It’s a High-Mileage World
It’s an interesting time in the fuel efficiency world. Saving the world by using less gasoline and diesel fuel is no longer an altruistric dream; it’s become an economic neccessity. How else do you explain Toyota’s recent announcement that it has just sold its millionth gas-electric hybrid Prius? That translates into what Toyota believes is “a reduction in CO2 emissions (considered a cause of global warming)” due to the fact that those million-Priuses produce approximately 4.5 million tons less CO2 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class and of similar size and driving performance (although they do not include an estimate in the amount of gasoline saved!).
Last week I saw further proof at the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference in Las Vegas, NV. I was moderating a panel discussion on fuel efficiency technology for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and I asked how many in the crowd of about 250 people how many of them were fleet managers who were under orders to “green” their fleets. About three-quarters of the people in the room raised their hands, and I have to say it was an impressive sight!
On the other hand, I also took part in a panel discussion with several other transportation journalists on the future of transportation, and one gentleman in the audience called us all on the carpet for being alarmists. An engine rebuilder from California, this gentleman didn’t believe there was any need for alternative fuel vehicles or hybrids–he went as far as to say, “I don’t believe you that we have to solve this problem in the next five years. I don’t think we need to solve this problem within the next five hundred years!”
If we really don’t need to solve this problem for the next five hundred years, I guess Toyota will look a little stupid, what with all those Pruises out there… What do you think? Do we have a five year window, or five hundred? Have we reached peak oil, or peak hysteria?
May 20th, 2008 at 8:22 am
would you rather be wrong and find out we only had 3 years to survive ? With my prius I make less air pollution which helps millions of people breath better. I also save money everyday and give less money to imported oil. The USA now imports more that 60% of our oil.
This is an encomonic , security and environmental problem. The prius hits all of them right in the center at a price we can all afford !
May 20th, 2008 at 8:27 am
The elitist mas media is lazy since they or it would rather follow Al Gore, a political, than research the issues involved. If you want to blame the the world, blame England, they started the Global Warning in The Last Ice Age 1250 to 1850. What about Russia and India. I recall Seattle a few years was complaing about mersury fall out of the sky. Where did that come from, the East Coast? This Global Warming coupled with the ever rising cost of gasoline is,to me a consiracy. Just watch and listen to the flapping jaw experts forecast where the price of gasoline is going. They are better price predicators than the Bible. The Fourth Estate is failing this country. In about one week, I made a list of 20 reasons why the price rise for oil products just listening to TV. With a Wall Street induced financial recession or depression, whose pocket will be raped to pay for all these incentive now being talked about in Congress, the Carbon Tax or Taxes. Is’n the consumer the final payee and Congress the Gold Mine. This whole Global Warming thing is a massive consiracy. I have a rule, if I can think or visualize it, somebody else has thought about too and they may be in a position to promote it and make money. Remember, our founding fathers were concerned about greed and averice. There is an old adage that goes “Follow the Money Flow.” The mass media either knows and they are not telling the people or they do’t know. I believe they do and what we get is sensored and managed stuff and fluff that is fed to us as news.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:19 am
What is to come with all the batteries in all the hybrids? Will they be the next eco-problem?
May 20th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I too attended this conference. For the most part what I heard sickened me; too much gloom and doom. The main message was the world is coming to an end!
But wait, what, a potential savior. All we have to do is listen to the guys in the dark suits representing Japanese manufacturing interests. If we buy their cars we can save the world because their cars don’t pollute the environment (never mind pollution due to the manufacturing process, disposal of spent batteries or the generation of electricity used to drive the vehicle.)
What a bunch of crap!
We have more proven oil reserves in this country than the Saudis. Granted, our oil is more costly and difficult to produce with existing technology; but we have it.
What happened to good old Yankee ingenuity and the American can do spirit? Unlike what I heard at this conference, we are not a nation of defeated losers. I want to hear from knowledgeable people in petroleum research. I believe these folks are key players in this nation’s quest for energy independence.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I believe we have at the least another 500 years if we can curtail the tree huggers and the mass media. The oil reserves in America can and will, if allowed, support our needs for energy. The emissions controls placed on engines of today defeat the purpose of designing a more efficient running engine. I can remember my first car, a 1957 Chevrolet that got 18 miles per gallon and didn’t produce the terrible smelling fumes of today’s engines.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Wow. I attended the conference and came away quite excited about the future. I don’t know which “doom and gloom” sessions you attended, but it couldn’t be the ones on biogas and probably not the one on hydrogen that I attended.
To answre your question, Mark, I don’t think we’ve reached peak oil yet and won’t for some time, but we do know that the demand is rising dramatically. Consider this: I’ve heard reports that India’s middle class is 300 million strong already (I don’t believe it, but the potential is there to achieve that number eventually). That’s the population of the entire US!
Knowing how the developing world is interested in living the American lifestyle, can you imagine what that would do to the world’s demand for oil if all of them started purchasing cars? Ditto for China.
Well, folks, THAT’s the future across the world, so whether we’ve reached peak oil already or not, we REALLY need to move toward fuel efficiency and alternative fuels. Currently, our fuel portfolio across the US only has a 5% alt fuel portion. We’re going to need a lot more than that to keep the economy moving.