Rising Gas Prices

[momofthree]

UGH, I had to pay $3.89/gallon for the cheap stuff yesterday. This is CRAZY!

[andy158]

Read yesterday that gas would have to reach $6.00/gal to justify purchasing the now available electric vehicles. The inital cost of these ev's are high. Even with the tax incentives. You can buy a lot of fuel for $10,000 + (the price over the cost of a comparable conventional fuel vehicle). Over the life of a gasser the cost of operation will not be greater than the ev cost of operation plus the purchase price. I like othe idea of alternative fueled vehicles, but the ev's on the market today are just not refined enough. New technology has to go through growth and improvement phases to be perfected. We are moving in the right direction, but as long as the oil giants have their stranglehold, this country will not see an expansion of alternative fuel technology emerging.

[Logan]

Read yesterday that gas would have to reach $6.00/gal to justify purchasing the now available electric vehicles. The inital cost of these ev's are high. Even with the tax incentives. You can buy a lot of fuel for $10,000 + (the price over the cost of a comparable conventional fuel vehicle). Over the life of a gasser the cost of operation will not be greater than the ev cost of operation plus the purchase price. I like othe idea of alternative fueled vehicles, but the ev's on the market today are just not refined enough. New technology has to go through growth and improvement phases to be perfected. We are moving in the right direction, but as long as the oil giants have their stranglehold, this country will not see an expansion of alternative fuel technology emerging.

I agree. I will never buy a pure gas engine vehicle again unless it's a TDI. I would be interested in an electric vehicle once the batteries improve but right now for me it is not practical since I have to drive once a week to a location that would put the car out of range on a round trip. A Hybrid on the other hand is something I would consider if I was in the market.

Logan

[tobee43]

I agree. I will never buy a pure gas engine vehicle again unless it's a TDI. I would be interested in an electric vehicle once the batteries improve but right now for me it is not practical since I have to drive once a week to a location that would put the car out of range on a round trip. A Hybrid on the other hand is something I would consider if I was in the market.

Logan

i as well, agree....and our next car will be a hybrid.....or we are going to attempt to grow wings....

[HRx]

The cheapest for regular unleaded is $3.11 but the average price is $3.30 for regular unleaded. The way the gas prices keep increasing the economy will be stagnate and grow at a snails paces for decades and the cost of everything else will raise to fast as well.

[banca rotta]

I agree. I will never buy a pure gas engine vehicle again unless it's a TDI. I would be interested in an electric vehicle once the batteries improve but right now for me it is not practical since I have to drive once a week to a location that would put the car out of range on a round trip. A Hybrid on the other hand is something I would consider if I was in the market.

Logan

I haven't really figured out the whole concept of an electric vehicle since it too uses expensive fossil fuels.

I am not saying they are bad I just don't see how they save money, oil and will clean the environment unless they have solar panels on the roof.

[banca rotta]

The cheapest for regular unleaded is $3.11 but the average price is $3.30 for regular unleaded. The way the gas prices keep increasing the economy will be stagnate and grow at a snails paces for decades and the cost of everything else will raise to fast as well.

I know. I have been saying for a year now that unfortunately this depression is an inflationary one as opposed to the 1930's deflationary depression our grand parents had to endure.

[RichM]

I haven't really figured out the whole concept of an electric vehicle since it too uses expensive fossil fuels.

I am not saying they are bad I just don't see how they save money, oil and will clean the environment unless they have solar panels on the roof.

The design of combustion engine-powered vehicles is such that they burn fuel even when the vehicle is decelerating or standing still. The most fuel is burned during acceleration, followed by sustained high-speed operation, as the engine is constantly called upon to produce energy to overcome the forces tending to slow the vehicle down (mainly friction, wind resistance, and gravity while climbing an incline). Electric cars also burn the most juice while accelerating, but little while decelerating, and virtually none while standing still (except for electricity used to power accessories).

There also are certain specific technologies that make the use of electricity more efficient than the use of combustion to power land vehicles. These technologies work because electricity happens to be a very convenient medium for the generation and storage of energy.

For example, when decelerating and braking, tremendous energy is wasted (converted into heat) as the brake pads slow the motion of the wheels. But it is possible, on an electric car, to generate power when braking by using the car's momentum, as expressed through the spinning wheels, as a source of rotational energy to power a generator to recharge the battery. In practice, the generator is often the same motor that powers the vehicle. It becomes a generator during deceleration.

Nonetheless, all electric vehicles require some source of electricity, and as you point out, the predominant source of electricity in this country is fossil-fueled generating plants, followed by nuclear power. Other technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, and so forth are on the horizon, but all told represent only a small fraction of total generating capacity.

Personally, I favor aggressive construction of nuclear power plants as an interim measure until safer, renewable sources are ready for prime time. Yes, there are problems with nuclear, most notably the waste issues. But we can manage those problems for another 20 to 40 years, while developing cleaner, safer alternatives.

