03-17-2008, 11:52 AM
It all depends on your vision of what the future holds.
And, I must say, I'm unimpressed with modern mpg, as my 1959 VW beetle would routinely get 40-42 mpg. What have we learned in 60 years? Certainly a modern engine has lower pollutants, but in terms of efficiency very little has been gained. If you've ever driven a Honda Insight, which will get 50+ mpg, I'd rather drive the VW, as it's a better ride, simpler, cheaper, and for a tall guy like me vastly more comfortable to ride in. As well, as you aren't dragging 600 lbs of batteries, there's roof for 4 in a pinch and stuff else wise. And, it's a car that a average mechanic can keep running. I think we've gone well backwards, actually trying to maintain a lifestyle that will not be sustainable.
So, here's the crux. That gas producer is not a simple thing to build. It must be geometrically fabricated to produce the quantity of gas for the IC engine it's designed to run. It's not a project I expect the average hippy to take on, as I find few with steel fabrications skills AND the ability to hand differential equations. That being said, neither is global economics--and I would expect one who is capable of handling either is capable of handling both--or neither.
I see a future, not far off, with gasoline at 9 to 15 dollars a gallon. From my perspective, still cheap. I'd buy gasoline to power tools at 100 dollars a gallon, as it's still more effective than working with hand tools. BUT, the more significant problem is that there will be a threshold at which demand exceeds supply enough that any supplier simply sells to what the market can bear at the moment. Hawaii will not be the place that wins the bidding war. So, we can start to expect to see interrupted supply, and gas stations will close because their tanks are dry. Don't scoff, already it's common to go to a grocery store and not find bread, or other staples. We're in the center of the Pacific ocean, after all.
And, I must say, I'm unimpressed with modern mpg, as my 1959 VW beetle would routinely get 40-42 mpg. What have we learned in 60 years? Certainly a modern engine has lower pollutants, but in terms of efficiency very little has been gained. If you've ever driven a Honda Insight, which will get 50+ mpg, I'd rather drive the VW, as it's a better ride, simpler, cheaper, and for a tall guy like me vastly more comfortable to ride in. As well, as you aren't dragging 600 lbs of batteries, there's roof for 4 in a pinch and stuff else wise. And, it's a car that a average mechanic can keep running. I think we've gone well backwards, actually trying to maintain a lifestyle that will not be sustainable.
So, here's the crux. That gas producer is not a simple thing to build. It must be geometrically fabricated to produce the quantity of gas for the IC engine it's designed to run. It's not a project I expect the average hippy to take on, as I find few with steel fabrications skills AND the ability to hand differential equations. That being said, neither is global economics--and I would expect one who is capable of handling either is capable of handling both--or neither.
I see a future, not far off, with gasoline at 9 to 15 dollars a gallon. From my perspective, still cheap. I'd buy gasoline to power tools at 100 dollars a gallon, as it's still more effective than working with hand tools. BUT, the more significant problem is that there will be a threshold at which demand exceeds supply enough that any supplier simply sells to what the market can bear at the moment. Hawaii will not be the place that wins the bidding war. So, we can start to expect to see interrupted supply, and gas stations will close because their tanks are dry. Don't scoff, already it's common to go to a grocery store and not find bread, or other staples. We're in the center of the Pacific ocean, after all.