Editor's Letter - Cleaning Up the Sky, Engine by Engine 

In their efforts to alleviate the world's growing pollution problems, scientists have searched for alternate fuels and smaller engines. Yet, an inventor from Iowa prescribes a simple solution so obvious as to beg the question, "Why didn't someone think of that before?" But no one did, and Dwayne Fosseen could be sitting on one of the most sought-after patents in the last decade. 

Fosseen believes the crux of the problems related to fuel consumption and polluted cities arise from improper fuel flow. That means that of the estimated one billion cars operating in the world, 20 to 30 percent of the fuel is wasted. Fosseen says that waste accounts for 80 percent of the air's pollutants, which means that when you see a hazy skyline, the majority of what's visible is fuel that didn't burn properly. 

His device, the DriverMax, is a computerized throttle-control system that optimizes fuel flow by operating between the gas pedal and engine. In other words, a driver can't "punch it" on an incline or straightaway, and thus, use fuel inefficiently. The brick-sized device also reportedly increases fuel mileage 5 to 10 percent and reduces emissions by more than 50 percent - all without hindering the vehicle's performance. 

Though Fosseen's company, Mirenco Incorporated, markets other products such as fuel additives and a cruise control device, DriverMax has made an impressive debut. Louisville, Kentucky's municipal government recently ordered $94,000 worth - impressive considering its retail price of $450 - and Memphis has already placed two orders. Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes had one installed on his campaign bus, and tour bus companies in Canada and Grand Canyon National Park are satisfied users. 

Mirenco doesn't operate from a metropolitan base such as Des Moines (Radcliffe is actually a farming town of 600), but the company enters the global marketplace at a time of great need. The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed higher emissions standards for trucks, fuel prices are steadily climbing while concerns over global warming escalate with an increased flurry of ecological disasters. None of this is lost on Fosseen, who wears his environmental concerns on his sleeve. 

Mirenco is "a green company," he said, and the company's products are his contributions toward reversing the trends. Big thinking requires big money, and Fosseen already has those bases covered. After selling more than two million shares in two direct public offerings, he's charting the company toward a NASDAQ listing. Eventually, he wants to reduce the manufacturing overhead to slash retail prices in half, so that in due time, any driver will have the option of owning a DriverMax. It's a healthy marriage of the utopian and capitalistic dreams, and if Fosseen succeeds, one that can be seen over a city skyline. 

To read more about Mirenco, see our "Letting Up on the Gas" article on page 18.