Fred Robinson has been converting vehicles to run on alternative fuels for 30 years and his son, Tai a bit shorter of a timeframe. But, one thing is for certain is that they’ve both gone out on quite a limb promoting alt fuel vehicles to the public.
The owners of Intergalactic Hydrogen have created a cottage industry by converting vehicles to run on hydrogen, CNG, propane, ethanol, biodiesel and other alternative fuels. The converted 2003 Hummer H2 is a vehicle that the Robinsons have been showing off for several years now.
Fred Robinson built a solar-powered home that he lives in near Stagecoach, Colorado so he practices what he preaches when it comes to alternative energy. One of the harsh realities that the Robinsons have had to deal with that as the gasoline prices dip so does interest in alternative fuel conversions.
Early this past summer, when gasoline was above $4 per gallon, interest was high and now that in many places in the country $2 per gallon or less is common there has been waning interest. But, doing nothing about weaning ourselves off crude oil when the prices are low will only lead to another crisis later.
The Robinsons know this. Not only do they sell alternative energy conversions but they also educate the public around the country about the necessities of getting off foreign oil.
On the Pickens Plan page, Fred Robinson talks about pursuing natural gas conversion projects (his next project is converting two diesel trucks) as a pathway towards a hydrogen fuel future. According to Robinson, “Hydrogen is our goal; that’s the one we want most. But we have to go through the others to get there.”
No matter whether it’s hydrogen, CNG, or other alternative fuels, the issue is to keep motivating the public of the necessity of going down this route. People naturally get lazy when the gasoline prices fall, so the Robinsons and others are working hard to overcome this lethargy and keep the ball rolling down the route to energy independence for all.