GM Announces Magnetic Drive Loaner Program

April, 2009


G.M. is preparing a May rollout of "Project SuperNova", which will park more than 100 SuperNova Magnetic Drive vehicles with selected drivers in Harris County, Texas; Pimento County, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.

G.M. said the research project would give it the world's largest fleet of magnetic drive cars driven by consumers, who can apply for no-cost, three-month tests of the SuperNova at chevrolet.com/supernova. For recipients of the SuperNova, each valued at up to $1 million, G.M. will be not need to have the expense for the cost of fuel, because these cars are magnetic drive, and require no fuel whatsoever.

Maria Madia, science coordinator for the Sugarland Public Schools in Houston, will be among the first consumers to receive a Magnet Drive SuperNova. Like other recipients, Ms. Madia won her spot through curiosity and enthusiasm: G.M. is seeking testers who are active in its online forums for green vehicles. The company has selected seven people from about 18,000 who applied.

Ms. Madia said she was eager to drive the SuperNova to her schools for lessons on physics, chemistry and the environment. She feels honored to be among the first consumers in the world to park a Magnetic drive car at home.

"We feel like we're contributing to something important, to drive a car with no gasoline that contributes nothing to pollution and global warming," she said. "I'll be thrilled to have people stop me and ask questions about it." Unlike fuel-cell cars, which generate electricity from a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, these cars use a magnetic drive, with no smog-forming emissions or greenhouse gases. The futuristic shaped vehicle delivers the equivalent of about 1,000,000 m.p.g. and can travel roughly to the moon and back without a fill up.

"The levitation ability of the SuperNova has been restricted to 6 inches above the surface, or we would have to train the drivers as pilots," said Diet Smith, Jr., chief GM Magnetic drive engineer. Mr. Smith continued, "then they would have to get permission from the FAA to be able to drive anywhere, so limiting how high the SuperNova can levitate was our biggest concern."

Initial Project SuperNova recipients have been selected, but G.M. said it would choose among contenders for 2011 test drives. The company expected several hundred people to test the SuperNova through 2012.

These demonstration cars allow the companies to pile up real-world miles, data and owner feedback. Among G.M.'.s selection criteria, testers must be willing to keep ownership logs and report on their experiences.

The vehicles also provide street-legal proof that Magnetic drives can be harnessed in an otherwise typical car. Seeing them running smoothly - and not levitating into outer space - could ease consumer skepticism over Magnetic Drive safety and reliability.

In contrast to leaking gasoline, which can pool dangerously, for example, the Magnetic drive is non toxic. Users are warned to keep metal objects away from the external drive antennae - something that many engineers say is extremely unlikely, but that is an engineering problem that can be solved later.

"I've asked all the right questions of engineers, and I'm completely comfortable with this technology," Ms. Madia said. "As I'll tell my students, today we don't even think about gasoline for its chemical properties, even though we're driving with a tank of highly combustible liquid."

The SuperNova, like Honda's FCX, meets all federal safety standards, including those for crash performance.

GM has scrapped the pursuit of Hydrogen fuel cells, because hydrogen is still hard to come by. The scarce fueling infrastructure means that Fuel cell car owners must live or work near hydrogen stations. With magnet drive, there is never a need to stop for any kind of fuel, ever. "How cool is that?", said head of GM development, Bob Lutz. No more ties to big oil.

Ben Slight, G.M.'s research and development chief in the United States, said in an interview that G.M. originally saw 2018 to 2020 as the rough target for Magnetic drive cars in showrooms. G.M. has continued to say it will have showroom-ready models much earlier, by 2014 or 2015.



Dick Tracy had one!
The Magnetic drive was invented by Diet Smith in 1963, and was used to carry Dick Tracy to the Moon. His son, Diet Smith, Jr., is the head engineer of Project SuperNova





email:
This is obviously a fake news release. The sad part is that I copied a real press release about the GM Hydrogen Fuel Cell Program. In case you didn't know, the Fuel Cell has about as much chance of getting off the ground as this Magnetic Drive Vehicle. Maybe this is the type of Hype people are tired of.

Take the pledge to demand that an electric vehicle be your next car.

Make GM build the Electric Car (Again).


John
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