A curious story (link: Sujatha) from the automotive section of Detroit News Online.
Plug it in, fire it up, Mr. President
The Detroit News
Credit Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally with saving the leader of the free world from self-immolation.
Mulally told journalists at the New York auto show that he intervened to prevent President Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of Ford's hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid at the White House last week. Ford wanted to give the Commander-in-Chief an actual demonstration of the innovative vehicle, so the automaker arranged for an electrical outlet to be installed on the South Lawn and ran a charging cord to the hybrid. However, as Mulally followed Bush out to the car, he noticed someone had left the cord lying at the rear of the vehicle, near the fuel tank.
"I just thought, 'Oh my goodness!' So, I started walking faster, and the President walked faster and he got to the cord before I did. I violated all the protocols. I touched the President. I grabbed his arm and I moved him up to the front," Mulally said. "I wanted the president to make sure he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen This is all off the record, right?"
This story can be the source of endless cruel jokes for comedians and Bush haters. But my question has less to do with what might have befallen Bush and Cheney and more with "what is Ford thinking?" Has Ford built a hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid car in whose hydrogen tank you can mistakenly plug in an electric chord with lethal results? I mean, fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emission and energy savings are well and good but safety of operation has to be the prime consideration. Or is it that with its already pitiful record of vehicle safety, Ford doesn't care very much about exploding cars? After all, the iconic Ford CEO Lee Iacocca was fond of saying, "Safety doesn't sell." I hope Ralph Nader is paying attention.
On the location of the 2 plugs on the hydrogen-electric hybrid:
From this link
" When I arrived, the Edge was plugged in with a standard extension cord going to a 110V outlet. The electrical plug is on the front fender just ahead of the driver's door. The hydrogen filler is on the rear fender also on the driver's side."
Design problem, indeed!
Posted by: Sujatha | April 08, 2007 at 08:15 AM
On second thoughts, how likely is it that the hydrogen fill cap would resemble the average plug point? Was there really any risk of being blown up by an insertion into the wrong inlet,or was this just another 'Bushism story' for public consumption?
Posted by: Sujatha | April 08, 2007 at 11:51 AM
That is exactly what I thought first - could Bush have "plugged" into the hydrogen tank even if he tried to? Is there an inlet there? If so why? Or was Mulally making up a sensational "saving the president from disaster" story to share at the water cooler and at auto shows? Very strange.
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | April 08, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Today's Countdown with Keith Olbermann had a segment proving that Mulally made up the whole story. Actual video footage of the event shows no evidence of Bush attempting to pick up and plug cords,or Mulally 'manhandling' Bush towards the front or any of the other details. Curiouser and curiouser- could this be a self-inflating anecdote? Why didn't the WH pour cold water on it at once?
Posted by: Sujatha | April 09, 2007 at 08:22 PM
I saw the Olbermann item too.
As I said, from the beginning I smelt a rat. Even Ford would not be foolish enough to install an electric outlet into a tank of hydrogen, one of the most flammable gases in nature. As usual, it comes down to a juvenile adult making up a story for personal gratification. What a fool! Didn't he think what it would do to the marketability of a car his company is trying to sell?
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | April 10, 2007 at 03:04 PM
Mulally has apologized now for his concoction.
Posted by: Sujatha | April 11, 2007 at 04:39 PM