K
kmack
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Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister, said that crude oil prices will remain at $40-$50 per barrel throughout 2005. OPEC's official target (this year and the past two) is $25 per barrel. This announcement signals that Saudi Arabia belives that new higher prices are not a momentary thing, they are here to stay (Other oil officials believe the price could hit $75 per barrel this year).
The fact is, we rely too much on petroleum, which comes mostly from the volatile Middle East. Our dependence on petroleum is having adverse environmental and political effects. Fortunalty, we have the capacity to alleviate this problem.
The answer lies in a combination of already existing technology. We have Hybrid cars, as most of you know (and perhaps some own), that run off of the car's battery as well as petroleum. The next step is a Hybrid car that is plugged in at night (or filled up at a station) on electricity. Currently a battery-petroleum hybrid gets 50 Miles Per Gallon, with a plug in, you can get 75 MPG. Ford, Honda, and Toyata currently have battery-hypbrids on the market, DaimlerChrysler will soon introduce a plug-in version.
The other necessary technology is something called "flexible-fuel tanks" (already available in the Mid-West and already in 40% of Brazils new cars). These allow the car to run off of petroleum, ethanol, or methanol (OR most importantly, any combination of the three) . By combining these new technologies, the potential for clean, effecient, non-petroleum reliant cars is at hand.
Let's break it down, combine a Hybrid car with a flexible-fuel tank. Now, for fuel, you use a combination of 15% petroleum and 85% either methanol or ethanol. This gives you 300 Miles per gallon on a battery Hybrid, and 500 MPG on a plug in Hybrid. Now you get the 500 Miles from a gallon of PETROLEUM (which equates to less than 10 gallons of the petroleum-ethanol/methanol blend, still much better than anything we have now.), but what I am trying to do here is reduce the use of Petroleum. It should be noted that ethanol and methanol are much cheaper than gasoline so prices for fuel would drop.
To pump ethanol and methanol, gas stations would have to be upgraded at a cost of $20,000 to $60,000. If the government steps in, tax breaks could be given to these companies. (Alternatively they could initially earn back the money by keeping the fuel costs higher than they pay, then, as they break even, the laws of business will kick in and prices will be lowered to attract cutomers).
These new technologies will empower whole new industries, but unfortunatly, they do not have lobbies in Washington, D.C.. It is surprising the government isn't taking up the initiative because the money spent by the government led to almost all of the technology that makes hybrids possible. (All new naval surface ships are powered by electricity as well as trains and minig equiptment). If the governemnt stepped in, they could accelerate the hybrid plan (mainly through tax-breaks, incentives, targeted mandates and spending) with $12 Billion (what we spend in Iraq in THREE months).
All the changes do not have to happen at a federal level. Think maybe New York City requiring all taxis to be hybrids with flexible-fuel tanks, they could offer incentives to taxi companies and gas stations.
As someone who uses a car for work and classes, anything that lessens cost would be wonderful. The environmental aspects of cleaner burning fuel in cars is also very appealing. Not having to rely on the most volatile region of the world for so much oil would be a welcome change. What do you guys think?
The fact is, we rely too much on petroleum, which comes mostly from the volatile Middle East. Our dependence on petroleum is having adverse environmental and political effects. Fortunalty, we have the capacity to alleviate this problem.
The answer lies in a combination of already existing technology. We have Hybrid cars, as most of you know (and perhaps some own), that run off of the car's battery as well as petroleum. The next step is a Hybrid car that is plugged in at night (or filled up at a station) on electricity. Currently a battery-petroleum hybrid gets 50 Miles Per Gallon, with a plug in, you can get 75 MPG. Ford, Honda, and Toyata currently have battery-hypbrids on the market, DaimlerChrysler will soon introduce a plug-in version.
The other necessary technology is something called "flexible-fuel tanks" (already available in the Mid-West and already in 40% of Brazils new cars). These allow the car to run off of petroleum, ethanol, or methanol (OR most importantly, any combination of the three) . By combining these new technologies, the potential for clean, effecient, non-petroleum reliant cars is at hand.
Let's break it down, combine a Hybrid car with a flexible-fuel tank. Now, for fuel, you use a combination of 15% petroleum and 85% either methanol or ethanol. This gives you 300 Miles per gallon on a battery Hybrid, and 500 MPG on a plug in Hybrid. Now you get the 500 Miles from a gallon of PETROLEUM (which equates to less than 10 gallons of the petroleum-ethanol/methanol blend, still much better than anything we have now.), but what I am trying to do here is reduce the use of Petroleum. It should be noted that ethanol and methanol are much cheaper than gasoline so prices for fuel would drop.
To pump ethanol and methanol, gas stations would have to be upgraded at a cost of $20,000 to $60,000. If the government steps in, tax breaks could be given to these companies. (Alternatively they could initially earn back the money by keeping the fuel costs higher than they pay, then, as they break even, the laws of business will kick in and prices will be lowered to attract cutomers).
These new technologies will empower whole new industries, but unfortunatly, they do not have lobbies in Washington, D.C.. It is surprising the government isn't taking up the initiative because the money spent by the government led to almost all of the technology that makes hybrids possible. (All new naval surface ships are powered by electricity as well as trains and minig equiptment). If the governemnt stepped in, they could accelerate the hybrid plan (mainly through tax-breaks, incentives, targeted mandates and spending) with $12 Billion (what we spend in Iraq in THREE months).
All the changes do not have to happen at a federal level. Think maybe New York City requiring all taxis to be hybrids with flexible-fuel tanks, they could offer incentives to taxi companies and gas stations.
As someone who uses a car for work and classes, anything that lessens cost would be wonderful. The environmental aspects of cleaner burning fuel in cars is also very appealing. Not having to rely on the most volatile region of the world for so much oil would be a welcome change. What do you guys think?
