Gas war - Bring down prices

[BenderGonzales]

Sadly we're the victims of urban sprawl. It is not possible for me to walk or drive my bicycle or walk to work or even to the grocery store.

I sold my 4X4 last year and bought a small car that gets around 30mpg.

I see car dealerships in my area starting to write the gas-mileage on the windshields of the cars in their lots. The Honda dealership is pushing scooters.

There IS a tipping point. Some dollar value after which there will be a change. Our economy can not continue to grow as oil prices climb. Trucking fleets, ocean-liners, airplanes... these are the drivers of the economy.

A television is made in China. It is put on a container ship and brought to the United States. When it gets here it is put on a semi-truck and taken to a distribution center. There it is put on another truck and brought to your neighborhood Target, Wal-Mart, Best-Buy etc.

Eventually the increased transportation costs will have to be factored into everything we purchase.

 

[91100 100 set]

I don't think that boycott thing worked the last 4 times I have seen an email to that effect (ie. every time the price has jumped more than 20-30 cents in less than a month).

Had an interesting thought the other day. How many vehicles out there do you see advertising the type/size of the engine powering it? Dodge loves to stick those "HEMI" plaques all over it's vehicles. 3.7L V6 on Jeep products? 5.0L V8 on the GT Mustang? How long until you see those plaques replaced with 25/30 or 32 MPG?

Call me a left wing nut (I might just agree with you), but I'd much rather advertise that it only takes me a single 16 gallon tank to go 400 miles rather than having dropped an extra 3 grand on an extra liter of displacement.

 

[jetflyer]

Bender,

Don't forget ALL plastics are made from OIL. So are most fertilizers, pesticides, all asphault, and a lot of chemical products. There are a lot of other goods made from fossil fuels.

Ever heard of PETROchemicals? petro=oil

From: http://www.energybulletin.net/2620.html

The oil-price increase could add pressure for higher prices on a wide range of products including foam cups and nylon, which are largely made from oil-based chemicals; and other products such as carpets, automotive bumpers, dashboards, tires, CD cases and plastic boxes that use a blend of chemicals from oil and natural gas.

Only about 2/3 of the oil we use is for transportation.

So it's not just the transportation costs that will increase the prices of those goods.

Jet

 

[BenderGonzales]

Is anybody else considering buying a moped or scooter to get back and forth to work?

Maybe it's a silly idea, but I've seen some late model scooters on Ebay for under $1000. Around 250cc that supposedly get anywhere from 70 to 90 mpg.

I drive about 20 miles to work each day (40 round trip). So even in a car that gets 25-30 mpg it adds up pretty quickly.

 

[jetflyer]

Bender,
I have been.

Check out these scooters that are electric and can be plugged into the outlet in your garage. They go over 60 mph as well and has over a 70 mile range. They're pretty cool looking too.

http://www.vectrixusa.com/index3.html

Electricity costs are about 50 cents to fully charge the batteries!

They claim you'll save over 90% on the energy costs over a gas-powered scooter! Not bad.

Vectrix plans to launch the scooter in the United States in 2006.

Jet

 

[BenderGonzales]

My only concern with pure electric is that about 12 miles (each way) of my commute is on interstate highway.

I'd hate to be out there and run out of juice.

Neat looking machine though. Much like the hybrids, I could buy a lot of gas for the premium you pay. Which is why i've been looking on Ebay for something less than $1000.

 

[jetflyer]

With the Vectrix having a 68 mile range you should be able to go the 24 mile round-trip without worries at 62 mph. You'd just have to make sure you recharged every day to give you confidence to not run out of juice.

The full charge only costs 50 cents at current electric rates they say. You'd be using less than half a charge per day, so let's say conservatively 25 cents in transportation costs for your 24 mile round-trip!

I understand what you mean though about buying cheap and just spending more on fuel. That is why I'm going to drive my paid-off gas guzzling vehicle till it costs me more in gas than a new electic hybrid's monthly payments will be. Or I may get the Vectrix even sooner if I see it as cheaper.

Plus you are the perfect candidate for their HYBRID coming out in a couple years.

From: http://www.vectrixusa.com/technology/thenextphase.html

The fuel cell hybrid maxi-scooter, co-developed by Vectrix and Parker Hannifin,
integrates an onboard fuel cell with our electric maxi-scooter. Range is 250 km (155 miles) and the batteries do not need to be charged at a fixed electrical outlet.

The fuel cell technology adds convenience without sacrificing performance. The fuel cell hybrid maxi-scooter boasts a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and rapid acceleration from 0–80 km/h.

What I see as a big problem for this is that the fuel is:

Refueling options include reformed methanol, which will be readibly available and will facilitate fast refueling.

Readily available? Where do you buy methanol!?

Jet

 

[BenderGonzales]

Methanol. Isn't that a racing aditive for RC cars? I know i've seen it at hobby shops. I also believe that's one of the components used to make biol-deisel. Isn't it?

 

[dardar]

The problem with Gas prices is just the basic law of supply and demand. In many cases, if demand is high enough, then another competitor comes in and increases the supply, thus driving the prices down. With oil, we only have a fixed amount of it, so it's not possible for someone to see the market and just "jump in" with new oil. Sure, we can start drilling deeper, but when that starts happening, then prices will increase anyways because of the high expense required to drill deeper.

You know the solution. It's the same thing as a fat person complaing about their weight. Lay off the Haagen Daz (oil) and get some exercise.

 

[jetflyer]

http://www.vectrixusa.com/news/evworldarticle2.html

New York Times article on the Vectrix Scooter:
http://www.vectrixusa.com/news/051026nyt.html

I found on their site that that Vectrix scooter will sell for about $6,000 to $8,000. Not bad. Especially if you're spending less than a PENNY per mile!

Granted if you buy a $1,000 scooter you can buy a lot of gas with the several grand you save.

I bet this Vectrix scooter is going to get really popular really quick. I hope with products like these and with people moving closer to where they work, that the transition away from oil will go smoothly as the price goes UP,UP, and Away after peak oil.

Please oh please....
Jet