Have gas prices risen enough for alternative fuel usage?

As odd as it seems, up to this point global warming and rising fuel prices have not been enough to take alternative fuels seriously. With gasoline prices over $4.00, has the tide turned with consumers?

“. . . we came to the conclusion (back in the 1980s) that fossil fuel had such an economic advantage (over alternative fuels), and the ease of use that it was going to be very difficult to displace them . . .” Lee Raymond on “Charlie Rose” November 8, 2005

It’s hard to believe the CEO of ExxonMobil back then, and it’s even harder today that they spent the equivalent of two billion dollars on research back in the 70s and 80s just to throw up their arms in defeat. It would be quick to say that it wasn’t in their best interest as an oil company to find an alternative. That viewpoint is true, but its also true that even if we stopped using personal cars, trucks, SUV’s and Vans, oil as an industry would continue.

Don’t believe it? Diesel runs the trains, trucks, and cargo ships. Try running them on ANY alternative fuel. Look at your jar of Vaseline, it is petroleum jelly. Most plastics are petroleum based. Moving parts need lubrication, petroleum products are some of the best lubricants. Kerosene is made at the same time as gasoline and diesel. So there will be always be a need for petroleum, just hopefully a diminished need.

Mr. Raymond also points out “economic advantage and ease of use”. Well until Huricane Katrina hit, this is a correct statement. Let’s look at hydrogen a moment. A great alternative with fuel cells powering our vehicles. The exhaust is water. 1 kilogram of hydrogen is the equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline, and current prices range from $5/kg to $10/kg. An increase in demand would push the average to the higher end of the scale. To add insult to injury, most of the methods to produce hydrogen involve using hydrocarbons, and therefore release carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Electric cars have the benefit of NO emissions, but also have its limitations. One is that eventually you must plug the car into an electrical outlet. Cost of a recharge depends on the cost of electricity, and now manufacturers are saying about three dollars. Cool? Well if true that is actually a lot, for example my electric is under ten cents a kilowatt hour. Multiply that on the grid by the number of vehicles latching on at the sametime. That would be a hell of a load. The load can be minimized through solar and wind through a cost to the consumer. The batteries are a problem too. They are still heavy, still die, still have a problem with cold environments, and still are environmentally unsafe (after dying).

I could run through the alternatives even my future compressed air car. The point is this: the cheapest fuel available is still fossil fuels. The reason is the public NEVER demanded alternatives. I’m not talking about individual groups, ecologists, futurists, scientists and such. I’m talking everyone that looks in a mirror, everyone that drives a car, everone that has a pulse . . . everyone.

Ask yourselves these questions: Between 1989 and 2000, did I only buy vehicles that got 30+mpg? How many vehicles did I own that got less than 30? Less than 20 . . . 10? Did I own an SUV, Truck, or Van even though you had less than four kids (or no kids or even a spouse), no business purpose, never went camping or off-roading, or never put anything in the back of my truck except a wide screen TV. Did you use that SUV, Truck, or Van as your work commute vehicle? Did I buy a sports car cause it made me look good (or sexy), and/or it was fast as lightening (even though you never broke the speed limit and those cars are less efficent at lower speeds)?

Am I saying the public is at fault? No, we just never gave the auto companies incentive. The auto companies were willing to create public demand for these gas guzzlers, cause it was cheaper for them to produce them and not to find ways of making 70 mpg vehicles before 2000.  Even today look at auto TV ads. Does the VW Polo ad with the Singing Dog even mention its gas mileage? It should . . .  it reaches 46 mpg, but they know that is NOT what sells . . . the cute singing dog does.

So ask yourself, “Is gas prices high enough for me to switch vehicles and the way I drive? Or can I afford $10 per gallon?”