[QUOTE=ionlylive,Nov 6 2007, 09:34 AM] As hyped as i am about the next gen NSX, i think honda made a poor desicion in developing a v10 to run strictly on gas.

 

the way i as the bleeding hart libral sees this....


we have waited too long for an alternative fuel sorce. while we should have poored money into searching for one in the last 8 years we didnt. and who pays for that now?

well lets see now the car companies will be forced to build and release alternative fuel cars and well look at the price of a new car. the rich and upper class will get their new cars and the rest of us will be forced to pay 5, 6,.. a gallon for gas

as far energy? well if everyone listens to bush we will start building power plants that run off the fuel of the future!

wait for it



wait for it





wait for it









wait for it










wait for it












COAL!

 

Very true Triman and in effect I understand that but it doesn't make paying the exorbitant prices any easier and the owners of the oil are still making a grand sum of money out of this.

As the comment of the president buying another house I disagree. Though we do have much oil in our own stores (as well land untapped but that's another debate) I believe the reason we are trying not to release much of it is basically common sense. Oil is running out and it's demand is still high and when OPEC dries up what it has we will then have our stores still to distribute and sell.

 

I somewhat agree SinSin, certainly we are holding on to our reserves. But one thing to consider here is the fact that as oil prices go up, oil becomes more plentiful. This is because areas that were once too expensive to tap now become profitable to extract from. As costs go up so does the opportunity for extraction.

As far as alternate fuel sources are concerned, I actually believe in bio-diesel as a viable alternative. Mostly because the delivery system is already in place and that an entire group of cars can currently run on this "alternative" source fuel. I have friend who is developing bio-diesel from algae, which is easier and much less expensive than converting leftover vegetable oil.

 

There will be no "one" fuel of the future, that's for sure. We do know, though, that any new infastructure will be heavily integrated into the electricity grid we have now. I for one see the fuel infastructure of the future relying heavily on renewable point-source energy systems (photovoltaic cells). This as well as a steadily climbing percentage of the overall elecrical grid being powered by renewable sources (wind, solar, hydro, wave) will be paving the way for "energy carriers" such as hydrogen.

Imagine a hydrogen fuel station that is self-powered by solar panels (What is on top of all the gas-station pump roofs anyways?), that uses that energy to convert a local H2O source to Hydrogen for use in your vehicle. Of course before that becomes a reality hydrogen stations would be using the "normal" electrical grid, but that is why most of the focus needs to go there as well.

My favorite possibility is my future electric Honda roadster, plugged into my house's 100kW photovoltaic system that produces more enerygy than I need thereby selling it back to the power company, for a premium of course
(FYI - in Germany it is required by law for power companies to buy back excess energy produced from people's solar panels at 2x the cost that they charge for it!)

 

Take into account the cost of living increase avg. is around 4% and the fact that most Americans do not get salary increases to coincide w/ that yet use their vehicles as a means to getting to and from work.

On top of that gas prices dictate the price of alot of goods and services these same Amercians purchase and it is reflected as such in the purchase price of said goods and services.

Alot of people are going to be struggling.

 

I just saw in the Sam's Club ad this weekend that there is a Smart ForTwo on the market RIGHT NOW that is powered by lithium batteries. Will go 100 miles on a 5 hour charge. Now there's a solution!!!

 

why worry? The worst case scenario is that we all will have to take a bike to work.

Gosh ... that'll mean we'll all be healthier and may finally rid us of this ugly lifestyle dictated by a world of internal-combustion peddlers.

Do we really think alternative fuel sources (or atleast the ideas for them) haven't been around for many years now? It's no secret that the big 3 and OPEC have been buying up these theoretical ideas and burying them for years to avoid having to convert their business (costing them more money). Don't let politics cloud that truth.


I guess the down-side will be no more GEICO commercials, huh? Ok, i like bio-diesel now.

 

It's been well over 70 for a while, but the retail hasn't gone up until recently. it will get worse. thank god my car is a garage queen. but yes 90+ is for real...

 

First, good post triman.

As to the quote above, it's the most ridiculous thing I've read in a long time. Sinsin, let's assume you produce a "widget" in Peru and you sell those widgets worldwide priced in US dollars. The dollar weakens dramatically but your customers still want to pay you in dollars. Are you going to hold the price of your widgets flat and reap lower actual revenues? Absolutely not. You're going to charge more dollars for you widgets. That doesn't make you greedy and it doesn't necessarily fatten your wallet since those dollars are now thinner.

I'm out of the country and unable to access the latest Commitment of Traders report from the CFTC, but as of last week, the biggest long position in oil futures was held by NON COMMERCIAL (i.e. speculators, hedge funds) and the majority of the short positions were held by Commercial accounts (i.e. energy companies and those actually IN the business).

As far of the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, it's function is easily identified in its name -- STRATEGIC. The gov't hasn't amassed reserves to dole out to lower your gasoline price. It's being held in reserve for an emergency such as another embargo. I know the idiot in the White House released some on occasion in the past, but this isn't a situation that can be cured by emptying the Strategic Reserve and would be a huge mistake to do so.

Just my .02. YMMV.