NOV 15

I agree, making a behemoth like the Tahoe the Green Car of the Year seem odd, but I think it make sense, particularly considering the choices. My understanding is that while there are more new hybrids in/near production than ever before, this is a "breakthrough" category.

Here are the finalists:
Two-Mode Chevy Tahoe hybrid, the Saturn Aura hybrid, the Chevy Malibu hybrid, Nissan Altima and Mazda Tribute hybrid.

Mazda Tribute - rebadged Ford Escape. Nice, but not really that new.

Aura and Malibu - Mild hybrids, no big deal. I think GM is doing mild ones because it helps them transition to electric accessories while it buys them good PR and mild improvements in MPG.

Altima - Full hybrid, but it's not a new category.

That leaves the Tahoe. This is the first REAL hybrid that can tow about like the conventional version. 50% better gas mileage makes a much bigger difference on this end of the scale than with smaller, already efficient cars. You're not actually going to save that much gas making the Prius get 50% more MPG.

As frustrated as I am that we drive huge-@$$ boats like this, the fact is Chevy sells them in large numbers and their pathetic gas mileage is starting to really hurt sales and folks that need the abilities of this sort of vehicle.

I've got a small boat I tow and I've been using a small V-6 SUV to move it around. The Tahoe gets better mileage. That's progress, even if it's not where I'd want it.

I agree with all that Airmon had to say. As much as this title for a big car like the tahoe is surprising and a bit shocking, all the choices are really nothing to fantastic.

I think it is still a bit early to really see some outstanding leaps forward, at least for a car you could go out and buy right now!

Lets hope by 5 years it is different!

The only thing holding me back from getting a large SUV is the gas mileage. Good post, think I'll consider this SUV seriously. ;D

A joke this good can only work once.

That's it. If 21 mpg is a green car of the year, then there is no way in ... God's green earth, that we will ever rise the the challenge of oil depletion and global warming.

No, we'll drive a 21 mpg "green car" for a decade, and then stand like deer in the headlights and wonder what happened.

(I say this not as an end-of-the-world doomer, but as someone who would like to see families survive $5/gal gas, and to see CO2 capped ... at any level)

hanks right, people arent going to stop buying SUVs. and if improvements continues, perhaps its feasible that we may even have a full operational battery powered car. its a radical thought but like hank's eariler article on priuses, this is not a solution but a step in the right direction.

i meant battrey powered SUV. typing is hard.

I think its great! A HUGE SUV getting the same city efficiency as an 08 accord?! amazing!!!! Just imagine if all suv's on the road got a 50% increase in fuel efficiency, that would likely reduce the American co2 out put more than if all small car buyers, converted to the current fleet of hybrid small cars. Again I think it's amazing. If you can get a 50% increase out of a huge vehicle like that, yes you deserve the green award. a 50% better fuel efficiency in a tahoe would be like taking 1 small car that spent 1/2 as much fuel, off the road.

Now if Toyota will only make the Tacoma 4x4 hybrid like I've been asking for, I'd be one happy guy.

The EPA runs a "shared" mileage database. It collects user reports and averages them. It is the closest thing we have to a "real world" number for a random driver and a random driving mix.

The recent Honda Accords (kind of a performance coupe anyway) have been averaging from the low 20s to about 30 mpg. The 2007 Honda Accord, 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual (5 speed), Regular Gasoline, averaged 31.0 for 8 vehicles. The Accord Hybrid does only slightly better, well, around 30 mpg. But then it was supposed to be a "performance hybrid."

The recent Tahoes have been getting in the mid-teens, but with fewer vehicles, and less sure averages.

Check it out yourself:

shared mpg database

I still think this is painful self-delusion though. We will simply not meet our national goals with more < 30 mpg cars on the road.

I guess in need to post the link as plain text:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList

I switched from a Subaru (22 mpg combined, for me) to a Prius (call it 48 mpg, though I can do 50 some weeks).

That dropped me from (15K/22) 682 gallons of gas per year, to 313 gallons.

This standard Tahoe with a say 15 mpg avg (less for 4x4 or AWD), driving the standard 15K distance, would use 1000 gallons. The savings to (15K/21) 714 gallons is OK.

But the bottom line is that the nation can drive twice as many Priuses on the same gas. If we drive Tahoes, we need to have fewer cars on the road. The market knows how to do that actually .... $10/gal anyone?

