The Blade might clean up your dirty poisoned gas pumped out by your car, cutting CO2 by a third and overall pollution by more than half, and it might even give you better mileage.
But the reason that this eco-friendly add-on might be a success is that it looks badass. As a teenager, I bought a big fat chrome extension for the tailpipe of my Morris Minor just to make it look cool (it didn't). If it had given me these environmental benefits too then... Well, I wouldn't have cared. I was a selfish teenager. But neither would it have put me off.
The problem is, the Blade costs $200, plus an extra $20 per year for the filters. Still, if the claimed 2.7 miles per gallon mileage increase is real, you'll save that in no time. The tests were carried out by EPA approved – and California Air Resources Board (CARB) licensed – labs, but not directly by either of those bodies themselves. This could, indeed, be snake oil, especially given the current climate of high gas prices and economic panic -- it's a perfect time to prey on the credulous.
Then again, if it does work, it's a cheap fix that works out well for everyone. Even teenagers.
Product page [Blade via Treehugger]
