Who you gonna call? Gasbuster

Frustrated by high gasoline prices, two area businessmen decided to investigate some decades-old technology that some claim can significantly boost fuel economy.

What they came up with is the HHO Gasbuster, a hydrogen generator that Mark Kiser and Rick Detter say can improve gas mileage on many vehicles by 10 to 30 percent. For example, a car that normally gets 20 miles to a gallon could get 22 to 26 miles to a gallon with the HHO Gasbuster, Kiser and Detter say.

Faced with high gas prices, most people can't afford to buy new, fuel-efficient vehicles, says Detter, co-owner with Kiser of M&R Concepts, LLC.

"We wanted to come up with ideas to retrofit existing vehicles to make them more fuel efficient," he says.

M&R Concepts' first product is the HHO Gasbuster, a locally made device its creators plan to sell through garages in the region.

Kiser, of Caldwell County, and Bethlehem resident Detter say well-designed hydrogen generators can improve gas mileage, increase engine performance and decrease emissions at the same time.

Such generators for cars and trucks are sometimes called hydrogen boosting technology or hydrogen injection technology.

The idea behind onboard hydrogen generators for vehicles is that they use electricity provided by the car or truck to electrolyze a small amount of water or other hydrogen-rich substance and inject the resulting hydrogen and oxygen gases into the vehicle's intake system.

Proponents say the hydrogen and oxygen displace some of the fossil fuels in the cylinders, help the gasoline or diesel fuel burn more efficiently, increase power and decrease pollutants coming out of the tailpipe.

A hydrogen generator is not a "fuel cell" and should not be confused with the electrochemical technology powering cars such as the new Honda Clarity.

Lots of hydrogen generator devices have hit the market over the years. Many can be purchased through the Internet, some for $50 or less.

Kiser and Detter say the vast majority of hydrogen generators available through the Internet are shoddy devices that can actually decrease fuel efficiency.

"Most are redneckish-looking systems built around Mason jars," Detter says.

"We've taken the technology to the next level."

The HHO Gasbuster line includes three basic systems ranging from $199 to $449.

The devices come in kits that include enhancers, relay systems and various safety features including a flame arrester.

Enhancers are needed for hydrogen generators to boost fuel efficiency in vehicles with onboard diagnostic systems, Detter and Kiser say.

"Basically, the enhancer tells the onboard computer that everything is OK, that it doesn't need to add more gas to the mixture," Detter says.

"Without it, you could actually get lower gas mileage."

The relay system turns the generator on when the ignition switch is turned on and off when the ignition switch is turned off.

The driver adds an inexpensive fluid available at grocery stores to the unit about once a month.

Despite being simple to mount under the hood, Gasbuster's creators say the device is best installed by a mechanic.

For that reason, they plan to market the generators through garages that agree to carry and install them.

Kiser, owner of Sawmills-based Marx Industries, and Detter, who worked in the adhesives industry for 20 years and is Marx Industries vice president, are aware of the skepticism surrounding many of the products designed to boost gas mileage.

For example, a recent Consumer Reports magazine debunks several new devices, and directs readers to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's fuel- saving device testing Web site: (www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/ reports.htm).

Kiser and Detter, self-described "car nuts," are skeptical about most of the hydrogen generators they see on the Internet.

They say common claims of gas savings of 30 to 100 percent are nonsense.

The two have tested HHO Gasbuster on Kiser's 2008 Infinity FX35 and on Detter's 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, and say 10 percent savings on city streets and 25 to 30 percent savings on the highway are more realistic. Based on current gas prices, they figure the HHO Gasbuster could pay for itself in two or three months if a vehicle normally gets 20 miles per gallon and is driven 18,000 miles per year.

With stainless-steel interior parts, Kiser and Detter say the device should last for years.

The HHO Gasbuster is not guaranteed to boost fuel economy.

"There's too much difference among vehicles and in the way people drive," Detter says.

"Our guarantee is in the quality of workmanship.

"Just like everybody else, we're tired of being ripped off."