Aggressive construction of nuclear power plants is the only technology that could make widespread use of electric vehicles (as well as electric heat for buildings, electric power for heat-intensive industrial processes, and so forth) a reality within the next three to five years -- which is about how long it takes to get a nuclear plant online if you strip away the red tape.

-Rich

[shark66]

A Hybrid on the other hand is something I would consider if I was in the market.

Logan

I had an opportunity to drive a Toyota Prius for several weeks two years ago and was VERY unimpressed. One sluggish vehicle. Even in city traffic. There's got to be a better concept than that...hydrogen, fuel cells...whatever. If I needed a small vehicle to get around town Prius would never make the cut. Ford Fiesta or Golf TDi most certainly would.

Where I live a 4x4 is a necessity and since I can't afford an eco-friendly Touareg TDi or G-series Benz, I'll be driving an UAW-mass-produced-gas-guzzler that gets me through the snow and ice...at least until someone, somewhere, comes up with a reasonably priced all-wheel-drive vehicle that doesn't run on fossil fuels...

While we're at it, paid $3.35 for a gallon of regular this morning...getting better all the time...

Good luck to us all.

[HHM]

Based on current average utility rates, gas would need to be $6.00 per gallon to make an electric vehicle cost effective.

Also, with the pure electric vehicles, the batter life span is about 8 years, so you would need to buy a whole new batter pack (my understanding is that the price of the Chevy Volt contemplates replacement of the battery pack).

[Logan]

I had an opportunity to drive a Toyota Prius for several weeks two years ago and was VERY unimpressed. One sluggish vehicle. Even in city traffic. There's got to be a better concept than that...hydrogen, fuel cells...whatever. If I needed a small vehicle to get around town Prius would never make the cut. Ford Fiesta or Golf TDi most certainly would.

Where I live a 4x4 is a necessity and since I can't afford an eco-friendly Touareg TDi or G-series Benz, I'll be driving an UAW-mass-produced-gas-guzzler that gets me through the snow and ice...at least until someone, somewhere, comes up with a reasonably priced all-wheel-drive vehicle that doesn't run on fossil fuels...

While we're at it, paid $3.35 for a gallon of regular this morning...getting better all the time...

Good luck to us all.

Where do you live that you have to have a 4X4? I do just fine with my compact front wheel drive in New Hampshire. I drove 60 miles today in a snow storm without 4 wheel drive thanks to the snow plows.
As for the Prius--I have lots of friends who love it and are especially happy they own it when gas prices rise.

Ligan

[shark66]

Where do you live that you have to have a 4X4? I do just fine with my compact front wheel drive in New Hampshire. I drove 60 miles today in a snow storm without 4 wheel drive thanks to the snow plows.

I live on a top of the mountain (literally) in a dirt-poor county that doesn't have money (or at least claims so) to plow the roads before I leave in the morning (4-4.30am).

Prior to the majority of people moving out of this neck of the woods, the roads were plowed regularly and I could get away with driving a Jetta. No more. I'm not a truck buff by any means, but I have to get to work in order to feed my family. In any weather. And ski resorts around here have had a great year......or two...hence the 4x4...

As for the Prius--I have lots of friends who love it and are especially happy they own it when gas prices rise.

I come from the world where any car with an engine bigger than 2.0L was subject to an absolutely insane amount of taxes, so I'm no stranger to small, fuel-efficient vehicles. My daily driver for many years was a tiny Citroen which was getting 50mpg two decades ago...but it was not sluggish, which I feel Prius is. To each his/hers own...

Ligan

Good luck to us all.

[Logan]

Good luck to us all.

Take a look at the Subaru Outback. That's the car I bought for my wife. It's AWD, does great in the snow and we average about 28 mpg.

Logan

[tobee43]

Where do you live that you have to have a 4X4? I do just fine with my compact front wheel drive in New Hampshire. I drove 60 miles today in a snow storm without 4 wheel drive thanks to the snow plows.
As for the Prius--I have lots of friends who love it and are especially happy they own it when gas prices rise.

Ligan

logan...where we USE to live it required a 4 x 4...our drive way was at a 30% angle...our property at certain points went staight to heaven...(where all the greenhouses were located)...in the winter with the snow if we didn't hae a 4 wheel drive we couldn't go anywhere...even the store. (we were way out in the country and it took them DAYS to clear everything).

now....we don't have to shovel the sunshine here in florida,...nor need a 4 wheel drive to get food.... however...the gas and food prices were higher here, even than where we came from on the on set of our move.......now with this situation the farmers (we live in a farming community), need gas to get those crops to market and work their fields......it's like the domino theory at it's worse!

LOL!!!!!! shark must have been my neighbor!!!

[tobee43]

Take a look at the Subaru Outback. That's the car I bought for my wife. It's AWD, does great in the snow and we average about 28 mpg.

Logan

ahhhhhhhh my daughter ONLY had subarus...all wheel drives....the "all wheel drives" are not good on gas either...