Alternatives Anyone?

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Actually, "speculators" are those folks that run your retirement funds and such, also.

If those that buy into the futures markets, sense a downturn in the USA economy, they will assume that the downturn will mean lower consumption of oil.

That will mean that crude oil has less value to them.

Therefore the price will drop.

I believe you are seeing that these futures traders are not confident in the USA economy.

A lame duck president doesn't have that much influence, but we can't discount the effect of an expansion in domestic drilling on the futures market. It has to add in there somewhere.

 

[Buckeye Chuck]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

OK, we agree that it is a good thing to reduce our dependency on imported oil. Hell, I'd like to see a time when we never have to import another drop of oil. And that day CAN come if we put our minds to it. Maybe not in my lifetime but it can happen if we don't give up and keep working on ALTERNATIVES. What's wrong with that?

-BC-

 

[Buckeye Chuck]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

I meant just what I said. The answer is to reduce our consumption not drilling for more. We are in an endless cycle of price swings and this will never stop as long as we consume billions of gallons a year. What do you think the oil companies will do with the oil they get from drilling new wells? It's just as TEX said earlier. They will put it on the open market and sell it to the highest bidder and we'll still be importing oil. The price may come down but then demand will go up and so will the prices. The world and the U.S. in particular are oil junkies and the oil companies are the dealers.

-BC-

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Again, Chuck, I don't want you to think I'm just arguing with you, because I'm just arguing the point.

The point is this. We HAVEN'T stopped looking for alternative energy sources! The search for new supplies of energy has been on the increase for more than 20 years. The damn news media makes it sound like THEIR politicians have just discovered the way to free us from the shackles of crude oil.

It isn't newsworthy to report the boring details of a college-style electric car 'race' with speeds approaching 40 MPH! This kind of stuff has been going on for many years with sponsorship by the major car companies and many other industries.

The 'marketplace' determined many years ago that there was a market for alternative energy sources. The point is that we can't use them right now! We have to have crude oil to fuel our economy until some alternative becomes economically viable.

No alternative energy resource has become an economically viable fuel source. The government can encourage alternatives in certain ways, but it cannot legislate those alternatives into existence. Those damn fools can't do anything right except continue their existence, and that's still wrong.

 

[Buckeye Chuck]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

You're right Tex. Hopefully some day there will be a viable answer to this never ending problem. In the mean time let's just enjoy RVing the best way we can.

God bless the U.S.A.

-BC-

 

[try2findus]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Tex, you are so right! I guess everything IS bigger in Texas~namely your brain. You being from Texas you are as familiar with the oil industry as one can be I suppose.

I have no problem with more drilling and even more drilling, but I agree it will be sold to the highest bidders and the USA is once again will be SOL.

Alternatives such as Hydro, Wind and solar are absolutely something we need to start putting into the equation NOW.

TEX FOR PRESIDENT!! Now that's one Texan I could get behind for President! Where were you 7 1/2 years ago?

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Not smart; just old. :blush:

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?



And one more thing ...

California alone uses more gasoline than any country in the world (except the US as a whole, of course). That means California's 20 billion gallon gasoline and diesel habit is greater than China's! (Or Russia's. Or India's. Or Brazil's. Or Germany's.)

Amazing Stat: California Uses More Gas than China By Alexis Madrigal July 17, 2008 | 10:54:21 AM

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

OK, this is the last one for me.

Hybrids are easy on the environment and conservative on gas--a winning solution for easing pain at the pump. But there's a catch: You may have to drive thousands of miles over several years before the savings on gas catch up to the extra expense of the car....

... The 2008 Lexus LS600h sedan would take 1,390,850 miles to break even at Los Angeles gas prices ($4.59 per gallon). If you drive 15,000 miles per year, that's 92.7 years....

... The best deal for a Los Angeles commuter is the $25,200 Toyota Camry hybrid that only costs $200 more than the gas-powered Camry XLE. The hybrid gets 34 mpg, and the gas model gets only 22 mpg. The owner of the hybrid breaks even after 18,292 miles. For Los Angles commuters who log 15,000 miles a year, that’s just a little over a year of driving....

Best Hybrids For The Buck | Jacqueline Mitchell 07.18.08, 4:00 PM ET

 

[utmtman]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Hey tex I would never believe those gas figures. We had a 92 toyota camry that was listed at like 19 city and 22 highway. We got as much as 35 highway and never less than 22 city. The daughter has it now and she says she is averaging 30 to 33 mpg. My gmc sonoma I just dumped was listed at 18 and we got 22 highway and at the worst 17 towing our tent trailer. So I ma willing to bet that toyota Camry XLE which is the same model I had will get as much if not more than the hybrid.

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

Those are just some news stories that I ran across in researching both "sides" of the alternatives solutions. The stories aren't here to question the veracity of automobile advertising of MPG numbers.

The story about the hybrids will allow you some reference on how long it might take to repay the difference in the two vehicles if one chose to go that route. (I was a little surprised that there is a vehicle that might justify the purchase price difference in less than 20,000 miles. I always was considering a 50,000 mile payback for cars.)

 

[utmtman]

Re: Alternatives Anyone?

When the Geo Metros came out my daughter bought one and got 60 mpg. And I was a GM mechanic back than and saw a lot of metros that were getting 50 mpg. And those people also were getting over 200,000 miles out of their cars before replacing them. Even saw one that had 600,000 miles on it. I wonder if maybe smaller engines would not be better than hybrid especially with the cost to buy them.