An Open Letter to the Members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

Dear Sirs,

I note with interest that on August 18th 2008 your trade association, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, launched a new website at http://EcoDrivingUSA.com. I applaud the basic message that citizens of the United States of America would benefit from finding out more about EcoDriving techniques, and from then implementing such techniques themselves. However I must point out that I strongly object to the apparent attempt to secure the word EcoDriving as the trademark of the Auto Alliance. We have been using that word on our website at https://econnexus.org.uk to promote that very same message for a number of months now. Other web sites have been doing the same for considerably longer. I should be grateful if you would prevail upon the Auto Alliance to remove the offending symbol from the home page of EcoDrivingUSA.com at your earliest convenience.

I also note that the "About The Alliance" page on the Auto Alliance website states that:

This industry association is especially committed to improving the environment and motor vehicle safety.

And in addition one of their highly laudable goals is:

To be the credible resource for technical and science-based analysis enhancing motor vehicle safety, environment and energy issues with a global perspective.

Despite this when I asked them a technical question they suggested that I contact you directly, which I am now doing.

I also have some suggestions about how your company and my organization could work together to further our evidently common aim of reducing the world's dependence on energy in general and crude oil in particular, a finite resource which many experts tell us is in increasingly short supply.

1. Your company could become involved in finalising the specification of the econnexus econometer. (see https://econnexus.org.uk/projects/econometer/ for more details)

2. Your company could contribute technical information to that project.

3. Your company could contribute source code to that project.

4. Your company could include similar functionality in all new vehicles it designs, and also provide your existing customers with aftermarket equipment offering such functionality.

I welcome any similar suggestions you may have.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Hunt
Technical Consultant