An Open Letter to the Association of Automobile Manufacturers (First Draft)

I note with interest that earlier this week you launched a new website at http://EcoDrivingUSA.com. I applaud your 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 your apparent attempt to secure the word EcoDriving as your trademark. 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 remove the offending symbol from the home page of EcoDrivingUSA.com at your earliest convenience.

I also have some suggestions about how our two organizations 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. The AAM could become involved in finalising the specification of the econnexus econometer. (see https://econnexus.org.uk/projects/econometer/ for more details)

2. The AAM could contribute technical information to that project.

3. The AAM could contribute source code to that project.

4. The AAM could include similar functionality in all new vehicles designed by their members, and also provide their existing customers with aftermarket equipment offering such functionality.

I welcome any similar suggestions you may have.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Hunt
Technical Consultant