AC Dealers

In a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a modern-day New Testament, a Chandler, Arizona scientist has created a device that turns water into fuel. Adrien Burkhart, the brainpower behind the invention and owner of Hydrogen Concepts, describes it like this: “By adding hydrogen to that combustion chamber, we get you to a 95-plus percent burn rate. So now you’re burning more fuel.” To the average person, that might not make much sense. But to Burkhart, it’s basic science.

The new device, which costs about $700, has already helped one business owner in the area. Casey Baldwin, the owner of Countertops by Design, has used the device to fill up his fleet of trucks in recent months. In a time when many business owners are struggling with gas prices, he only needs to fill his trucks half as many times each week as he did before buying the device. “Now instead of filling up every two days, I’m doing it every three to four days. I’m saving hundreds of dollars a week,” Baldwin said about Burkhart’s invention.

As with any new invention, though, there are still some skeptics. Mark Castleman, a regional sales manager with Brakes Plus, says drivers should be hesitant about this and other inventions. He warns that using “water-turned-fuel” could void your manufacturer’s warranty or even cause long term damage to your engine. But Burkhart claims that he’s seen vehicles with “a few hundred thousand miles” and they’re still going.

But with the fuel efficiency you can find in the cars at your local Nissan dealer, you don’t have to worry about these devices or any others for that matter. Simply invest in a Nissan and you’ll save more gas than you ever thought imaginable!

It was only a matter of time before the gas prices affected Las Vegas. Beginning July 6, Vegas tourists and locals hitching a ride in a taxi will be paying about 45 cents more for each mile they travel.

At the end of last month, the Nevada Taxicab Authority approved a new plan to change the rate structure for the city’s taxis. Right now, it stands at 45 cents extra per mile. That includes a permanent increase of 20 cents for each mile in addition to a temporary increase of 25 cents. They are calling the 25 cent increase a “fuel surcharge” to make up for the rising gas prices.

To put that into perspective, a normal four-mile trip in a Las Vegas taxi costs $12.85 right now. In three days, though, that same trip is going to cost you $14.65. That doesn’t seem like a huge increase, but it does add up if you use the taxicab service a lot.

The 25 cent increase is only temporary because the board is going to re-evaluate the cost every so often. If gas prices drop below $4 a gallon for at least 20 consecutive days, the board may vote to drop the 25 cent surcharge. Similarly, they can vote to increase the surcharge if area gas prices go above $5 a gallon.

As we all know, everything that happens doesn’t actually stay in Vegas. That means that this type of surcharge is likely to catch on across the country. It’s only a matter of time before it comes to the New Jersey area and the East Coast. But with a new or used fuel-efficient car from your local Nissan dealer, you can forget about ever paying any fuel surcharges for taxis and enjoy driving yourself around wherever you need to go.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard about the presidential campaigns going on. And with the gas prices being at the top of the list of issues right now, both candidates have their own solutions. Following are some of their ideas.

John McCain
The most talked about solution comes from Senator John McCain. He proposed a “$300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug in hybrids or electric cars.” In short, this basically refers to a battery that costs only about one-third of the current costs for the same type of battery. McCain announced his idea during a campaign speech in California last month. He’s also encouraging a “clean air challenge” for domestic automakers. He wants to give car buyers a $5,000 tax credit when they purchase a zero-emissions car.

Barack Obama
The senator from Illinois also has some ideas about fighting gas prices. His ideas aren’t as short-term as McCain’s, but they are just as promising. “We’re not going to bring down gas prices easily, quickly. The only way to do it is to reduce demand over the long term in a serious way.”

Analysts say there isn’t much that we can do in the near future to help the situation. However, Nissan is launching an electric car in the United States within the next two years. In 2010, you can be part of the solution to the fuel crisis by visiting your local Nissan dealer and buying an electric car. If it catches on, that’s going to be one of the best solutions around!