Toyota hybrid exec David Hermance dies in plane crash

[Rich Parsons]

From a couple of articles I recieved via e-mail:

Prius engineer dies in plane crash

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A pilot who died when his aerobatic plane plunged into the sea was an engineer who promoted fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles and was dubbed the “American father of the Prius.”

David Hermance, 59, didn't invent the gasoline-electric engine but the Toyota Motor Corp. executive made it palatable to a skeptical U.S. public, colleagues said Sunday.

“When that car came out, no one knew what it was,” said Bill Reinert, a Toyota national manager. “Dave dedicated his life to championing this technology.”

“He was the American father of the Prius,” he said.

Mr. Hermance, a Huntington Beach resident and father of two grown children, also was a dedicated pilot. Authorities believe he was the only person aboard his single-engine Interavia E-3 when it crashed Saturday afternoon off Los Angeles' San Pedro area.

Witnesses said they saw the plane — a two-seat Russian aerobatic model that can be built from a kit — performing loops and dives before it plunged straight down.

A search team found the wreckage submerged in 60 feet of water Sunday morning, county Fire Capt. Mark Savage said. Mr. Hermance's body was found floating on the surface.

Mr. Hermance was executive engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles at Toyota's technical centre in Gardena, company spokesman Mike Michels said.

He joined Toyota in 1991 as a senior manager, then became a general manager in the company's powertrain department. Before that, he was with General Motors for a quarter-century, working on vehicle emissions and durability test development.

Toyota developed the hybrid engine in Japan but it didn't do well when it was introduced into the United States in 2000. Mr. Hermance helped develop a newer model, released two years ago, that had greater acceleration and was more fuel-efficient.

He also promoted the hybrid concept to lawmakers and others.

“Dave repeatedly demonstrated his commitment not just to Toyota's profits but to the planet,” said Jason Mark, vehicles director at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Berkeley.

“He garnered the deepest respect from the engineering community and the policy community,” Mr. Mark told the Los Angeles Times.

“He made the Prius something that worked for the American market,” said Roland Hwang, vehicles policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“When people think of hybrid systems, they think of Toyota, and that is due in good part to Dave's work,” Mr. Hwang told the Times. “He was Mr. Hybrid, the American face of the hybrid.”

and

Toyota hybrid exec David Hermance dies in plane crash

Mark Rechtin

LOS ANGELES -- David Hermance, Toyota's executive engineer for advanced technology vehicles, died Saturday, Nov. 25, when the airplane he was piloting crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

Hermance, 59, was Toyota's top American executive for alternative-fuel vehicles and emissions technologies in North America.

He was also an avid pilot who enjoyed aerobatics competition.

According to eyewitness and police reports, Hermance's plane was performing a series of loops in airspace over the ocean near San Pedro, Calif., reserved for aerobatic stunts. Witnesses said the engine revved hard during a descent but the plane did not pull up and hit the water.

Toyota confirmed a Los Angeles County Fire Department report that it was Hermance's body that was recovered. The fire department spokesman said Hermance died on impact.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane was an Interavia E-3 that took off from the Long Beach Airport with just the pilot on board.

This reporter, who heard the crash from his house at about 1:20 p.m., heard the plane's engine revving louder and harsher than typically associated with the descent arc of a loop. A witness told KNBC-TV that he thought he saw a parachute trailing behind the plane, but it was tangled and not deployed.

The plane crashed about 400 yards offshore in about 60 feet of water. A civilian boat arrived on the scene within two minutes, and a lifeguard stationed at Western Avenue beach paddled out to the crash site as well. At least four Coast Guard and Los Angeles Fire Department vessels arrived on scene within 15 minutes. Skies were clear, with the occasional light wind gust at sea level.

Hermance was a frequent competitor in International Aerobatics Club competitions. The Interavia E-3 is specially designed to perform elaborate stunts at high speeds. Hermance often flew off the San Pedro coast to practice aerobatics maneuvers, which included loops, spirals and stalls.

The National Transportation Safety Board was expected to investigate the crash.

Hermance joined Toyota in 1991 after a 26-year career at General Motors. At GM, he held jobs in the automaker's vehicle emissions and durability testing departments.

Based at the Toyota Technical Center in Gardena, Calif., Hermance's first job for Toyota was evaluating car engines for North America. In 1992, he was put in charge of engine and drivetrain calibrations for North America.

Later in his Toyota career, Hermance became the automaker's point man for ongoing alternative fuel discussions with Congress, the media and the California Air Resources Board.

According to his biography on Toyota's media Web site, Hermance is survived by his wife, Mary, and two grown children.

You may e-mail Mark Rechtin at [email protected]

 

[MA-Caver]

Lemme see... a guy invents a method of powering our beloved automobiles for cheaper than petroleum fuel and then ... dies... Hmmm .... where's Oliver Stone when you need him??

 

[Jade Tigress]

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[IcemanSK]

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