In the 70's gas prices skyrocketed from 25 cents to 2 dollars and American auto companies started redesigning their cars for better gas mileage, because foreign cars were now selling to more than just the single college kid. Autos went from 10mpg to 30mpg. There was also the push for hybrid and alternative fueled vehicles. One amazing farmer drove a vehicle to DC on chicken manure. Gas prices went down, car seats became a requirement, and the SUV was born. (Have you ever tried to fit 4 car seats into an economy car?)

I drive an old Isuzu which I have to gear down to go over the mountains, but it gets 18mpg in town and 21mpg on the highway. I'm glad their increasing the gas mileage of SUVs, except...where did the technology from the 70's and 80's go?

I do believe government has to get involved and in a better way than it did in the 70's when many working designed got trashed to protect Big Business. Right now in Texas, a college professor is engineering a vehicle that runs on hydrogen. Now there's a start!

To help you understand my view, in Central Texas where I live, when I left work yesterday in my Toyota Tacoma 4X4 (because I don't ride my bike the usual 9 miles on Thursdays), I got in line at the first stop light, I was the 11th car back. How many Large or midsized trucks and SUVs do you think were in front of me? There were 9 with a Toyota Carola squeezed in 2 cars up. So I'm sitting there thinking if all 10 trucks and SUVs’ were running hybrid systems that increased their fuel efficiency 30-50% and they are sitting at the light with the gas engine off. That will do a hell of a lot more for the environment that the 1 Carola going hybrid and getting 37-40gpm instead of 27-30. Plus you'll have an easier time selling the hybrid suv to the current suv owners than you will selling them a small car they don't want.

But that the view I see from my 4x4 or my bike on a regular basis.

Watch out Celainea, There are a lot of Hydrogen bashers that read this site. They equate Hydrogen as fools gold. Just ignor them I do.

Well, you know, pick your target for C02 and global warming, consider the growing number of drivers (in the US or world-wide), and then work backwards to what MPG you need.

Or if you aren't into the global warming, just figure your fuel costs at $4 or $5 per gallon. A typical car drives 15K per year, a typical household 21K per the EIA. Let's use the household number for this one ... 21K miles / 21 MPG = 1000 gallons.

At $3/gal that's $3000 per year, at $4 it's $4000 per year, at $5 it's $5000 per year.

To me that is high gas-price sensitivity. If you can do the Prius the jumps are only $3 -> $1313, $4 -> $1750, $5 -> $2188

IOW, at $5 gas you are paying 50% less than the Tahoe does out the gate.

But the fact is, no one can stop car companies from making them if people want to buy them.

Of course they could be stopped from making them.

And people do want to buy them -- almost a third of cars sold are still large SUVs

In 2006, Large SUVs made up a l little under 12% of light vehicle sales in the United States, and that share continues to drop because of high fuel prices.

http://cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb26/Edition26_Chapter04.pdf

Yes, I get Global Warming, I am very concerned for the environment and I get saving money. But, I'll ride my bike to work every day before I buy a Prius. I'd probably by an electric golf cart and drive it around town as a substitute, before I buy a Prius Why? A PRIUS DOES NOT SERVE MY WANTS AND NEEDS for a daily driver. My 4x4 Tacoma does, and until there is a better option that serves my needs I will continue to drive it.

So we will agree to disagree on this point. compared to the other cars I've seen blogged here or at autoblog green I still think this was the Greenest improvement at the show. I'm just glad the auto makers get the fact that not everyone wants/needs a Prius type vehicle and even people who want/need a large vehicle are concerned about the environment. GM, gets it.

A PRIUS DOES NOT SERVE MY WANTS AND NEEDS for a daily driver. My 4x4 Tacoma does, and until there is a better option that serves my needs I will continue to drive it.

You climb 50% grades with 12 inch rocks embedded in the road on a daily basis?

Are all "wants" ok? I am a car guy. I've had a Honda S2000, a Subaru WRX, a Porsche 928... all got 22 mpg or less.

If I still "wanted" those cars would it be ok?

Really this blending of "wants and needs" is telling. It says that we aren't ready to move beyond what we want (as a nation) ... and as long as we are stuck there, we are going nowhere (as a nation).

