[Jacksoncage]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

1. Offer a giant tax incentive to the first car company to improve its fleet's MPG to a 100 mpg average. Offer considerable incentives to every other manufacturer who achieves the same feat.

2. Research and develop electric cars - their implications as to power grids, their costs, their benefits, and how they can be brought to market.

3. Sell these cars to citizens, shipping and delivery companies, offering simple, easy-to-understand payment plans for people who cannot yet afford them.

And peak oil is nullified. I have a feeling the electric car (or any other car that uses an oil-substitue) will be brought to market sometime before we start eating each other because gas is too pricey.

[emersonbiggins]

Wow, I wonder why no one has ever thought of that!

You are a true visionary.

[Petro]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

1. Offer a giant tax incentive to the first car company to improve its fleet's MPG to a 100 mpg average. Offer considerable incentives to every other manufacturer who achieves the same feat.

2. Research and develop electric cars - their implications as to power grids, their costs, their benefits, and how they can be brought to market.

3. Sell these cars to citizens, shipping and delivery companies, offering simple, easy-to-understand payment plans for people who cannot yet afford them.

And peak oil is nullified. I have a feeling the electric car (or any other car that uses an oil-substitue) will be brought to market sometime before we start eating each other because gas is too pricey.

What do you propose to use to manufacture those cars; transport to market...and all the rest?

[rogerhb]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

You're new round here aren't you?

Just for starters:

Have you noticed anyone talking about power-generation failing?

Where do you think electricity comes from?

Do you think people need to get even more into debt with pile-them-high-and-fleece-them-dry schemes?

[Jacksoncage]

I've been lurking for quite some time.

"Have you noticed anyone talking about power-generation failing?"

Yes, and it seems even less secured by fact than a "rapid production collapse" of any oil field.


"Do you think people need to get even more into debt with pile-them-high-and-fleece-them-dry schemes?"

They won't have to shell out any money for gas, so that certainly frees up capital to pay for an electric car. People will pay off their debt for a mode of transportation that will become more vital in the years to come, second only to a house.

[TonyPrep]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

Many people have their pet "solutions" to peak oil. Very few of them, if any, work out the total energy cost of their solution, where that energy will come from, how long that solution is likely to take, or how likely it is that the required work will even start on their solution. On top of that, the solution attempts to address the problem of transport fuel only, ignoring all other uses of oil and ignoring all other problems caused by the inexorable growth of mankind and its societies.

[Jacksoncage]

The majority of oil's other uses have substitutes that won't cause the collapse of society.

[Jacksoncage]

"What do you propose to use to manufacture those cars; transport to market...and all the rest?"

This will not be taking place in a post-oil world. The old methods will have to be used at first to the bring these to market.

[rogerhb]

The majority of oil's other uses have substitutes that won't cause the collapse of society.

In sufficient quality and quantity?

People can hardly make ends meet today, how are they going to cope with a major transition?

[venky]

Agreed that an eventual solution to the liquid fuel crisis will involve a greater shift to electricity.

However,
How long do you estimate it will take to replace the current vehicle fleet with the new electric cars? What will be the cost, the investment required and everything else. And more important, I hope you know that electricity is not a form of energy, where do you propose to generate the extra electricity from, how much extra electricity will be required each year to make up for the shortfall in oil supplies. Natural gas supplies are constrained, and coal is simply not an option; so I suppose the bulk of it will have to come from alternatives and renewables, how soon can they be scaled up, there is just a thread on that on this forum.

While I think that we will get there eventually; I have a feeling it is not going to be as straightforward as you seem to think it is.

[dub_scratch]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

1. Offer a giant tax incentive to the first car company to improve its fleet's MPG to a 100 mpg average. Offer considerable incentives to every other manufacturer who achieves the same feat.

Our 220 million cars eat up about 10 mb/d of oil. You say let's litter the landscape with another 220 million cars.

That's genius.

2. Research and develop electric cars - their implications as to power grids, their costs, their benefits, and how they can be brought to market.

Fuck-an-A dude. Let's ramp-up the exhaustion of the other fossil fuels, coal & gas, in order generate electricity for more traffic jams.

...are you some kind of brainiac think-tank dude from the Rand corp?

3. Sell these cars to citizens, shipping and delivery companies, offering simple, easy-to-understand payment plans for people who cannot yet afford them.

...that's exactly what 'merica needs-- more consumer debt for frivolous energy squandering things.

