Opinion - Agoura Hills (CA) and Dearborn (MI) - Three researchers working in collaboration, one from a commercial company and two from University of Michigan-Dearborn, have developed a truck/SUV spoiler that is unlike other spoilers. The team adapted fluid dynamics algorithms to produce an unexpected design which they claim yields a 5% reduction in drag and a complete reversal of lift. While stating the average SUV user could save $100 or more in annual fuel costs, the designers are being rather tight-lipped about this new design.

Wave design via math

First, I'll explain what they did.

If someone asked you to envision an automobile spoiler, it would probably be some kind of wing-like shape mounted on the back of a vehicle. And while those kind of designs are often flashy and look very nice, they aren't always practical for increasing fuel economy or reducing drag.

In the case of this new wave-like spoiler design, of which no images have been released to the press, the goal was different. The team didn't care what it looked like. They just wanted to follow the math and see what the best form was to reduce the most drag. In the end, after using computer simulations adapted from fluid dynamics algorithms, the math introduced them to a spoiler design that looks much more like a wave (or so we are told) than a wing.

Consider this

In doing the background research for this article I found myself thinking seriously about what a discovery like this might mean.

Suppose a real invention came along that was proven to reduce drag by 5% on an SUV style vehicle. We know drag accounts for about 2/3rds of an automobile's energy output at highway speeds. So, a 5% reduction in drag would result in a 3.4% increase in fuel economy (taking a 20 mpg gas guzzler to 20.7 mpg). If that vehicle were driven 10,000 miles a year, it would save the driver about 16 gallons or $40.52 at $2.50/gallon, and up to $64.83 at $4.00/gallon. But even more importantly, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.4%, it would allow the driver to go an extra 340 miles on the same fuel expense. And it would do all of this while providing a nation-wide savings of over $200 million amongst all the drivers (if they used the wave spoiler).

Taking that math a bit further and assuming that U.S. residents are driving about 10 billion miles every day, those 20 mpg vs. 20.7 mpg translate into savings of 17 million gallons every day. In turn, those 17 million gallons saved every day would be enough to power about 439,000 vehicles at 10,000 miles per year and 20.7 mpg.

While the money savings might seem like a mere drop in the bucket compared to the nearly $12 billion in profits alone Exxon Mobil reported earlier this year (let alone other oil companies combined), in the end this invention would save real people real money. And all for little more than bolting something on the back of your vehicle.

Separating the men from the Men

What made this invention stand out in my mind from the other inventions I routinely write about is that this finding was prepared for a commercial release. As mentioned above there are no images released to the press showing the design. There are also no press releases or publicly available papers with significant details revealing the achievement. The clever do-it-yourselfer has no information to take advantage of the discovery and begin saving their family money after a few nights of working out in the garage building a look-a-like. And those interested in doing so have no way of verifying the results by building a version and testing it.

In all honesty, this discovery appears to be a form of "hush-hush" announcement designed to get people excited about the possibility of the idea, all the while the commercial party of this triad research team prepares to cash in on the design.

It forces me to ask this:  If something like this is truly available, something that saves 3.4% in fuel economy by just bolting on to an SUV or truck, why aren't the scientists involved in creating this design looking to help everybody in the world by just releasing this information for free? Why seek so stringently to cash in on something that directly affects us all? Why not stand up and give to those who can build it, and sell to those who don't want to take the time? Why the secrecy?

In preparing this article I found myself taking a notably different path than my initial intention. At first glance I thought "Cool, a great invention that saves fuel and helps people." But then I looked at the way it was presented unto the world - published only in one fee-based journal (costs 30 Euros to buy online, or through a pay subscription), and without pictures or details of the design.

We know that a lot of research accross many disciplines is published in a similar way, in magazines and tech journals that are limited to academia and pay subscribers. Still, in most of those instances there are releases by the university which can be reviewed. Or, at least there are some pictures - especially in the case of something new and revolutionary that doesn't look like its predecessors. It's the pattern of discovery in universities which drives fame - and sometimes fortune."

However, in this very specific case, I would hope that there would be much wider access made available. When it comes to the matter of energy sources, there shoudl be a different approach. Our science has shown us this decade alone what it can do in areas like solar power. Just last month TG Daily covered two separate scientific discoveries showing that science has figured out ways to capture nearly 100% of the energy in sunlight. While still years away from commercial applications, they're proving in the lab it can be done - today even.

So, why not open the doors of all of these kinds of inventions unto the world? Two minds are better than one. Right? And three are better than two. I bet the potential of a few billion is far better than the few hundred who might be involved today. Protecting an invention is one part, but I believe we have a real responsibility here on this planet. So long as we are citizens of this Earth we owe it to our children, their children, one another and to the very air we breathe and our environment, to see to it that we do everything possible to provide for our needs with the least impact. And if that means exposing inventions that truly have the possibility of helping mankind while big money interests lose a few billion in the process, then I say it's just about the smallest price imaginable. And it's high time to do it.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.