"Inspired" by gas prices...

Or small steps...
"Federal-Mogul Corporation has managed to adapt a specialized two-piece oil ring design from diesel engines into a gasoline engine form. The patented oil ring tech, known as an LKZ ring, not only can reduce oil consumption by 50 percent, but also reduces frictional losses by 15 percent (compared to standard conventional oil ring designs)."
http://www.dailytech.com/New Piston... Engine Efficiency Longevity/article19406.htm

 

I remember a time a few years ago when Bush 2 was in charge when i was paying close to $5 /gallon for diesel, so to me $4 is better. I dont believe the president has much control over the prices.

 

A US president greatly influences the price of a barrel of oil. Supply and demand is only one price maker. Political instability...Iraq invasion ... and market sentiment also makes the price of a barrel.

 

The president has nothing to do with prices of oil, oil is a commodity, and investor and traders make the prices.
We are going to a price of $10 the gallons of unleaded, or house oil, due to the shortage of the existing well, and the high price of the new drilling, and the all controlled oil business by investors.
It will take some years, but it will go there.
But doesn't means we have to get left on the side of the road because the electric car as no more juice after an hour driving .
Or in the dark at home, television and computer shut down, because the wind turbine brook in pieces.
Or just depleting all the forest in the world to make some household warm in winter, using multi-million tons or pellets.

 

Yeah, so it was a socialist, welfare project the government paid lots of money for.

See how inconsistent a lot of these arguments are?

 

Actually the price of a barrel of Petrol Is a crazy question......who pays for the refinery environment, port construction, ship security and the whole transport distribution equation ?

 

better yet the price they claim on the open market isn't even remotely what the big seven pay when they're pumping most of there own. I think we only import about 10% of our oil from the mid east. Most of what we import comes from South America and Canada, I think ?

 

gasoline taxes were used to pay for it, for which I have no problem. I use the roads and am happy to pay for it through gasoline taxes. It is very efficient and there are economic analysis that demonstrate that savings in time and fuel make building highways worthwhile. This is a process that can only be run through government involvement. Highways also reduce pollution by reducing time and fuel it takes to deliver goods and drivers. The problem is they are raiding the highway fund to pay for what amounts to amusement park rides like monorails and other useless rail transits. These also cause pollution, and adds to road congestion since new roads are not built, and they often block traffic at crossings.

I agree! Obama had illegally used the bank bailout money to bailout failed auto manufacturers (to get union votes no doubt). If they can not make products that people want to buy, neither should they stay in business. Tax payers should by no means bail them out. Chrysler should have been gone a long time ago, not much worth buying (I have owned one Chrysler product, and never again!). When banks or car companies are "too big to fail", that means the government failed to protect us under the Anti-trust laws. There used to be forced break-ups of companies "too big to fail", but now the government uses tax money to keep them in business. keeping these losers in buisness means we lose as consumers.

You are wrong! Cars are purchases and paid for by consumers, little to no government money goes to support their development. The highways are paid for through a highway trust fund through fuel tax, a good system if was not constantly being raided as source of funds for other government programs. There was a millions of dollars taken from the highway trust fund to build an idiotic sculpture garden in Seattle, money funneled into favorably placed "artists". What a criminal scam. In any other business it would be called embezzlement.

 

That was right after Hurricane Katrina so give it a rest. It didn't stay there very long.

 

There is nothing socialist about building roads, the very arteries of capitalism.

 

Gasoline prices USA adjusted for inflation (the only correct way to look at it): http://inflationdata.com/inflation/images/charts/Oil/Gasoline_inflation_chart.htm

It remains to be seen what 2012's average price is, but 2011's average was lower than 2008's. It's ridiculous to say that President Obama has had any real influence over this, given world prices; America is still a country with very cheap fuel compared with most other countries - it's been a good, long ride but with Chinese and Indian demand I don't see how this situation can be sustainable.

 

I think what we need to focus on is not why gas is going up, but the fact that it is up, and that regardless of how much it costs today or tomorrow it is a commodity that is depleting and thus we need to wean our economy off of it (globally). Like any addiction doing so in steps is the logical method and using it more efficiently (and thus less of it) is a good start. I feel like methods that are adaptable to other forms of fuel probably have more merit, as when "alternative fuels" become the mainstream the users of the more adaptable systems will not be left out in the cold. Many of you have posted some very interesting links & info on that topic and I thank you, I've enjoyed reading each of them, but let's keep it going. Who knows, maybe one of us here on BDN, or even someone passing through, may be inspired by something we post here and be the next Diesel or Wankel and come up with the next revolutionary fuel or engine.

So... Let's refocus on the topic of using gasoline for efficiently in the future because in the long run it pays off better than arguing the who's & why's of the current cost.

 

Its gone up for no other reason that it is allowed to be traded on an open market. Its cost of digging it up has not changed in the last month.

The pending war with Iran has not changed to cost of refining or anything else.

Purely and simply it is bought by people who will never own it or will ever want to and the only reason for doing so is to make money that you and I eventually pay for.

This capitailst market is the most direct way of getting money from the poor to the rich.

 

and that regardless of how much it costs today or tomorrow it is a commodity that is depleting and thus we need to wean our economy off of it (globally).

Oh no , not the "peak oil" sillyness once again.

Sure Peak Oil will happen , but in 300 to 500 years the oil will be hardly missed., except as feedstock for many materials.

FF

 

will happen

our best people are all saying its already happened !!!!! Lots of data to support that no new significant finds have been found in the last say 50 years.

Looks like 1964 was the peak year for oil discoveries



I'd be curious as to what makes you think we're not long past peak oil ?