For the record, the Prius fits the median-sized family, with median-sized bodies, and median-sized budget. The reason is not the median car, and that SUV sell in higher numbers is not about "needs". It is about everybody insisting (in a classic "tragedy of the commons") that their "wants" are important.

Oh, and if you buy something like a Santa Cruz Superlight you can get all your off-road fun, hitched to the rack on your Prius.

I actually spend about 10 hours a week, off-road.

You've got to have a pretty low IQ to buy a Tahoe in the first place. Greening it is great I guess, but it does nothing to quell our insane consumption. Idiocracy here we come.

Good Lord, that's horrific! An immense battleship of a vehicle that barely breaks the 20mpg mark winning the "Green Car of the Year" award! What's next? Will a Hummer get the award for going from 8mpg to 10mpg?

When will the car companies wake up and realize that people want REAL hybrids that use SUBSTANTIALLY less gasoline? When will they give up on the idea of "V8 performance from a V6" (or, in some cases "Big V8
performance from a small V8")?

The Toyota Prius sells because it gives hybrid buyers what they are looking for. "Performance" hybrids do not sell, because nobody wants what they offer. When will the auto and oil companies give up the
massive PR campaign trying to convince us that we really want hybrid systems that are, at best, only token nods to environmental concerns?

:D
People can and will drive whatever they want. But with all the green technology out there, to give this award to the Tahoe is ludicrous. :D ;D ;) :D :D :D

I don't think people are giving GM enough credit for what they are doing in the full-size truck and SUV segment. While it's no secret that full-size vehicle have poor fuel economy, GM's fleet has some of the highest EPA ratings in the segment -- not including their new hybrids -- something that "green" Toyota can't claim. In fact, Toyota's full-size vehicles have some of the worst mileage on the planet (the new 3 ton Land Cruiser gets 13 mpg).

And let's face it, some people need large vehicles to work, especially pickup trucks. While it's a harsh reality to some that people actually need a vehicle to haul around several thousand pounds of gear and to be capable of road, it's just a fact of life. A more fuel efficient truck will never be as economical as a Prius, but why not make improvements where they can be made?

I'm also well aware that most full-size SUVs don't get used for work like their pickup truck counterparts, but people like them and will continue to buy them. So why not clean them up? After all, going after the worst offenders first actually makes a lot of sense. Like someone posted earlier, it doesn't make much sense to make a Corolla into a hybrid. It already gets excellent fuel economy and the gains made by adding a hybrid are minimal, especially when cost is brought into the equation.

Bottom line is that GM has produced the most efficient large SUV and pickup truck on the planet. Period. 21 mpg may not look impressive next to a clean diesel sedan, but this is a FULL SIZE, GASOLINE SUV. Compare that 21 mpg to the Land Cruiser's 13 and how does it look?

Another thing people don't know/don't want to admit is that the huge margins made on large vehicles actually fund a lot of the alternative fuel programs. I sat down with a GM official recently who explained that Escalade sales are pretty much the only reason that the Volt program is even possible. So the fuel economy game is actually a double-edged sword when it comes to the business side -- we need the large vehicles to fund the programs, but would we need the programs if they didn't exist? Either way, GM is in business to turn a profit, not save the world. It's just nice to now they have an increasing interest in the latter.

Such absurd realities do tend to strain our attempts to remain sanguine. Considering the immense power the general (General Motors) wields with the press and politicians, winning contests like this can be both assured and absurd at the very same time and few seem to notice any discrepancy.

But they're not all bad. They may have killed the EV-1 for dastardly reasons but they are now dangling the Volt before us. Unfortunately the Volt doesn't exist and probably never will. But it is astute of General Motors to supply a decoy to get the plug-in hybrid advocates off their back while they continue business as usual, as they planned all along. And of course, I hope I'm wrong.

From Monty Python: you can have the car and the money and the house OR a blow on the head. Oh! I'll take a blow on the head…

Well stated, and your points are well taken.

However, say again that people aren't buying these high-power hybrids. Priuses are still selling well, but the big hybrid SUVs and sedans are not (with the exception of the 4-cylinder hybrid Camry).

Also, while I disagree with those who say that people should be able to drive whatever they want, the fact is that, as of now, they can. However, that does not mean that we should go handing out environmental awards to a hybrid Tahoe that only gets 21mpg, when a hybrid Toyota Highlander (or even a standard Toyota RAV4 with a four cylinder engine and a third row bench seat) would fulfill all the needs of most Tahoe drivers while getting much better mileage.

