High gas prices have proven to be the mother of invention in Little Rock. Right now the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.10. Here in Arkansas it is $2.98, three cents higher than right after Hurricane Katrina and more than 20 cents higher than a month ago.
So a Little Rock man has created a camper shell for trucks that he claims will increase gas mileage.
These days when Brett Herndon starts up his pickup he's not burning as much gas as he used to. The former Ford Motor Company model designer says it's because of a new camper shell he designed. "It works as a camper shell, but mainly I'm getting about four miles per gallon increase on highway travel."
So how does it work? Herndon says it has to do with aerodynamics, the way the air flows and the slanted design lessens the force. "A truck with nothing on it has a large opening in the back it creates a low pressure area or drag so the engine has to work harder to over come that aerodynamic drag. What this does instead of the air diving into the bed it allows it to flow very smoothly in and out."
Herndon says trucks with square camper shells guzzle even more gas because they create a lot more drag. It's his hope to one day see trucks all over the United States move toward this design. Putting money back into his own pocket is not Herndon's motivation behind this creation, helping out his country and keeping his brother Bart close to home is.
"It's my little part if everyone puts one of these on their trucks the number would be amazing how much fuel we'll save and my brother will not have to go back to Iraq. So it's something I can do personally to kind of join everybody in lessening our dependence on foreign oil."
It took Herndon about three months to build the camper shell. He's now in the process of trying to market it.
The price is about $1,800.00, but Herndon says in the long run it will pay off in a lot of ways.
