isn't it fun buying gasoline?

[quarter23cd]

Can't wait to test drive one -o these.

Except that it looks like in one of those things a collision with even a particularly large insect could be -fatal.

[jimmyjimmy]

Except that it looks like in one of those things a collision with even a particularly large insect could be -fatal.

Possible...but lets wait for the crash test numbers on the US models.

Regardless, it's probably on par with some of the sub-compacts/compacts on the road here today. It's a lifestyle choice some are willing to entertain: Those like myself whom tend to gravitate towards smaller vehicles.

 

It's certainly safer than a current beater I drive in many aspects.

[Guest Jules]

check this out. in november of 01, gas was under a dollar in a lot of towns.

 

I remember days before 9/11 gas was 99 cents at a Cumberland Farms near my house...

 

Yes, and we were also basically in a depression starting at the end of 2000. (Yes, before 9/11).

 

if you all haven't seen "who killed the electric car" i highy recommend it. it actually made me tear up.

 

Agreed!

 

I would gladly pay higher taxes on gas, food, income, etc to guarantee that everyone has access to a doctor without potential for lifelong debt and difficulties.

 

Well, it looks like income taxes will be going up relatively soon. At least for the higher brackets.

[Reni]

well I am certainly not in a higher bracket - I am not even in a middle class bracket. So......

[deepseacatfish]

There's an innaresting sideline to this:E-85. DSC, I saw your Sen. Grassley (sp.?) last week talking about the possible collusion of the major oil companies with allowing E-85 to be sold at their stations. Stuff like making the station operator put in a new pump for E-85 (rather than use existing ones), not allowing the price for E-85 to be put on the signs, not allowing E-85 pumps to be put under the canopy, etc..

Yep, Grassley is definitely one of the Iowa dudes.

 

 

I see a number of problems with E-85, most cars still aren't built to take it (they also offer a 10 or 15% blend that is a little cheaper than normal gas here, that all cars can use); then there's the whole energy conversion deal since they use coal--but it does make us a little less "dependent" on foreign oil...though certainly nothing big; and like Cryptique mentioned corn is really inefficient in terms of conversion. In Brazil they very successfully use sugarcane to do the same thing, switch grasses are another possibility since they grow more densely and convert better. It's still only a temporary solution, but probably a good option for now.

 

Frankly I wouldn't mind high gas prices if we had alternate transportation like Europe, but since we don't (at least outside of really major cities) it's tough. This country is altogether to car dependent in terms of its design, it's sad.

 

Watching gas prices nearly double over the 3 years I've been in college has certainly changed my ability to finance gas. This stuff is getting expensive. Yikes.

[quarter23cd]

Frankly I wouldn't mind high gas prices if we had alternate transportation like Europe, but since we don't (at least outside of really major cities) it's tough. This country is altogether to car dependent in terms of its design, it's sad.

The lack of alternative transportation in this country is mind-boggling, even in a lot of cities. I just moved to Columbus, OH and the first thing that struck me when I came back here was the absolute, complete lack of ANY sort of public transportation. (I mean, they have some limited bus service, but I don't think I know anyone who has ever actually ridden one more than once or twice) Its a growing city and the highways are getting jammed--evidently nobody had the foresight to plan for a transportation system. (I seem to recall a proposal for a light-rail system that got quickly shot down) I'm curious if this is true of other up-and-coming mid-size cities.

 

Yeah, I did buy a house that's kind of out in the boonies, so I'm contributing to the highway congestion. But I would gladly hop a train where I'm going if it was available...even if I still had to do a short drive to the station (or bike ride, in nice weather!) it would be great.

[WilcoFan]

Another thing about the E85 that I saw is that because it uses corn to make the ethanol, it causes the price of food to rise significantly since corn is a major ingredient in most processed foods and it's used as feed for animals. I can't remember where I heard this and I also don't know how much truth is in it either.

 

So you either pay more for gas or you pay more for food...

 

 

We eat too much corn anyway:

[WilcoFan]

The lack of alternative transportation in this country is mind-boggling, even in a lot of cities. I just moved to Columbus, OH and the first thing that struck me when I came back here was the absolute, complete lack of ANY sort of public transportation. (I mean, they have some limited bus service, but I don't think I know anyone who has ever actually ridden one more than once or twice) Its a growing city and the highways are getting jammed--evidently nobody had the foresight to plan for a transportation system. (I seem to recall a proposal for a light-rail system that got quickly shot down) I'm curious if this is true of other up-and-coming mid-size cities.

 

Yeah, I did buy a house that's kind of out in the boonies, so I'm contributing to the highway congestion. But I would gladly hop a train where I'm going if it was available...even if I still had to do a short drive to the station (or bike ride, in nice weather!) it would be great.

 

 

Unless public transportation actually saved me time I wouldn't use it. Time is money.

 

I think that we should be calling for 95% of automobiles to be hybrid vehicles by 2012. About 22% of our fuel is used sitting at red lights. If we could reduce our consumption by 22% that would basically eliminate our dependency on foreign oil and cut down on emissions.

 

-- I read this somewhere, I'll try to find the facts and post them.

[cryptique]

I think that we should be calling for 95% of automobiles to be hybrid vehicles by 2012.

Hybrids are not the answer, in my opinion. Their true gas mileage isn't all that better than reasonably fuel-efficient "normal" cars. In the end, they do little or nothing to lessen our demand for foreign oil.

 

Ethanol might work IF the processes for manufacturing it can be made much more efficient than they are now (it's just not practical yet).

[caliber66]

Hybrids are not the answer, in my opinion. Their true gas mileage isn't all that better than reasonably fuel-efficient "normal" cars. In the end, they do little or nothing to lessen our demand for foreign oil.

Yeah, hybrids are very heavy (two separate drivetrains will do that to ya), and their highway mileage kinda sucks.

[quarter23cd]

Unless public transportation actually saved me time I wouldn't use it. Time is money.

Agreed, I guess. Having grown up just outside DC and living in the outer NYC metro area for a long time, I tended to ride subways/trains more often than not when going into the city to save on the hassle of parking, etc. It probably didn't save me any time--in fact it made the trip longer, but in a lot of ways it was worth it.

 

You're right, though, people aren't really going to flock to trains unless driving represents a significant frustration, so I'm not sure how viable rail systems are for mid-size cities. Also, another mark against trains these days is the increase in sprawl--in my city the vast majority of growth (both residential AND business) is happening on the outskirts as opposed to a central downtown area--and that kind of goes against the way rail systems are generally laid out, where all the lines tend to converge in a central location. You can't just run tracks willy-nilly all over the place, but that is kind of how the growth is happening.

 

Hmm. Its an interesting problem.