ODO,

No thanks to the Santacurs ;D, I'd rather ride My Fuji Cross Comp for light off road biking duty such as the cyclocross races here in Texas, or my S-works Stump jumper when I'm way in the out back, you know, after I've driven my 4x4 Tacoma about 30 miles into the San Juans of Colorado down some jeep trails to get to the trail head for the bike, my favorite trails are West off the collegiate peeks up cottonwood pass out of Buena Vista you should try it some time you'll never want to leave. Gonna need something a little more 4x4 than a Prius to get you there though. or even closer to home the Sam Houston Natl forest, thats fun. But for the road bike/commuter/racer my trusty steed is a Motobecane Le Champion Team, which handled awesome going up 2k feet at over 7% average grade of the paved portion of the cottonwood pass road, then meet my wife at the top after she sag wagoned the 4x4 up. to hit the jeep trails and take the stump jumper out for a ride the next day after camping. See odo I ride at least 60 miles a week commuting to work and another 100-250 a week just for fun/competition of it.

I'd also like to see a Prius haul the soccer goals that I have to take once a week to my 4yr. old son's soccer practice at the field we use. (henc why I don't bike on thursdays.)

In addition I'd also like to see a Prius Pull a 20ft flatbed trailer with 2 loads of sheet rock (about 2k lbs per load, yeah I know probably over loaded the Tacoma but it did fine the short 5 mile drive both times) like I did 2 weekends a go helping a friend finish out his new house.

By the way all the sheet rock was recycled from other Home job sites that were going to throw them away to rot in a land fill. Not because they were not any good but because its to expensive for the sheet rock contractor to pay the workers to haul off the excess sheets of sheet rock and not worth his time to recycle. You see it took my friend about a year to collect enough to recycle for his 2500 sq ft home. And thats just one aspect to the much greener than average house that my fiend is building.

I'd also like to see a Prius haul 2 20 gallon red oaks that stand 15 feet tall like the ones we planted at the house several months back.

Or a Prius loaded down with Operation Christmas Child boxes in the bed and pulling a 6' enclosed trailer next week as I take our churches boxes to the regional collection point.

I'd also like to see a Prius handle the South Texas scrub brush at the deer lease as we're crossing some very rough terrain to get to the deer feeders with over 500 lb of corn and protean mix in the trunk. Now that would be funny to see, a Prius bouncing around in mesquite thorns, I bet it would not last 30 min. Not to mention because of the low ground clearance you increase the risk of a wild fire because of how hot a cateletic converter gets. But the Electric would let me sneak up on them. However, I wouldn't want to strap a 12 point white tail thats been field dressed to the top of a Prius. Or God forbid when were visiting my sister & Brother inlaw in Arizona and we go on a Elk hunt. Man a field dressed Elk or deer and a Prius just wouldn't be good, Trust me. I'm also going Goose hunting, and you should to becuse there population has grown so much they are killing their habitat in Canada and putting themselves and other animals in harm.

and ODO that's just the start so like I've said before and I'll say it again a PRIUS DOES NOT MEET EVERYONES WANTS AND NEEDS. So if it fits you Great! But for me, I want to help my friend build a greener home, I can't do that with a Prius, I want/need to coach soccer for my son but a Prius dosen't haul the soccer goals to the practice fields. I want/need to plant more trees in my yard, a Prius won't haul 2 20gal/15ft trees. I want to go hunting way out where you can still see stars at night, and I need to hunt goose for the environment and a Prius just won't get me there, same goes when we go up to the San Juans jeep trails in Colorado. And I absolutely, with out a doubt, MUST MUST MUST haul a trailer loaded with shoe boxes that are filled with toys and hygiene necessities for third world children so they can have a Christmas like my Boys. do I need to go on?

See not everyone involved with soccer just hauls the 2 kids back and forth to the game some times you've got to take the goals.

So take your Prius or what ever you drive go back to your rat race and save the world your way and I'll save it mine.

Mark R.

Unfortunately, even if the article had a good point, I lost all respect for the author as soon as I started reading. People have the right to drive whatever vehicle they so choose, whether it's a prius or an SUV. Being "green" may be responsible, but it is still a choice that each individual has the right to make. Being so negative toward anyone who would choose to purchase a larger vehicle is not a positive and productive way to go about educating people about being "green". May we never live in a country whose government tells it's people what car they have to drive.

