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solitary00
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   Posted: 27/September/2006 at 10:26am |
Originally posted by NaeBlis
It's not necessarily going to be easy, but I am an optimist when it comes to human resoursefulness and the development of new technology.
I am too, until I realize the stifling effect of big money, big conglomerates, and special interests.... It's not like we weren't aware all of this was going to happen, companies have been making concept alternative fuel source cars for how long? They're willing (and for american auto makers to be the first to offer it would be a HUGE shot in the arm for the market), but some mysterious force always keeps them swept under the rug..... I'm sticking to my belief that we will see little to NO real progress in alternative fuels until big oil gets off it's ass and builds a signifigant stake (read: near monopoly) in the field.
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Fidelio
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Posted: 27/September/2006 at 10:41am |
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even if the cost of oil or it's extraction wasn't an issue, it doesn't negate the need for dramatically reduced carbon emissions and cleanup. sooner than you think, green is going to be a quality of life issue, not a cost issue.
america could gain energy independence with a 100 mile by 100 mile plot of land in the southwest filled with todays wind and solar energy production technology.
it's a question of will rather than technology.
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NaeBlis
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Posted: 27/September/2006 at 10:54am |
Originally posted by solitary00
Originally posted by NaeBlis
It's not necessarily going to be easy, but I am an optimist when it comes to human resoursefulness and the development of new technology.
I am too, until I realize the stifling effect of big money, big conglomerates, and special interests.... It's not like we weren't aware all of this was going to happen, companies have been making concept alternative fuel source cars for how long? They're willing (and for american auto makers to be the first to offer it would be a HUGE shot in the arm for the market), but some mysterious force always keeps them swept under the rug..... I'm sticking to my belief that we will see little to NO real progress in alternative fuels until big oil gets off it's ass and builds a signifigant stake (read: near monopoly) in the field.
Granted, one of the reasons alternative fuels haven't caught in the mainstream is because of little public interest. Gas (at least used to be) cheap and abundant, but as costs go up so will public demand for something different. Considering this is a market economy, it's really up to the consumer to decide what he wants. If we were a more socialist country, it might be easier to make the switch. Consumers really are the mysterious force, why should you buy a more expensive, less powerful hybrid/electric car when gas is cheap? But especially with the development of this new electric car, we'll probably see a change in that.
Of course big oil is a part of it, but even exxon (and other oil company's) are getting into alternative energy because they know it's comming up very quickly.
Considering how many people the oil and gas business employs, it would be a big blow to the workforce if we suddenely switched energy methods.
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Fidelio
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Posted: 27/September/2006 at 3:38pm |
Originally posted by NaeBlis
why should you buy a more expensive, less powerful hybrid/electric car when gas is cheap? because i want to be able to breath and have water to drink in 50 years. besides the fact that foreign dependency on a national security resource is a political policy with no chance of survival.
Originally posted by NaeBlis
Considering how many people the oil and gas business employs, it
would be a big blow to the workforce if we suddenely switched energy
methods. i doubt the domestic workforce would be affected at all. because there are a multitude of petrochemical products other than fuel. if we were to eliminate imported oil for fuel purposes, we'd still have plenty of need for oil in more permanent and recyclable uses, like plastic. if for example we domestically produced 20% of our total oil usage today, but tomorrow our domestic demand reduced by 80%, we'd still be able to utilize the domestic production to fulfill 100% of our domestic demand tomorrow.
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NaeBlis
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Posted: 27/September/2006 at 5:30pm |
Originally posted by Fidelio
Originally posted by NaeBlis
why should you buy a more expensive, less powerful hybrid/electric car when gas is cheap? because i want to be able to breath and have water to drink in 50 years. besides the fact that foreign dependency on a national security resource is a political policy with no chance of survival.
I guess you sorta missed my point of being an average american consumer....
Originally posted by Fidelio
Originally posted by NaeBlis
Considering how many people the oil and gas business employs, it would be a big blow to the workforce if we suddenely switched energy methods. i doubt the domestic workforce would be affected at all. because there are a multitude of petrochemical products other than fuel. if we were to eliminate imported oil for fuel purposes, we'd still have plenty of need for oil in more permanent and recyclable uses, like plastic. if for example we domestically produced 20% of our total oil usage today, but tomorrow our domestic demand reduced by 80%, we'd still be able to utilize the domestic production to fulfill 100% of our domestic demand tomorrow.
While they'll always be a need for some jobs that are required for getting oil: working on oil rigs/ pipe managment etc..it really has nothing to do with production.. i'm talking about jobs that really become useless if we stopped using oil for gas purposes.
-Many mechanics would be without jobs..afterall, how many people work with or around combustion engines? ...a lot.
-Many actual gasoline making wokers would be without jobs since the demand for gasoline will drop dramatically. But yes, we'll still need people for cracking oil.
etc.
Oil and Gas is a BIG part of the american society....a lot bigger than we all think, saying that people won't lose jobs is really being naive.
I'm not against switching energy methods, i'm just saying that a big action like that will make big ripples.
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Fidelio
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Posted: 27/September/2006 at 7:19pm |
Originally posted by NaeBlisOil and Gas is a BIG part of the american society....a lot bigger than we all think, saying that people won't lose jobs is really being naive.
I'm not against switching energy methods, i'm just saying that a big action like that will make big ripples. oil and gas have been an integral part of the american society for roughly a century, we can certainly migrate to something else it in the same time. as for peoples jobs, just think about all the people employed in the airline and airplane industry, the aerospace and satellite industry, the motion picture and television industry, the telecommunications industry, the computer and software industry. none of these industries existed a century ago, people adapt and get new jobs.
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Jersey
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Posted: 28/September/2006 at 5:08am |
Originally posted by fenix
Originally posted by Verdant Forceim all for the eletric car deal, but gas is really only a VERRY small percentage ( somewhere betwen 2 and 5%) of all oil use. so even if evre car today was electric, we would still be in pretty much the same boat.
stll, its nice to know things are starting to change. but i would think that this new kind of technology could be transferable to many other mechanics using oil. the only problem? where does the electricity that charges the cell come from? oil. while as verdant was saying, its a good step towards change, but its not going to save the world by itself 
As long as I dont have to drop 80 bills a week in my tank, its all good. Saving the world who cares.
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Verdant Force
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Posted: 28/September/2006 at 6:02am |
Originally posted by Jersey
As long as I dont have to drop 80 bills a week in my tank, its all good. Saving the world who cares.
Most of us do ;)
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Jersey
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Posted: 29/September/2006 at 5:18am |
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a car wont do it. But maybe hope hahahaha yeah aight.
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Stairway
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Posted: 29/September/2006 at 8:27am |
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We all know when Devious logs into Planetside that he is saving the world, not some silly car...
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