"Owners" associations -- asleep?

After reading the "Quiet Cars Notice of Public Meeting and Request for Comments" (docket NHTSA-2008-0108) and calling the coordinator, I realized the 'system' is biased towards hearing from corporations and organized groups. There will be time at the end of the hearing for the 'general public' (the 'tin hats') but otherwise, it is the well organized groups and corporations that fit into their outline that will get a 'seat at the table' as part of the subject matter outline. So I thought, what about the "organizations" that claim to represent us:

• Hybrid Owners of America
• the Prius owners group

I went back and surveyed their web sites and found no evidence they are even aware of the "Bell the Hybrid" act, much less the issues. A quick survey of their 'articles' suggests they repost synopsis of articles and have totally missed this one. Their low volume of follow-up comments makes them nearly invisible compared to user driven sites like PriusChat, GreenHybrid and others. But they are sitting on a name that would be like a moth-to-flame to the NHTSA public hearing ... if they were even aware of the issue.

With less than two weeks to go before the June 23 hearing, I'm loath to "wake them up" because they are unprepared. They could walk into the hearing and like sheep-to-wolves, buy in to nonsense or agree to a dead end. They aren't user driven (did anyone vote on their officers?) so in spite of their names, they don't even have the standing of AAA.

Now Art's Automotive, Autobeyours, Automotive Career Development Center or any of Hobbit's gear head friends would be perfect to attend and submit comments to this hearing. They are intimately involved with hybrid technology, know the systems and know what is practical and impractical. They make their living keeping hybrids on the road and as such speak with considerable authority on the costs and impacts of the proposed rules. These would be the experts to answer what the "Bell the Hybrid" act would mean to us. But they are fully involved with their business and I'm loath to ask for 'free' help on this issue.

There is not enough time to organize an effective "Hybrid Users Group" for this hearing but if we were, it might consists of web site moderators because:

• monitoring postings, they are exposed to community attitudes
• have the skills to deal with 'problem children'
• communicate effectively
• elected by user's voting with their keyboards and screens
• evidence of sustained, hyper activity

However, we do have time to organize for congressional hearings. Before a bill becomes law, it has to pass through hearings where invited speakers (by the representatives) present testimony and evidence. This will be the next challenge and this hearing is just the pre-screening.

HR 5734 is not a fight of our making but without an effective voice of reason, our representatives will only hear one side. We risk being saddled with an expensive, ineffective solution and would only have our own failure to organize to blame.

Last year, I formed a privately held company (625k Inc. of Huntsville AL) to extend the service life of our hybrids to 625,000 miles (1,000,000 km.) This number is twice the projected life-time that CNW Marketing claimed for SUVs and Hummers. It means solving the problems of how to refurbish and repair our hybrids over 30-40 years, quite possible considering the advantages of the technology. But this proposed rule puts my future retirement business at risk by forcing older hybrids into the auto-graveyard from expensive and hard to sell noise makers. So I have 'a dog in that fight.'

What pisses me off is this takes me away from my hybrid refurbishment and sustainability engineering work. Instead of spending time on how to extend the operational life of hybrids, I'm looking at how to persuade the NHTSA and our congress critters on why noise makers are the least effective and too expensive solution to pedestrian safety. I'm venting because the self-proclaimed, hybrid groups are less than effective and clueless and those who have a clue are ... well we're pretty busy already.

One of my GE managers told me that if you want to get something done, give the task to the already busy man (or a woman.) They are busy because they get things done. Well I'm venting and know what has to be done. <grumble grumble grumble>

Bob Wilson