I read the article to see what advanced hybrid had acheived the green car of the year, instead I see this great big SUV waste of space farm equipment? Ok great if you live on a farm and want a hybrid. I was looking for something that the other 90% of the consumers would use.

The car manufactures don't seem to get it, I'm looking for a hybrid to replace my 3 year old Daihatsu which already gets 50mpg in city driving without being a hybrid (no it's not diesel either), so for A replacement car I am looking for something signifigantly better otherwise I will keep what I have. Sorry manufacturers but you need to have a better product so I can upgrade, I am not going to downgrade to an inferior product.

This article tells me I will be waiting a long time for a new car!
>:( >:( >:(

Dave.

I thought you said you understood global warming above.

What end-point CO2 concentration would you like to achieve, what percentage US reduction in CO2 emissions is required for that, and what mileage does that lead to?

Basically you blow all that off with a self-indulgent list of things you "want" to do.

That's especially sad because I've mountain biked from northern California to south, out through the deserts of Arizona, as far east as around Austin, Texas. I did actually have an old Jeep Cherokee for that, but I slowly realized that I that was driving to the end of the good road to start my ride. Most times in fact, I pulled the 4x4 off the pavement, parked, and went biking. The Prius will do that (and does that now) just fine.

(The closest I have to a cross bike is a Bianchi Volpe .. but it's not suited to our canyons.)

P.S. - I was watching the PBS shows on WWII last week. It showed what tough guys were willing to do, when they had to.

Isn't freakin' sad that being a "man" in todays society is not about even the smallest sacrifice? It is about stamping your foot, like a little kid, and saying what you "want."

For those who haven't read a good explanation on the Tragedy of the Commons, here is one. It is even explained by an oil services company, which should give it some mainstream credibility.

Basically if you think "green" is feel-good, it doesn't matter if some people drive big green cars and some people drive small ones.

But, if you want any of this to matter in your kids or grandkids lifetime, you've got to change the average fuel economy in the US.

If everybody gets to drive what the "want" that's not going to happen.

forgot that links don't go:

http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/watch/climate_change/tragedy.htm

well now the truth comes out ODO. Your a communist that doesn't believe in the freedom of choice. and its all about your want to bend people to your will. Because you don't see the value in recycling, Being efficient with what you have and helping others. It all about the car and yourself. Ok I get it. Even though I only drive my 4x4 2 times a week to work and ride my bike the other 3. you would rather me drive a prius every day because you are a communist. I get it now.

Actually, I am a lifelong conservative and Republican. I am just one who understands, and honestly deals with, the concept of economic externalities.

Externalities:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality

So I can tow 5,000 pounds with a hybrid? Get real. My all GAS tahoe runs fine, even though the computer on it says I get avg. 14.3 MPG.

Hank,
With your comments on the Tahoe Hybrid I think you live in LA not MT. I guess MT doesn't get ground blizzards, snow, rough gravel roads, or you don't haul fire wood. Some of us do all of the above and need a real 4-wd vehicle.
I purchased a '07 Honda CR-V as a replacement and will replace it with a hybrid Tahoe. The gravel roads tore up the under side for a $650 repair and I only got 22 mpg on the interstate. The CR-V couldn't carry 4 people and their up the grade to my cabin.
In other words there is a good reason we buy theTahoe. Ed from Casper, WY

SUV, green, pah!

Anyone from Europe seeing a monster SUV winning a green car award will be doubled over, ow. Here if you need an SUV you buy something with a manual gearbox and a 2.5 litre diesel engine which can tow 6000lbs and return close to 30mpg with ease (ok so not WHILE towing the 6000lbs!).
Anyone who's been to Paris will see that the VAST majority of cars are tiny Twingos, C3s, Clios and the like. The French aren't peculiarly small people. You CAN fit 5 people into a Ford Fiesta.

If you have a lot of firewood, you'll build a big fire. US = Victim of circumstance. Necessity being invention's Mum and all that. Governments can help too, Ireland this week are introducing car tax based on a car's emissions output. Lower emissions will mean lower taxes for many but the big SUVs will be hit hardest. SUVs for farmers, builders etc. are taxed differently due to commercial need. Innovate!