..folks, I think we've got a Mensa member amoung us

And peak oil is nullified. I have a feeling the electric car (or any other car that uses an oil-substitue) will be brought to market sometime before we start eating each other because gas is too pricey.

Great thinking. Let's get those non-oil cars up and running before we all revert to cannibalism.


It looks like Peak Oil is solved, folks.

.....time to shut down the site

[Aaron]

I like this idea... it'll be like a giant bumper-car ride.

While we are at it, let's do the slidewalk things too... that's very cool.

And those segway scooters... sweet.

Man... this is gonna rock!

<passes meta-bong back across the room>

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Peak oil may not be so hard to solve after all.

Peak oil (Or whatever fuel) isn't a problem, it's a solution for those poor, poor fossil fuel companies who don't have enough money. Now that we're transitioning to limited supply compared to demand they can really rake that cash in, easing their weary hearts.

1. Offer a giant tax incentive to the first car company to improve its fleet's MPG to a 100 mpg average. Offer considerable incentives to every other manufacturer who achieves the same feat.

It will happen, just not any time soon. As any dealer knows, you must maximize the price for the consumer, and minimize the cost for yourself so the customer keeps coming back for more. In certain ideal cases, they spend so much on it and it represents such a crucial part of their existence that removal will change their life too much to be worthwhile.

2. Research and develop electric cars - their implications as to power grids, their costs, their benefits, and how they can be brought to market.

They've already been researched. And don't provide a large enough benefit for companies to produce. They're quiet, defer pollution to obvious centralized locations, and are virtually maintainence free. An electric car company will sell itself out of business in no time at all.

Sell these cars to citizens, shipping and delivery companies, offering simple, easy-to-understand payment plans for people who cannot yet afford them.

Oh no, that's digging your own grave and shooting yourself in the head. A profitable business sells services, and if it doesn't, it won't remain profitable for very long. While you're at it, you might as well help these consumers purchase solar and/or wind based equipment for electricity generation, and close up shop.

And peak oil is nullified. I have a feeling the electric car (or any other car that uses an oil-substitue) will be brought to market sometime before we start eating each other because gas is too pricey.

Maybe... It depends on the profit margins. Will canabalism generate more money than electric or hydrogen cars? Only time will tell.

[rogerhb]

Will canabalism generate more money than electric or hydrogen cars?

Only at the local Butchers shop.

[NEOPO]

Ok ok it was funny up until the bong part in an attempt to insinuate that pot smokers are stupid and I will not stand for that!

How many times must I explain to you idiots how the human brain functions!!!

Jacksoncage is in stage 2 Rationalization.
The next few steps are critical!!
If he/she is debased by this forum he/she may decide POers are lying assholes and end up being part of those who die off.......
Oh right........shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

<passes the bong to specop>

[dissimulo]

They won't have to shell out any money for gas, so that certainly frees up capital to pay for an electric car. People will pay off their debt for a mode of transportation that will become more vital in the years to come, second only to a house.

Because the electric car fuel (electricity) is free? It may be cheaper than gasoline, but not a lot cheaper. And, I'm willing to bet that it will approach parity with gasoline prices if the use of electric cars ever ramps up significantly.

If this is an example of the holes you are poking in the peak oil problem, you might want to spend a few more minutes thinking the problem through.

[americandream]

Simple arithmetic......scope out American consumption patterns to all 6 billion of this world, then mitigate some of the oil usage as in these electric cars, solar panels and others mitigationational mechansims, then figure out where our demand curve will be for the remaining crude based cornucopianism OF SIX BILLION........

which ever way you approach things, extending capitalism worldwide and encouraging its extension with an expensive Cold War sounded the death knell for capitalism......I see no future.

[MonteQuest]

I have a feeling the electric car (or any other car that uses an oil-substitue) will be brought to market sometime before we start eating each other because gas is too pricey.

You mean you have a dream, don't you?

Seriously, the reason you are getting so many flip remarks is that you just didn't do your homework.

This is a tough seasoned crowd you just walked into.

Solutions in Isolation just won't fly far here.

Not to mention, that growth alone will eclipse any efficiency gains in just a few years and actually increase consumption. Energy demand is not static, it is a exponentially growing and moving target.

[rogerhb]

This thread should be renamed to:

"Peak oil - coming in for the big turkey shoot"

[LadyRuby]

Wow, I wonder why no one has ever thought of that!

You are a true visionary.

Ha ha!!