Gas Prices Now, Hari H. Chrishna...

I dont believe that full jetliners approach equating with suv costs per driver let alone empty flights, small business jets and helicopters either. ofcourse this is leaving out a supposed big concern behind all this which is pollution and suvs no where near approach the pollution amount that these aircraft do. this is why I believe that the environment is not the driving force behind this but its an attack against a way of life that people dont agree with and includes anti-capitalist socialists and communists.

I dont want bullet trains in america with security checks by incompetents and long waits at the station riding in trains next to people that I wouldnt like to smell, hear, or be around. I want the freedom to drive what I choose even if other people wouldnt like it and I believe suv's wouldnt be a concern if we would build more refineries and drill more american oil. Im ok with alternative sources if people want them but Im not ok with confronting suv drivers at the pumps with hostility. if anyone should have to deal with hostility it should be the govt for getting us into this mess not suv drivers.

I can promise you this much if someone ever assumes my van is a big gas guzzler and "thanks me" at the pump for being a "small penis driver" I'll certainly thank them in return with much more "appreciation" which is why I hope for their sake that they only mouth off about it online if they dont like it.

I’m thinking about a much smaller, special-purpose built vehicle with an all-aluminum body instead of the heavy fiberglass-over-plywood body we’re using now. It could have a four-cylinder diesel engine with a lot of torque but barely enough horsepower to get up to freeway speed, but giving us a solid, minimum 20 MPG all day, every day. An automatic transmission or CVT would be necessary, due to the fact that we’re in city traffic most of the time. Does any one know of such an engine and tranny combo? I think finding the driveline first would be the thing to do, the bus itself could be designed around it.

The average Euopean "transit" van probably fits your description. The Europeans have gotten very good at their tall vechile design that maximize the vehicle size for narrow roads while keeping it light, short and with a minimal frontal area. Their biggest concern is often wheelbase and turning circle since many narrow coblestone roads have limited space.

 

In Europe they all have manual transmissions. They are still cheaper, more reliable and give good overall performance. People complain about that here in The US, but once your used to it, it's not so terrible driving a manual in traffic. Most the cars over there have lighter clutches too. All semi's in the US still have manual transmissions and are often stuck in very heavy traffic.

" want the freedom to drive what I choose even if other people wouldnt like it and I believe suv's wouldnt be a concern if we would build more refineries and drill more american oil".

What American Oil? You must mean IRAQ Oil. and perhapes Canadian Oil once Iraq oil runs out.

I heard from a taxi driver that in Ohio, they don't have side-walks in order to promote (or force) a driving culture. Since Ohio is home to the Honda Plant and Pontiac among other automobile enforced economies.

I guess that's why their buses are lousy in service. I would LOVE to ride in a metro to work and other stuff. Even a reliable bus service would be great.

But I understand America is a driving culture. I must say I've partially bought into that lifestyle. Now that I have my Corolla, no way I'm giving that up.

Even if I don't LOVE to drive...but now we have to compete w/China. Since China also now loves to drive.

I'd love to ride on the TGV or a Magleve... fast trains...(now, the only fear is terrorism on trains) Spain and England and Japan come to mind...

Japan was a cult terror attack tho'..,but since the Taliban and Al Quaida is a cult in itself...I guess they're all cult related terror attacks

I dont believe that full jetliners approach equating with suv costs per driver let alone empty flights, small business jets and helicopters either. ofcourse this is leaving out a supposed big concern behind all this which is pollution and suvs no where near approach the pollution amount that these aircraft do. this is why I believe that the environment is not the driving force behind this but its an attack against a way of life that people dont agree with and includes anti-capitalist socialists and communists.

I dont want bullet trains in america with security checks by incompetents and long waits at the station riding in trains next to people that I wouldnt like to smell, hear, or be around. I want the freedom to drive what I choose even if other people wouldnt like it and I believe suv's wouldnt be a concern if we would build more refineries and drill more american oil. Im ok with alternative sources if people want them but Im not ok with confronting suv drivers at the pumps with hostility. if anyone should have to deal with hostility it should be the govt for getting us into this mess not suv drivers.

A Turbofan is dramatically more effecient than an internal combustion engine... by a factor of over 100% compared to a piston engine. It's possible to redesign aircraft to fly at lower speeds and be even more effecient, but time is money, so for the optimum return of capital investment, faster is better. True for NO2, Suphur and other organic compound emissions, jet aircraft do not have a catalytic converter to convert these compounds. However, for CO2 emissions, it's all about effeciency. A large aircraft loaded with over 100 people generates far less CO2 than if thsoe same people drove 100 cars the same distance.