At first I thought this was great for green technology... but read that again: "The Tahoe gets the same city fuel efficiency as a 2008 Honda Accord." DEAR GOD?!?!?! Does the accord SUCK THAT much?!?! How SAD is it that an American land yacht can get mileage comparable to an accord?!?! I had a suburban once (mid-90s) and it got 14 or 15mpg, sad, but we have only improved by 5 mpg in 10 years!?!?!? SAD!!!!!! I think green technology is a great thing but let make some REAL progress folks; if I see Opal making diesel engines that get over 100mpg and electric cars that have sports car performance (t-zero) why cant I BUY one of these!?!??!

Whatever- I’ll stick with my Porsche.

I have found that as I age it gets harder to get in and out of normal cars. Minivans are okay, but some people prefer SUVs and pickup trucks. Maybe the manufacturers should start making pickup trucks and SUVs that are lighter, with less power, and much higher gas mileage for those of us that want them for these reasons. I realize that some people need the vehicles with more power and 4 wheel drive, so I'm not saying stop making them just add some more models and maybe there will be less gas hogs on the road.

This is ridiculous! 21/22mpg in a car that probably averages 1.05 passengers per day. Just a couple thoughts: Buy a light duty truck and use it for the occasional towing ($25000), buy a Prius for the rest of the time ($25000), and you have all the same abilities for the same price.

Can't wait for crd's to make it here in force, hopefully the final nail in Detroits coffins will be inserted...

This car may have won the green car of the year award, but my concern is about its price and how many people can afford to purchase such a car... My prediction is that its price can't be covered by a majority of people in any given area.

When is Green Hummer of the Year coming out?

This is crazy why are they promoting an SUV? ooooo it's now 21 mpg instead of 14 big whoop! They should have picked a prius or something. I guess this is better than an old SUV but r u serious, have you seen those gas prices? Someone wrote about Hydrogen, that is not the answer because it uses more energy to make the hydrogen fuel. We need to move toward flex fuel hybrid vehicles. Leagalize hemp and make hemp gasoline. Way more energy efficientthan ethanol or hydrogen, more yield per acre, don't need pesticides, i mean could you think of anything better or more environmental friendly? Oh yeah the Gov't seems to think that hemp is a drug which it isn't. (slaps self on fore head). What is wrong with this country when will we wake up and demand action and uprise, maybe then they'll take us seriously.

I've been getting anywhere from 20 to 24 MPG with my Lexus GX470. I bought it in 2004 and it has had this great gas mileage from the "git go". It's got 63,000 miles on it and still gives the great MPGs. I'm keeping it.

Do you know who build the first hybrid???CAR????

@edward - if you can't fit 4 peaple in a honda CR-V you have a really BIG problem. You're either giants or just very fat...

I am from a small town in oklahoma that is twenty miles from the nearest gas station. or grocery store and 45 miles from the better grocery store and walmart is 84 miles away. A small car that gets good gas mileage would be nice but then i couldn't get home half the time in the winter or the spring. I had a dodge dakota 4x4 that got 15 mpg and i upgraded to a silverado 4x4 with a bigger engine but it also has a more fuel efficient gear ratio. I'm getting 20 mpg with a 5.3 v8 and i drive about half as much as I used too. i went from 35k a yr to 20 k so i spent about the same in $ but but half the gas another point is that small pick ups don't really get much better mpg then big ones for some reason i had a ranger that got 16 an i have a friend with a s10 that gets 18 my 4x4 silverado gets 18-22 and i got 24 with one tank. I do about 2 mpg better with fuel that does'nt contain 10% ethanol
so i am getting about a consistant 17 with 10% ethanol since that is much more commen. nowadays. a friend with a tacoma 4 cyl. sayes he just gets 20 i have six seatbelts and much more comfort than a dakota s10 ranger or a tacoma.

i bought a motorcycle for nice days it gets 45. we had an 83 camry when transmission settings where you had pwr nrmal and econ and on econ it would get 45-50 when we got rid of it it had 380k on it and would throw oil over 45 mph in retrospeck( I was a dumb kid in college and now i'm a gearhead 10 yrs later) i would put a new valve cover gasket in it and drive it another 100k

ALSO bring back rotary engines never had personal experience with them but the theory is awesome and people i've talked to really liked the ones they had

wind generator plants on the oklahoma plains to extract hydrogen from water thru hydrolysis.