Hi,

I'm making this report in parts:

1. Executive summary - summary and what needs to be done
2. Introduction to problem - how the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) started the meeting
3. Research - what has been done by NHTSA and other researchers
4. "Industry solutions" - send money for research, we will find the 'magic flute.'

SUMMARY

At the very end of the session, I asked, "What about the bill before Congress, HR 5734? What if it gets passed in August?" He answered, "Don't worry ..." Which means I do worry and so should you unless you are happy with the "Bell the Hybrid Act," HR 5734.

Action on HR 5734 is probably suspended until comments for "Docket NHTSA-2008-0108" close August 1st. Congress is probably waiting on this one hearing to supply the backup 'facts and data.' But NHTSA did not have anyone from the hybrid electric owners community 'speak' and turned down my offer to stand in. Except during the breaks and with any subsequent submissions, this is our last chance to become "interested parties."

It turns out that turning down a "hybrid electric owner" gives us a hook, a powerful hook, because we are the ones who must foot the bill, we are "interested parties." Between now and the end of July we have to convince our Congressional representatives that:

• NHTSA has failed to include an important "interested party", the "hybrid electric owners" at the table although they expect us to pay for these noise makers in the future.
• That science and common sense already says "Belling the Hybrids" is wrong and a technological dead end.

To that end, we need:

1. Over the July holiday and afterwards, let your Congressman and local newspaper editors know HR 5734, properly called the "Bell the Hybrid Act," fails by using the same old approach, noise, that already kills 4,700 pedestrians per year. Feel free to quote from this and other sources.
2. NHTSA rejected having any "hybrid electric owners" at the table even though we will have to pay for whatever is legislated. They have made no due diligence to seek our opinions and seem to think our voices don't matter ... perhaps our votes do.
3. NHTSA needs help to bring industry onboard to write a sensible sets of requirements; provide prototypes; and empirically test systems on the NHTSA and other Federal motor pools to make sure the technology works.
4. Most of all, we need petitions to Congress to have "hybrid electric owners" at the table on this legislation since we will have to pay the bill, we are an "interested party" even if NHTSA has forgotten us.

Bob Wilson

After April 3, use e-mail to contact me: