Fuel Prices

[GoThunda]

I was at a restaurant a few days ago. My wife and I went to get our car after dinner,we couldn't find it.At first we thought it was stolen. No,it was in the same place we parked it, only it was swallowed up by 4x4 monsters and SUV's. I counted 20 large mammoths versus 3 small cars in the lot. My question is ,would we have a gas shortage and high prices if it was 3 mammoths and 20 small cars? You be the judge. ED [Go Thunda]

[krisis7]

Its just the gas prices are high. There are supplies located by Exxon and others in the 70's that have not even been tapped yet. There is still plenty, and that is from a company that supplies the refiners.

[MidniteBlues]

We have more oil than we know what to with. We are just not extracting any in this country and we are not drilling anywhere to the level we should be. What you have is the tree hugger movement, environmentalist, politicians and the NIMBY factor not letting drillers do what they do best, DRILL. Unfortunately the politicians will not allow it and block each and every proposal properly planned to not do it. So it is self-inflicting wounds done to the people by our own people. Our continental shelf and Alaska have HUGE untapped resources that would make us energy independent if they ever were allowed extraction to proceed. Also, not 1 new refinery has been built in this country in over 10 years. With that said, it is definitely the NIMBY factor as far as refineries, who the hell wants a stinking refinery close to their homes? You also have the "fear" factor driving these prices to the levels you see today. That is done by the "speculators", opec and the weak dollar.

Demand for oil world wide has been escalating and picking up steam for the last 2 years. China and India with their HUGE population is contributing BIG time with there needs and demands, and our appetite has not waned either. Our lack of building nuclear plants for electricity has been a huge factor, since many current plants use fuel oil to power the turbines. So to claim that it is because of the SUVs is disingenuous at a minimum & a typical response given from the global warming fanatics & tree huggers.

The REAL solution tho to answer all of it, is hydrogen powered cars.. Hybrids etc etc, that is happening, slowly, but it is happening. The question for consumers will then be, do I want to pay $5,000.00 more for a car or SUV using that technology? We will see as they become more and more available.. Stay tune, in the next 3-5 years we should be seeing some interesting stuff.. The problem is, what will gas cost then? $5 dollars a gallon? $10.00? $20.00? at some point we will all know that magic number and get off fossil fuels from running our cars. We have not talked about the semi's? how are they going to convert from diesel to hybrid? They pollute the most IMO compared to our SUV's and cars. I'm ready, I would buy an electric car right now if they were not so dam expensive and more practical, and would prefer a hydrogen powered car instead..--

[Blue Sky Redline]

My sky gets almost 30 mpg my trucks get 15 + or -
I drive the sky and have a permagrin !

[TulsaSky]

Oklahoma is No. 1 or 2 in Natural Gas production and still top 5 in crude oil, but take a drive and count how many pumpers/oil wells are sitting idle. In order to make a profit the crude oil prices have to be at least 75 dollars a barrel to offset the cost of drilling, pumps and maintenance on the well site. No nukes in Oklahoma so all the electric is either from hydro/dams or made by natural gas/coal fired. Oklahoma State University found out our native saw grass makes Ethanol twice as efficiently as corn yet not one plant in the state, go figure heck we don't want to put the oil company's out of business. Its all so political and it will not be changing any time soon, I put a whole lot of blame on OPEC they are the ones controlling the cost. The second reason is just like Mike said, NO new refineries. Big joke here in Tulsa we have two refineries just West of downtown and the Smell is horrible at times, they have in the past when a little accident occurred send off alarms and told residents to stay inside till the cloud passed the populated area. Voters just smashed the river tax so they will not be building fancy condos on the river just .5 miles from those nice refineries we have.

TulsaSky

[GoThunda]

Originally Posted by MidniteBlues

We have more oil than we know what to with. We are just not extracting any in this country and we are not drilling anywhere to the level we should be. What you have is the tree hugger movement, environmentalist, politicians and the NIMBY factor not letting drillers do what they do best, DRILL. Unfortunately the politicians will not allow it and block each and every proposal properly planned to not do it. So it is self-inflicting wounds done to the people by our own people. Our continental shelf and Alaska have HUGE untapped resources that would make us energy independent if they ever were allowed extraction to proceed. Also, not 1 new refinery has been built in this country in over 10 years. With that said, it is definitely the NIMBY factor as far as refineries, who the hell wants a stinking refinery close to their homes? You also have the "fear" factor driving these prices to the levels you see today. That is done by the "speculators", opec and the weak dollar.

Demand for oil world wide has been escalating and picking up steam for the last 2 years. China and India with their HUGE population is contributing BIG time with there needs and demands, and our appetite has not waned either. Our lack of building nuclear plants for electricity has been a huge factor, since many current plants use fuel oil to power the turbines. So to claim that it is because of the SUVs is disingenuous at a minimum & a typical response given from the global warming fanatics & tree huggers.

The REAL solution tho to answer all of it, is hydrogen powered cars.. Hybrids etc etc, that is happening, slowly, but it is happening. The question for consumers will then be, do I want to pay $5,000.00 more for a car or SUV using that technology? We will see as they become more and more available.. Stay tune, in the next 3-5 years we should be seeing some interesting stuff.. The problem is, what will gas cost then? $5 dollars a gallon? $10.00? $20.00? at some point we will all know that magic number and get off fossil fuels from running our cars. We have not talked about the semi's? how are they going to convert from diesel to hybrid? They pollute the most IMO compared to our SUV's and cars. I'm ready, I would buy an electric car right now if they were not so dam expensive and more practical, and would prefer a hydrogen powered car instead..--

