Bermudians are being offered the possibility of more miles to the gallon thanks to a new gas additive launched on the Island by a father-and-son team this month.

Darylmac Enterprises Ltd., which is run by father Neville Darrell and his son Chris Darrell, has got exclusive rights as a refilling centre for distributors in Bermuda selling the Bio Petro Improver (BPI) product, which claims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions.

The company, which is based in Devonshire, is now hoping the product will prove popular among residents and businesses dealing with high oil prices.

But there has been a wide degree of scepticism about the effectiveness of the product, and in January last year, after eight months of legal action, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott stopped BioPerformance and its owners, Lowell Mims and Gustavo Romero, from illegally marketing the so-called "top secret gas pill" that it claimed would increase fuel efficiency in vehicles, according to a statement on the Attorney General's website.

When on holiday in Texas two months ago, Neville Darrell met a man who told him all about BPI and its benefits and decided to set up his own business selling the product.

"We are all fully aware of the high cost of fuel and once he told me what was involved, without hesitation I got involved in the business," he said.

"I came back here and contacted the parent company, BPI Worldwide Inc., and basically negotiated to be the local distributor for this product in Bermuda.

"My son and I formed a company called Darylmac Enterprises Ltd. and we are really excited about the fact that this product not only gives you more miles per gallon, but also reduces emissions, which is something of a global concern."

Mr. Darrell, who was a sergeant in the Bermuda Police and was a PLP candidate, said the product had been tested by Wallace Environmental Testing Laboratories Inc. in the US and compared with about 100 other products.

It was test-driven on the Island, by parties including three water tankers and a motor mechanic, while his son, who has a degree in electrical engineering from Boston University, has even run tests using his own vehicle.

"This is the only product that came out with flying colours over all the other products," he said. "I even tested it in my vehicle and there is a marked difference."

Chris Darrell, who is a music teacher at Berkeley Institute, admitted he was sceptical when he first heard about the product, but having carried out numerous tests, such as driving with and without the product in his tank, and with the air conditioning on and off, he was fully converted to it.

"It is interesting - when I first started using the product and I calculated the fuel efficiency I thought I had made a mistake," he said.

"But I found it offered me 26 percent increased fuel efficiency, an extra five miles per gallon and saved me $13, in that I did the same distance for $13 less.

"It breaks down the molecular structure on the gasoline itself so the gas burns more cleanly and efficiently and it does not harm the combustion chamber of the vehicle either."

Arising from the legal case brought by the Texas Attorney General against BioPerformance, company owners Mr. Mims and Mr. Romero agreed to provide more than $7 million in compensation to deceived customers and were told they could continue to operate any legitimate business, but may not deceptively market BioPerformance pills or similar fuel additive products.

Attorney General Abbott said the pills were the "tools of an elaborate pyramid scheme" that benefited sellers, but left buyers out of pocket.

The Office of the Attorney General said it retained respected scientific experts whose chemical analysis not only revealed that the defendants' pills did not significantly reduce fuel consumption, but also exposed naphthalene, a substance also used in moth balls, as their main ingredient. Although the defendants claimed that the pills were "non-toxic," "good for the environment," and "extremely safe...in all aspects of use," naphthalene is a toxin, said the statement.

A WESH-2 television investigation team in Florida tested the product and found no effect on mileage. But according to a report in the Pure Energy Systems News, the ineffectiveness could have been down to high temeperatures, as the product becomes deactivated at around 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Tests carried out by an independent laboratory using the Federal Test Procedure and Highway Fuel Economy Test protocols of the Environmental Protection Agency revealed a "reasonable degree of confidence" that the product gives a real improvement in fuel economy and reduction in harmful emissions.

Neville Darrell said he was aware of the legal case against BioPerformance, but he had not been put off by it.

"I am aware of that, but I am looking at what they are doing now," he said.

"It is a multi-level marketing plan, but the difference between that and everything else is that the distributors have to buy products on a monthly basis to compensate for the sales that they have to meet. That is one of the things that attracted me to it."

The product, which can be used in gasoline and diesel, comes in powder and tablet form, in 50 grammes, 100 grammes and one-kilogramme sizes.

The 50-gramme bottles cost $38 and can be used for 200 gallons of gas and 150 gallons of diesel, while the 100-gramme offerings provide double that capacity, with one teaspoon of powder or one tablet required per 10 gallons of gas or 15 gallons of diesel, according to Chris Darrell.

It claims to cut back on harmful pollution, save precious fuel supplies and leave drivers with more cash in their back pocket.

Applications for the product include trucks, jeeps, cars, motorbikes, scooters, go-carts, lawnmowers, and even boats.

Neville Darrell said: "Obviously people want to save money on gas - it is as simple as that. Prices, the way they are, mean that it is really a no-brainer."

For more information on the product, call 334-7611 or visit the website at www.ntd.mybpi.com