Just how much does America depend on gas?

[Chupperson Weird]

Uh, not really. Do you understand radiation?

[Kojinka]

Too much.  We need to move to electric cars!

[Turtlekid1]

Too much.  We need to move to electric hydrogen-powered cars!

[TEM]

Electric cars kill me; where do people think the electricity is coming from?

[MaxVance]

Electricity usually comes from coal or natural gas plants. With solar and wind power rising, however, electric cars hold promise for the future.

(At least coal and natural gas are far more easily obtained here than oil is.)

[Trainman]

To answer the question, far too much. Solar power should be far more popular than it is.

Solar power is extremely expensive.


I think half the people are greenies. Ask anyone what contributes to 103% of our "carbon footprint" and people automatically blame the car so we get all these stupid hybrids.

See, I think hybrid cars are BULLCRAP. Everyone is trippin' on the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, the Smart car, etc. Car & Driver did a test to see if the claims from manufacturers and people who say "I LOVE MY GREEN CAR" are telling the truth. Well, the car that was used to compare was a 2005 VW Jetta diesel.... whaddya know, the Jetta got at least 7-10 more MPG than the Prius, a LOT more than the Smart car, and a TON more than the Ford Focus SEL. Tests were conducted in the city, driving 55 MPH, and driving 75 MPH, and the average of all three. Even the new BMW M3 (E92) was considered more efficient than the Prius almost half the time, according to Top Gear under normal driving conditions (M3-19MPG avg.; Prius-17MPG avg... please note M3 = 4.0L V8, Prius = 1.5L 4 cylinder)

Along with that you have to put premium in hybrids so they wont detonate (knock) so you're having to spend that little extra for that little extra fuel efficiency, so it's almost as if you break even, unless you average like 5 miles a day as someone one would try and say as an excuse. Also remember, that all the methanol/ethanol/bio-diesel still costs more than regular gas and won't be coming down any time soon. They use corn for this so you have to leave less space for corn and anything else that grows for humans and animals for the corn used for the fuels, so in turn, that ramps up the price of corn for us.... so I imagine they figure "OH HEY YA KNOW... CORN IS UP LETS RAISE EVERYTHING!!!!" Keep in mind, that the machines that process the corn to make bio-diesel, for example, run off diesel typically... let's not forget the diesel 18 wheelers, etc. that have to haul it to wherever it needs to go, so for every gallon of diesel used to make fuel, it's like a gallon and a half of methanol/whatever has been pretty much been canceled out.


The only alternate power source I can really side with is hydrogen (car-wise). Electric will go nowhere since you have to charge the car, you have to have gasoline anyway so the fuel cell has something to do, they are extremely underpowered (110HP Prius = barely getting up hills and wasting juice to do it), have many, many batteries that are relatively inefficient, and they would be EXTREMELY dangerous if you did anything BUT drive them since there are so many electric systems and batteries around. If you shorted one of the batteries out being near several other batteries, then wow may God have mercy on you.

I don't mind wind power. I like the look of the windmills, but when piled up irregularly on hill/mountain sides, then they usually look like an eyesore... keep in mind the bright red, blinking LEDs on top of all of them for aircraft so seeing all those would probably be annoying for citizens and be the premise for another "mystery UFO lights" video, seeings as we have many crazy conspiracy believers. Oh yeah and if something breaks on one of those things, this and this could happen. (I like the first one.)

[Markio]

Of course alternative fuels are expensive.  So is gas, but at least with wind and solar power we wouldn't need to rely so heavily on foreign countries for fuel.  Even if we never gain back the money we lost investing in alternative fuel, the Earth won't die.

According to Bill McKibben, author and environmentalist, the amount of CO2 we produce is 387 parts per million, and rising 2 parts every year.  The officially determined limit on how much CO2 can be produced without detrimental and irreversible effects on the Earth's livelihood is 350 ppm.  Obviously, we have some work to do.  Visit www.350.org for more information.  And even if people don't believe in global warming, what's wrong with helping the environment?