Thank you, Hydrogen power is the answer, but right now is the problem. We forget things, when the gas prices are lower. Maybe this times people will start to think? And act on it. As you said,the magic number is???? I was in Kauai Hawaii this year at a sugar plantation.They are just starting to convert the plantation to make Ethel and the by product sold to local power plant to make electricity. They want to make the fuel for the rental cars used on the Island. Those Island people are Smart don't you think? ED [Go Thunda]

[ggccg]

Originally Posted by gothunda

I was at a restaurant a few days ago. My wife and I went to get our car after dinner,we couldn't find it.At first we thought it was stolen. No,it was in the same place we parked it, only it was swallowed up by 4x4 monsters and SUV's. I counted 20 large mammoths versus 3 small cars in the lot. My question is ,would we have a gas shortage and high prices if it was 3 mammoths and 20 small cars? You be the judge. ED [Go Thunda]

Gas shortage? What gas shortage? Do you see cars lined up at gas stations waiting for hours to get a few rationed gallons of gasoline? There is no shortage of gasoline. Prices are high because demand is high and refiners are forced to buy increasingly expensive crude oil to meet the demand.

Gasoline is just one product extracted from crude oil, and there is only so much of it you can get from a barrel, so they end up with surpluses of products like Bunker Oil. These surpluses depress profits on those products. The much sought after gasoline is priced to make up the difference in profits lost by the glut market products.

More efficient refinineries would could also help. We have a couple hundred fewer refineries in the US than we did 30 years ago, and no new ones have been built in quite a few years.

While the man who drives a 6 MPG Hummer will claim that he is not part of the problem (we are all part of the problem), he is obviously more of a problem than the 50 MPG Prius driver, as far as contributing to demand and higher prices.

[krisis7]

Watch for the Hummer Hybrid in 2009/2010

CADILLAC PREMIERS THE FIRST HYBRID IN A LARGE LUXURY SUV . . . Cadillac announced the world premiere of the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s first fuel-saving hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by an innovative, fuel-saving 2-Mode Hybrid system, Escalade Hybrid will deliver more than a 50-percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving — all while delivering the same distinctive style, segment-leading features and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon.

“Escalade, already the sales and style leader among large luxury SUVs, now adds the desirability of a fuel-saving, technically advanced hybrid system,” said Jim Taylor, general manager. Cadillac. “The arrival of Escalade Hybrid means that consumers can now use less fossil fuel, reduce emissions and still enjoy the benefits of a full-size luxury SUV.”

The Hybrid goes on sale in the summer of 2008 and is the newest example of Escalade’s technology leadership.

PS My Hummer H2 gets 14 MPG Hwy / 12 City

[SkyBaby]

I like driving my truck sometimes.... an Avalanche.. with the z71 package... it takes about 90$ to fill... but can go as long as a tank in the Sky.... just costs more... I only drive my truck sometimes.. So, the price of gas isnt that bad when it is just once in a while. SkyBaby

[Blue Sky Redline]

Of course Americans ues a lot of gasoline and other crude oil products.
But we live in a world economy where emerging mega-markets such as China with their 1.3 billion plus people and India 1.2 billion need resources as much as America. THAT is what is driving up the cost of a barrel of crude. It will get pricier too.
So much for economics 101, I'll do my part and drive my R/L as much as possible

[Ernest]

Well here comes winter, natural gas prices are on the rise, gas prices are up, looks like a mods on my cars this winter

I don't mean to anger anyone, but fossil fuels buy my toy's I do encourage everyone to drive and enjoy the wonderful fall weather

[MidniteBlues]

Originally Posted by krisis7

Watch for the Hummer Hybrid in 2009/2010

CADILLAC PREMIERS THE FIRST HYBRID IN A LARGE LUXURY SUV . . . Cadillac announced the world premiere of the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s first fuel-saving hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by an innovative, fuel-saving 2-Mode Hybrid system, Escalade Hybrid will deliver more than a 50-percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving — all while delivering the same distinctive style, segment-leading features and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon.

“Escalade, already the sales and style leader among large luxury SUVs, now adds the desirability of a fuel-saving, technically advanced hybrid system,” said Jim Taylor, general manager. Cadillac. “The arrival of Escalade Hybrid means that consumers can now use less fossil fuel, reduce emissions and still enjoy the benefits of a full-size luxury SUV.”

The Hybrid goes on sale in the summer of 2008 and is the newest example of Escalade’s technology leadership.

PS My Hummer H2 gets 14 MPG Hwy / 12 City

Mine Also I have even seen 15MPG Hwy on trips to Orlando depending on how heavy my foot is.. In the city I average 11.5 to 12.5 MPG, again depends on the foot factor and traffic.. Shut the A/C off and it gets even better. Other SUV's like big vans, Yukons, those type vehicles get as much per gallon as a H2, so it's just not the Hummers, and that was told to me by their owners at gas stations when we exchange that information ... I love my H2, one of the best trucks I've ever owned.. In fact it IS the best vehicle I have ever owned, and the safest.. Because of the fuel costs was one reason I purchased my Sky, but when you have 4 in the family, the H2 is what we use on trips, shopping etc.. So I have the best of both worlds and still do my little bit. And yes I pay the price for the gas, so do many other BIG vehicle people.. That is just a fact of life nowadays, but I get to ride like a King in that vehicle. BTW, when I first bought my truck, gas was only $1.36 per gallon.. Ah the good old days..

[ggccg]

Originally Posted by MidniteBlues

Mine Also I have even seen 15MPG Hwy on trips to Orlando depending on how heavy my foot is.. In the city I average 11.5 to 12.5 MPG, again depends on the foot factor and traffic..

I stand corrected. I should have said something like "heavy footed Hummer drivers getting single digit MPG."

[SKY-DOGY]

Have some Mexican food, washed down with some brews, and followed up with pickeled eggs. Might not smell too good, but ther's some free gas