My Opinion on Energy ...
According to an Ars Technica article, the 1984 Honda Civic 1.3 litre CRX obtained gas mileage of 51mpg City, 67mpg Highway! OK, so it's a Japanese auto manufacturer, not a US manufacturer. But, we mandated the criteria auto-makers had to meet to sell cars here in the U.S. Since that time not a single U.S. auto-maker has come close to that accomplishment.
There surely must be some untapped resource or invention to help us learn new ways to fuel our vehicles. Do you really think big oil companies are exploring these alternatives with the fervor entrepreneurs would if given the right incentives? The U.S. government should be funding & incentivizing new energy technologies for us and the rest of the World.
The time is now!
President John F. Kennedy breathed life into the science community and the citizens of this country when he declared the challenge to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's. This country needs that same breathe-of-life of a challenge to incentivize this country's best to develop & master the next vehicle that runs on minimal or no petroleum products.
Torque for hauling
There will be many who are worried with questions like, "How will I tow my boat with a hybrid vehicle?" Rest easy. These new vehicles won't appear overnight. And, until there are comparable vehicles with capacity & towing capabilities, you won't have to sell your truck or car. What you will have to do is endure the higher prices of gasoline if/when we can wean the majority of consumers off of petroleum-based products. Remember, the first automobile wouldn't have been able to tow a boat, so neither should we expect the first alternative-fuel vehicles. But, time and perseverance will improve the alternative-fuel vehicle.
Affordability
Oil products are becoming very expensive to produce and very dangerous to obtain. The cost will continue to rise. If you can afford the high expense of petroleum products in the future, so be it. But, the incentive and low cost of transportation should be aligned in favor of the alternative fuels vehicles. |