[Chupperson Weird]

Trainman is correct about ethanol being ridiculous. Added to what he said, the runoff from the corn fertilizer is killing even more of the Gulf of Mexico.
As for solar power being expensive, well, I'd prefer saving the planet over saving money. Solar panels are getting more efficient all the time, and it's really cool that some places let you sell your extra solar power to the power company.
Electric cars are getting more efficient as well, so I see no reason why they should stop trying to develop them further. The fact that normal cars have more power is completely irrelevant to the goal of developing non-polluting vehicles. Fossil fuels are no longer viable.
One of my friends' dads has a car that runs on natural gas, which is pretty awesome since the only byproduct is water, except that natural gas really isn't renewable so we're going to run out of fuel for that car eventually.

[Trainman]

Yeah, that's why I didn't mention cars that run on natural gas because, as you said, that'll disappear quickly.


"The fact that normal cars have more power is completely irrelevant to the goal of developing non-polluting vehicles."

The point I was trying to make there is that having 110 HP isn't going to get you anywhere (remember that a car's horsepower rating is measured in bhp [break horsepower] meaning how much it power it makes at the flywheel. There is a 15-17% loss of power through the transmission, driveshaft, etc. so the prius would probably put about 85 horsepower to its wheels). If you car is very underpowered it's gonna be squeezing a ton of it's potential power at keeping it rolling down the road, up hills, into the wind, etc., so your car would be less efficient and be polluting more, rather. The other half is that I think it's funny that a car with a ton more power, that is a bit heavier, has a bigger motor, and has a slightly larger tank than the prius gets better gas mileage than it in certain conditions. If it's like Toyota and people advertise it, then it should perform like it. Speaking of which, I think Toyota (among others) is almost trying to rip people off. The fact that the car is extremely high to buy in the first place, has a very small gas tank, and the fact you have to put premium fuel in it seems like hidden costs that just balance out the cost of an efficient gas or diesel car that isn't hyped up in the advertisement, obviously. They had to spend a ton of money to develop the vehicles... well, they're gonna get it back out of you somehow.

Anyone remember the '08-'09 Chevy Tahoe and Silverado that ran on propane? Good for ONE more mile to the gallon... and the cost? $3,300 added to the MSRP.

I do agree with you Chupperson, on the solar part. Solar could definitely be going places. Hell, why don't they strap solar panels all around the wind turbines???????? ....although.... that might blind you a little.

[Forest Guy]

The real problem is that the government absolutely refuses to just set out and use an alternative power source. All our trouble could be solved if we congress would just pass legislation on some bill that sets a timetable for switching to a new energy source. Like you said, there's dozens of different methods.
The problem is no one will just step up and have the balls to give all these interest groups the finger and say "all homes will from this day forth be powered by solar. sucks for you, oil companies. cry more." It's a shame that no politicians, both democrats or republicans, can just stand up and do their job, doing what's right for the American people. Instead they're too intimidated and infatuated with exxon/mobile to turn their heads around and focus on anything besides the almighty dollar.

[Chupperson Weird]

Oh, I agree that hybrid cars are sort of useless at the present time, but I think they should keep working until they develop workable, efficient non-polluting cars. Normal cars are simply not good.

Also, last I heard, car companies weren't making money off gasoline sales.

[Forest Guy]

Point and case, I live on Long Island and the past few years, they were kicking around this project in which they would set up windmill generators offshore in the ocean. After years of going through it LIPA (Long Island Power Association) decided it was too expensive and that they didn't want to spend the money on it. Like I said, if government would regulate something like this and require them to set it up, then we'd be all set. I wouldn't mind the extra taxes. It's a win in the long run.


Oh while we're on the subject, nuclear power. Yea or Nay?

[Chupperson Weird]

That's a big negative. Nowhere near as safe as the NRC would like you to believe, and there are much less risky ways of getting just as much energy with no deadly side effects.

Also, the expression is "point in case".

[Trainman]

What I was meaning, Chupperson, is that they're just wanting you to pay the same amount as a normal car via paying for gas constantly for it... not that they're gonna make money off you from it... so when they say "Buy this SUPER ULTRA MEGA efficient car that'll save you gas money" in the long run, you'd be paying... well, the same as a normal car!!!

Wow I'm having deja vu about 100 things right now...... ugh... weird.

[Forest Guy]

I've seen it as point in case, and I've seen it as point and case. I transpose the two.

And yes, I agree there are better ways to get energy than nuclear, though I feel for the time being, nuclear wouldn't be a bad temporary solution until we perfect stuff like fusion.