who is one of 78 worldwide contestants to date to enter the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, an automotive race that will take place next year. The goal of the competition, according to X PRIZE, "is to inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change," benefit the world, result in real cars available for purchase, not concept cars, offer a level playing field that attracts both existing automobile manufacturers and newcomers and educate the public on key issues.
A total of $10 million in prizes will be awarded to the winner(s) who achieve, among other criteria, a fuel economy of at least 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent), and greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle production must be no worse than typical vehicles in production today.
The Pelmear family has been working on improving automotive engines for decades, a challenge first tackled by Pelmear's grandfather back in the 1940s. "I'm not really using that design," Pelmear said, "but (this project has been) an ongoing thing with the family." Even Pelmear's dad was involved in the project, with all three generations recognizing "a need for a higher efficiency motor."
So far, Pelmear has sunk at least $1.4 million into patents alone for the vehicle, an investment that is worth it to him.
"Everybody looks at 100 mpg as impossible. It's not. It's possible," he said.
This weekend, Pelmear will be demonstrating his car at Milan Dragway "not for the X PRIZE," he said, "but to show everybody that the technology is out there" to run a car that achieves 100 MPGe.
"I'm doing my own testing," he said, noting that he has performed simulation testing on the car. "The track is where you test real world."
Those at the track can see Pelmear's car in action. "I wanted the general public to see it," to show the public that "there's a new concept."
Pelmear's car seats four people, weighs 2,850 pounds and has about a 300-cubic-inch engine.
Though it is currently housed in a Mustang, his engine was designed for larger automobiles. Pelmear said he understands that Americans "need that truck, SUV for our lifestyle."
On his quest to build a more fuel-efficient engine, Pelmear worked with Ford engineers who were testing his engine. Unfortunately, company cutbacks caused his engine testing to come to a stop.
"Everybody that was testing my engine retired" when the company started making cutbacks, Pelmear said. "That happened more than once," he said, which was quite disappointing. "It was like we're going to get somewhere with this ... and then it disappears."
Shortly after Ford stopped testing his engine, Pelmear heard about the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE on the "Today Show" and decided to check it out. "It is a testing type of race. It's not just me proving it and showing I can do it."
Late this year, a panel of expert judges will review applications and select teams to race their vehicles in the AXP Qualifying Race. Teams that successfully complete the qualifying race can then apply for the grand prize final race, which will be held in late 2009.
Two categories of vehicles, mainstream and alternative, will be judged. Pelmear's mainstream car will need to reach 0-60 miles per hour in less than 12 seconds, have a minimum top speed of 100 mph, drive a minimum of 200 miles, have room for four or more passengers, have 10 cubic feet of useful cargo space, and have everyday vehicle features such as heat, air conditioning, an audio system, an enclosed cabin, windshield wipers, safety belts, rear and side view mirrors, displays for speed, fuel remaining, etc., and exterior lights.
Assisting Pelmear with his goal are sponsors CIG Financial Services, Archbold; Southern Nevada Wholesale Sign Co., Las Vegas; Howards Cams, Oshkosh, Wis.; Americraft Carton Inc., Norwalk; Performance Ford Solutions, Anaheim, Calif.; JEGS High Performance Mail Order, Delaware; SolidWorks, Concord, Mass.; Fulton Industries Inc., Wauseon; and Rocket Ventures, Toledo.
His HP2g team also includes Mark Schnitkey of Defiance in business development; Jen Rodgers of Van Wert, who does marketing; Marcus Dull of Holgate, who does CAD and programming; Kevin Wilson of Wauseon, who helps with production; and Pelmear, who is the design engineer, along with "quite a few helpers."
A small Napoleon company is competing against teams of designers from around the world for a chance at one of the biggest prizes ever offered, as well as helping the environment.
Horse Power Sales has officially entered the Progressive Auto X Prize, a contest sponsored by Progressive Auto Insurance and the X Foundation which offers $10 million in prizes to teams that design a new generation of viable, super fuel efficient vehicles. The goal is to design, build and bring to market a vehicle that can travel the energy equivalent of 100 miles per gallon (mpge). As of March 20 (2008), 60 international teams had entered the contest, and Monday Horse Power Sales also entered.
"This really goes back to my father and grandfather," said Horse Power owner Doug Pelmear. "They designed an engine in the 1940's, but their engine wouldn't work with the technology of the time so it got passed to me."
Pelmear already has designed the Valley Girdle, which he said reduces fuel consumption by 5 percent. That has been just one piece in developing the current engine his company is working on now. He was working on the engine before the contest was announced as a way to help the planet and consumers.
"With the rising costs of fuel, I'm looking at it and saying we need this now," Pelmear said.
His prototype will be on display June 14 at Milan Dragway in Milan, Mich. He said he has tested the vehicle in the wind tunnels, but the test at Milan will be its first real-world test. Pelmear also pointed out his vehicle isn't something that will only allow one person to get from place to place.
"We're not looking at a one or two-person vehicle, but something that carries four people with some creature comforts," Pelmear said. "Our vehicle is the heaviest in the competition right now, it weighs 2,600 pounds."
He added the next heaviest is about 1,500 pounds.
The fuel he selected to run his vehicle is also practical.
"The fuel I chose is E-85 (an ethanol blend) because it's available on the market now," Pelmear said. "It is a resource that has grown."
Pelmear said he has sunk about $1.4 million into the project so far and added patents can be very expensive. Also, the parts are custom made just for this engine and the price of metal and shipping are adding more and more to the cost. Still, Pelmear has made sure all parts are made in the United States, sticking to a promise he made to supporters. "I know I could go outside the United States to get parts made cheaper, but I want to keep it here and hopefully it will help the economy," Pelmear said.
The local project has received sponsorship from CIG Financial Services of Archbold and Jegs High Performance Mail Order of Columbus according to Pelmear. His team is comprised of himself, Jen Rodgers of Van Wert, Mark Schnitkey of Defiance and Kevin Wilson of Wauseon.
The X Foundation previously awarded $10 million to Burt Rutan, who built and flew the world's first private vehicle to space. The foundation is creating prize competitions in five areas, exploration, life sciences, energy and environment, education and global development.
Deadline to enter the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize is mid 2008. Applicants will then undergo a thorough qualification process to assess safety, cost, features and business plans to ensure that only production-capable, consumer-friendly cars compete. Those that qualify will race their vehicles in rigorous cross-country stage races in 2009 and 2010 that combine speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance. The winners will be vehicles that exceed 100 mpge, meet strict emission standards and finish in the fastest time. Host cities involved in the competition route will be announced in the future.
Original article reprinted with permission of the Northwest Signal
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