 

Yes the government got us into this mess. But it has nothing to do with drilling. I blame the Ford, GM and Chrysler for convincing President Eisenhower to build the freeways. For the same amount of money, we could have had an incredible system of efficient high speed passenger and cargo trains.

We should not expand drilling. Oil is a strategic resource. As long as the world is dependant on fossil fuels, long term we MUST ensure that the US is not in a position 20 or 30 years from now where it has exhausted it's resources and must import 100% from abroad. The next major world conflict will most likely be fought over resources. And it will happen. It's unfortunately human nature to fight wars.

[The next major world conflict will most likely be fought over resources. And it will happen. It's unfortunately human nature to fight wars.]

very true I believe this also. can you imagine what would happen if israel struck it rich in oil? I believe the main concern that trumps oil and everything else is nuclear war and I believe it will happen.

[we MUST ensure that the US is not in a position 20 or 30 years from now where it has exhausted it's resources]

I hear you I just believe that its not impossible that this could be the case if we dont drill too. no one can know nearly what the total oil supply is under america without drilling so 20-30yrs of supply is just an estimate at best. I believe there are untold amounts in america yet to be discovered but if we dont drill then we'll come up short for sure and eventually depend totally on foreign oil.

I believe technology will change to where there will be more hybrids/hydrogen vehicles around to keep america driving though so my main concern is high oil prices right now which will increase living costs and thats not a good thing for any of us giving the katrina aftermath right now, and thats not even including the possibility of another hurricane or terrorist attack soon either.

>>this is why I believe that the environment is not the driving force behind this but its an attack against a way of life that people dont agree with and includes anti-capitalist socialists and communists.

What way of life? We already have laws in place that regulate the economy that an average vehicle fleet must get.

Why not apply similar/modified laws to Trucks and SUVs?

As far as "freedom" to drive whatever and whenever you want--there are laws in place that require you to wear seatbelts, helmets with motorcycles, no off-road ATVs, etc. So, somewhere, somebody decided that some things were safe and others were not.

I suggest that large SUVs are generally unsafe and should be put in a different class, requiring special training and licenses. And that says nothing about their outsized environmental and consumption impact.

better training is right but poor skills are the main cause of danger not the vehicles themselves so I'd say we need better training for all drivers including small and large vehicles. I for one wouldnt mind the extra hassle of a yearly course if it would increase driving safety and not allow unsafe drivers their licenses back until they show their improved skills in a driving test. ofcourse I see no chance that this will ever happen and the bad drivers will continue to be allowed to cause way too many deaths.

US production peaked in 1971 at 11 million barrels a day. Now it is 5.5 million barrels a day. The saudis pump out 10 million barrels a day. So what 01loadedLE reckons - we have half of another saudi arabia under the USA - is doubtful. The largets 'big' find was in the 90s in the gulf of mexico.

That being said, something that intrigues me is how much oil remains undiscovered under the worlds oceans, in international waters. The deepest rig is currently 1000m deep, however you'll find that the vast majority of the world's oceans are much deeper than this. Maybe out in the middle of the pacific there is 10 saudi arabias.

Key issues behind high oil prices are these:

1. It takes 6 yrs or so to develop an oil find. Back in '99 oil was only $14 a barrel; so, there was little motivation for finding oil and developing existing reserves. Now with oil at $70 a barrel there is all the motivation in the world to develop reserves. Provided overall production doesn't peak, we could have cheap, plentiful oil in 2010.

2. You will find that since the 1970s many US refineries have been decommissioned. In Australia, no new refineries have been built in the last 30 years. Hence refined petrol supplies are strained.

I have recently moved from newcastle to parramatta, a suburb of sydney. My place of work is no longer out on site, it is in the Sydney CBD. I catch the train to work everyday now, and I live 2 blocks away from a huge shopping mall, so my car use has dropped from 700km a week to nothing. Petrol is $1.40 a litre, but I care not a jot. I only drive 20-30km a week, so it is no skin off my nose.

about doubts just remember people have been wrong before and were suprised with alot of oil from wells that were believed to be drained. also we havent drilled near the percentage of america thats out there to say for certain america as a whole is drained. there have been wells that were capped by the govt forbidden to drain the oil and documents about the wells sealed to secrecy so america must have boat loads of oil in those wells for the govt to do that. there has to be more oil in america it takes too much faith to believe otherwise. I would be all for increased ocean drilling too though.