OT: Gas Prices

[Spectarofdeath]

It might not be ALL about price gouging but come on, you think those companies aren't watching people getting pissed off about the cost and screaming for new fuel sources? Once those sources are found and established it's going to be bye bye for the oil companies, at least the ones that dont have their hands in the cookie jar and are pulling the strings behind the companies that establish those new sources. It might not even be bye bye, but it more than likely will be bye bye to $36 billion in profits. Which means no more $400 million retirement packages. Which means, "Lets gouge now, just in case, call it a parachute".

[AngleWyrm]

May 15th is national "Don't Buy Gas" day, to protest.

"Rumor has it a gas boycott will be in effect on May 15, 2007. Have you heard of this? ... The e-mail stated, "Do not buy gas on May 15. In April 1997, there was a 'gas out' conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight. There are 73,000,000-plus Americans currently on the Internet network, and the average car takes about $30 to $50 to fill up. If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000 out of the rich oil company's pockets for just one day. So please do not go to the gas station on May 15, and let's try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day."
Greg M., Lake Charles, La.

[Spectarofdeath]

Only problem with that is I remember that last year, nobody went, gas prices were down the day nobody was buying gas and the next day they went up.

[GuyOfDoom]

As mentioned earlier the previous gas shortage caused by OPEC in the 70's caused a few key events to happen. Most other developed nations implemented measures to reduce their dependance on foreign oil by making more efficient vehicles, improving their mass transportation and other measures along that lines.

The US decided it was going to be the "best" and provide everything for itself and starting looking into providing oil for itself. Thus Europe and the like have had "high" gas prices for sometime, but the price has remained relativly consistent. Presently the bottom is falling out of the US's ability to supply it's own oil and thus we're starting to see the shift in prices towards what Europe has seen for awhile.

So what's my problem with American Oil companies you might ask? Well they're the ones that helped push the move for self-dependance so much that NO alternatives were really ever considered. Now we're reaching the point were the end of the world's oil reserves are within a generation and America isn't even close to making a transition off of oil.

Yes there is supply and demand. My problem comes from the fact that most of the demand is artificially generated by the oil companies. There is some influence by world events and natural disasters to be sure, but these are overhyped and over-publicized to help justify the increased prices. If the oil companies actually cared about the general economy of the nation as opposed to their investors it would be a much different story. It's fine if you want to argue for profit margins in a corporation, my problem comes from corporate utilities that literally hold the nation's status in the palm of their hands and choose to still operate with the shareholders in mind rather than the general public.

[aegisx]

The government does not agree with you about demand:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/oil.html

"In the IEO2006 reference case, world oil demand grows from 80 million barrels per day in 2003 to 98 million barrels per day in 2015 and 118 million barrels per day in 2030. Demand increases strongly despite world oil prices that are 35 percent higher in 2025 than in last year’s outlook. Much of the growth in oil consumption is projected for the nations of non-OECD Asia, where strong economic growth is expected. Non-OECD Asia (including China and India) accounts for 43 percent of the total increase in world oil use over the projection period. "

And the FAS:

"World Oil Demand and its Effect on Oil Prices"

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32530.pdf

[AdmiralMartin]

Who needs gas? What we need are Water Powered Cars

[Spectarofdeath]

No, we need a Mr. Fusion.

[AngleWyrm]

AdmiralMartin said:
Who needs gas? What we need are Water Powered Cars

Just one little thing about that: How much energy does it take to run the electrolysis process to separate water into it's componant oxygen and hydrogen? That is the amount of energy that would be released from burning it. Thus it is a no-gainer, just putting the job of generating power into the electrolysis phase.

Can this still be a useful invention? Sure, it could be thought of a volatile form of battery, storing power to be used later.

[Renegade 13]

Ethanol is *not* a viable alternative in the long run. Unfortunately, I don't have the links to prove it, and don't have the time to find it.

Also, I really think that people in the US need to stop complaining quite so hard about gas prices, considering that prices are so much worse in most other countries. Not liking it is fine, agreeing that we're being gouged, hey I totally agree as well. But seriously, your prices aren't so bad, comparatively.

[GuyOfDoom]

Renegade 13 said:
considering that prices are so much worse in most other countries.

It's not worse, it's more representative of the actual price of oil. The US has been able to have lower gas prices because of it's own supplies, but as mentioned earlier the American oil companies are having a field day playing with those in order to rake in more profits and pointing the fingers at "Acts of God."

As for ethanol, I agree, it's not a long-term alternative. I believe the basic chemistry is that you put in just about what you get out of Ethanol making it not a wise choice for fuel. Hydrogen is a likely long term solution but people have to be willing to settle for a different type of fuel economy. To get the standard 300 mile per tank a Hydrogen car would have to be under extremely high pressure or be almost as large as the car itself. The other problem is finding a decent source as electrolysis of water takes too much energy to be efficient.