We get a lot of press releases here at Seattle Weekly. Like, A LOT. Some of them are fun. Some of them aren’t. And some of them are just plain crazy. According to Renton’s Jack Talbert, it’s that third category he’s trying to appeal to.

As Talbert writes to Seattle Weekly via email, “When you ask yourself, “Is this guy crazy?”, the answer is, “Decidedly so”. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. I have always wondered why local and national news agencies are quick to air and print stories about the kind of crazy where people get hurt due to inexplicable and horrific acts of one lone person who thinks it’s a good idea to commit harm, but slow to promote the kind of crazy that ‘is so crazy, it just might work’. Our world is just as full of hope and optimism as it is with despair and destruction; maybe news coverage should reflect that balance… maybe it already does.”

What, specifically, is Talbert selling? The idea that he can create a full-size sedan that gets 100 MPG if only folks will give him $20K – which, mind you, represents a “starting off point.” Talbert says, “the more we raise the better for all.”

Certainly.

He’s got six days left. So far, Talbert has a cool $100 in pledges.

Here’s how Talbert says it’ll work: “Energy independence is a dream we all share, it could be a reality. We are building a 100 mile per gallon full size sedan; what this car will do is something that no other has attained yet – 100 MPG at 70 MPH with a full sized car. ‘We’ includes you and me – we can do this together. I need funding; you need a better and cleaner vehicle. Once the power plant and drive train for this car are complete a door will be opened up to site-generated clean energy for all. … This first step is to raise twenty thousand dollars for the construction of the power plant and to buy the ‘just perfect’ vehicle for our application. This passenger vehicle system must carry at least five passengers comfortably and meet the entire department of transportation highway requirements. The most recent car we used to create the fueling system was an Oldsmobile Delta 88. The more money we raise in this round the faster we can meet our goal. … A myriad of inventors outside of the automobile industry have already invented and constructed 100 MPG vehicles. Even the auto industry itself admits to types of hybrid vehicles that attain 100 MPG equivalent. The problem with all attempts (to date) is the dependence on a combination of the internal combustion engine, batteries, lighter vehicle types, range and speed restrictions, smaller (less mass) overall size, a lack of concern for the sticker price to the consumer and the availability of the commercial power grid. We addressed (and eliminated) all of these restrictions and have designed a full size four door sedan that simply gets 100 MPG – no restrictions; the first true ‘fill up and hit the road’ 100 MPG family sedan.”

Moved enough to break out the credit card? How could you not be? You can find Talbert’s indiegogo page here.