stillajwelder- You know most of the auto makers have prototype engines that get dobulbel the current mpg.. Volvo back in the 80s had an engine that got over 80mpg, its sitting on a shelf in some warehouse, it should be in a car.
+$4.00 Gasoline. How does it change the Energy game
by designs 89 Replies latest social current
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Texas Apostate
this lady isn't worried....why should we?
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nicolaou
As Cofty says, in the UK we're paying very high prices. I run a diesel van for work and I'm paying at least £1.42 per litre for it (http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuel/).
At the current exchange rate of 1.00 GBP = 1.5746 USD and assuming 1 gallon to be 4.546 litres that makes my diesel work out at;
$10.16 per gallon
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White Dove
Why is it so much more in the UK?
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Razziel
Higher energy prices suck for the consumer in the short term. But they are actually GOOD for the US in the mid-long term. Entering the oil/gas industry last year, one thing I've discovered is the whole peak oil thing is misleading. "Recoverable" oil reserves typically mean what is economically recoverable. There is a tremendous amound of liquid petroleum that wasn't economically recoverable at $2.00/gallon, but is at $4.00/gallon. I read an article the last couple of days (think it was on Yahoo) that mentioned that US oil production was to peak in the early 2020's, but we surpassed that peak this year. Now it's expected our peak will be much higher, and we may be oil independent in the next 15-20 years based on increased oil production.
There is no lack of oil, or other fossil fuels. There is enough to sustain our projected energy needs for hundreds and even thousands of years. But drilling wells can cost 15-20 million dollars and then hundreds of thousands of dollars in remedial work per year. So whether it is economically viable depends on the price of oil.
We will never run out of oil, coal, or natural gas in the forseeable future. Just as the predictions in the 1950's that we would run out shortly were wrong, so are any predictions now. At some point, green energy will be cheaper to produce, and companies will pursue that instead. The higher the prices go, the greener our energy will get, as that technology becomes economically profitable.
So if you're an environmentalist, be thankful for higher oil prices!
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sammielee24
I don't know people who just drive around in gas guzzlers because they can. Maybe the 1% - but anyone I know has made a point to drive as efficiently as possible. Personal consumption in the USA has gone down for years in as far as driving - that may mean nothing if the amount of oil used to run the war machine and it's fleet, increase continually.
I think if gas prices keep going up it will affect the economy again. The very idea that people would champion higher prices in order to affect driving habits speaks of a disconnect from the reality of the majority of people trying to survive today. The USA is built on subdivisions and highways. People travel long distances to work and there is no public transportation that works efficiently or at all, in many places. You cannot compare the contained spaces of Europe or England with the public transportation there, to the way the USA has been built covering large spaces with roads and little in the way of trains. If you really want to change habits in the USA - if you really want to start a change - then you should be insisting on high speed rail, commuter buses, bike lanes and more communal activity. This is why I get tired of these arguments. It's okay to rah-rah a price hike for an idealogy but the fact that it can bankrupt a family who uses a vehicle to work is really showing a lack of empathy and an ability to come up with good, progressive and long lasting solutions. People can't afford to live in a lot of major cities where they work, so they move outside the area but then find they must find a way to work. Generate some good ideas to change the way people must find work, must live, must buy food and figure out how to create communities that are more self sustaining and less reliant on delivery trucks rumbling around 24/7 trying to make sure people have food to buy. sammies
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designs
sammies- The price is being felt in areas where people moved to have affordable housing and long commutes to work. One Realtor I spoke with said in Moreno Valley, Ca. people are walking away from their homes because of this situation and renting closer to work. Something like 500 new foreclosures this month.
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sir82
I don't know people who just drive around in gas guzzlers because they can.
Really? Cuz I see hundreds of people daily driving Escalades, Navigators, Excursions, etc., who use them for little more than carrying grocery bags 3 miles to home from the grocery store.
I'd venture to say that fewer than 1 in 1000 "4 wheel drive vehicles" are actually used in situations where 4 wheel drive is necessary.
IMHO, a few years of $5 or higher gasoline would be just what the USA needs to spur innovation into alternate energy sources and/or higher efficiency engines.
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designs
They should hide crayons from some kids.
