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Ronald Seto
06-24-2007, 3:00 PM
Gas prices are a big topic these days with politicians and "experts" arguing about how to increase fuel supply(increase fuel consumption), make fuel efficient cars, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. has traditionally done very little about any of these problems in the past until it was too late. We wait until gas reaches 5$ a gallon before anouncing what to do about it. The answer is simple although most people won't like it. Japan and Europe drive small cars and trucks. They get 35+mpg. This is because gas costs so much there. The answer is to adopt the Japanese transportation way. Why do we need gas guzzling SUV's to go to the corner store or take the kids to soccer practice. Most will say, "ther're too small and unsafe". Any vehicle is unsafe when it comes up against a a bigger vehicle, especially at speed. Speed limits on the interstates are 70mph, some 75. Getting from point A to point B, may report an average speed of only 55mph, although we are driving 75 and 80. It just doesn't make sense. What automotive companies are doing anything about fuel economy? The only ones are the Japanese companies and they have been doing this for many years.
This brings up my gripe. There are some mini trucks on the market that are imported as used vehicles from Japan. In Japan, older vehicles are taxed to the point where they are not economical to use any longer. They are still in good shape, but can't be used on our roads because the DOT deems them as unsafe due to their size. They can be imported for use as recreational vehicles only, which they excell at. They are all 4wd, can travel 50 to 70 mph, gets 40+mpg and can carry 1/2 a ton of cargo. They can be licensed for the road, but only ones older than 1980. What's the difference? a 1980 mini truck looks the same as a 2007 mini truck, same size, same economy, maybe a bigger engine. These newer trucks cannot be imported into this country for road use. Why? The reason is the lobbyists in Washington who represent the automotive and oil interests, keep it from happening. If we could get these vehicles, it would sound a death noll for Detroit and oil companies. In truth, they don't want to see cheap vehicles that everyone can afford to own and operate. If we and the rest of the world want to survive, we need to rethink our driving priorities before it is too late. I have driven small fuel efficient vehicles for the past 50+ years. I never had a problem with that even though I'm 6 feet tall. I have owned some large vehicles in the past, but would get rid of them when gas prices were going through the roof. I live on a fixed income, so I can't afford the gas prices. At this moment in time, I can't afford to buy one of the mini trucks($3400). Take a look at them on the web and compare them to what John Deere($10000+) and others have to offer for a similar product. Just type in "K-trucks" or "mini-trucks" in your search engine. It just makes me mad that I'm not free to purchase what I like.:mad:

Pat Germain
06-24-2007, 5:46 PM
I agree, you should be able to purchase what you want. :)

As for the older vehicles from Japan, emissions likely has a lot to do with keeping them off the road. Similarly, if you want to buy a brand new BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen in Germany and have it shipped to the US, you must order the car with US emissions. Otherwise, it can't be registered for the road. The older Japanese trucks would not have emissions levels meeting current standards and upgrading them would not be practical. Older vehicles already in the US are grandfathered.

Our transportation problems go way beyond SUV's. We decided long ago to build highways instead of railways. We are now paying for it. Not only do people in places like Japan drive more fuel efficient vehicles, they have light rail to take them anywhere they wan't to go. Try doing that in LA.

Also, our country is very big and spread out and we tend to have larger families than Europeans and the Japanese. A family of six or more and their gear simply can't fit into a small vehicle. Better they pile into an SUV than take two vehicles everywhere. (Although, having a smaller vehicle for less-than-the-whole-family trips would help.)

Americans are market-based. When gasoline is no longer practical, we will switch to another form of energy. Until then, forget about it. Most people don't give a rip what Al Gore thinks.

I'm pretty tired of all these activists blaming America for everything while wringing their hands about the future. Baloney. Consider this:

- A 1968 Shelby GT 500 Mustang had a roughly 7 litre engine, under 400 horsepoweer, ran on leaded gas, and probably got around 10 MPG.

- A 2007 Shelby GT 500 Mustang has a 5.4 litre engine, over 500 horsepower, runs on unleaded, and owners are reporting over 21 MPG on the highway. This car also pollutes MUCH less than the 1968 Shelby.

Did you know the air in SoCal is much cleaner now than it was thirty years ago? I know this from personal experience. When I as kid in 1975, we sometimes couldn't go outside for recess due to a "smog alert". The air was so bad it was unhealthy to run around and play in. There are no more smog alerts.

Of course, you'll never hear such good news from activists. Nobody is going to interview them if they say, "We have problems, but things are looking up". Nobody will give them a research grant if they say, "The future is promising." Their "non-profit" organizations won't rake in cash if they say, "America has some of the toughest pollution regulations in the world. We have cleaner air, cleaner water and bigger forests than we did 75 years ago." Unfortunately, the facts don't generate enough panic to motivate people to open their checkbooks. Scare tactics do motivate them to open their checkbooks.

Gary Keedwell
06-24-2007, 6:43 PM
Excellent post Pat....couldn't agree more. The air around here has improved every year for over 30 years. We have more clean air rules and regulations then Carter has pills. There's an agenda out there alright....and it isn't pro-american.:(
Besides the gas prices aren't that bad. I do remember when it was $.40 a gal. but I was only making $ 3.00 an hour. Do the math...it's almost the same in todays wages.
Hey, in history there was the cavemen, the bronze age, the dark ages......in the future we will be known as the oil age. Is it really that bad?
We live in the most exciting times in history.....and still we complain?

Gary K.

Pat Germain
06-24-2007, 8:00 PM
Thanks, Gary. We do indeed live in exciting times. We also live in a great country. :)

On the subject of fuel efficiency, I'm very pleased about the buzz surrounding Boeing's new 787 "Dreamliner". Based on what I know, it's going to be the most fuel efficient airliner ever. Although EADS claims the A-380 is fuel efficient, they get their numbers by using a fuel-to-passenger ratio. Since the A-380 carries lots of people, this makes the numbers look good. The fuel-to-distance ratio isn't nearly as good. Boeing has been lining up Dreamliner orders like the proverbial hotcakes. This is good for Boeing, good for the US, and good for the airlines, and good for passengers.

I've also read about technology which converts coal into jet fuel. Yes, coal is still a fossil fuel, and it's non-renewable. However, unlike petroleum, the US has lots of coal. This technology was actually developed by Germans when petroleum was in short supply during WWII. A US company has taken the technology much further. A B-52 has been making test flights with this new fuel and it's very promising.

Volkswagen will soon introduce a new turbo-diesel engine which will get unprecendented mileage while emitting less polution than any other diesel in history.

My state, Colorado, is in the process of building one of the world's largest wind farms. Wind power still has a long way to go, but every little bit helps.

Barry Elder
06-24-2007, 8:38 PM
If I remember correctly, LA used to have plenty of light rail (trolleys or streetcars) prior to WW 2. When Uncle wanted GM to switch their SoCal assembly plant to war materials, GM refused unless Uncle arranged to get rid of non-automobile mass transit. Since every politician in our great country has their hand out to some lobbyist, it wouldn't matter if someone developed a usable steam engine, Uncle would still arrange for us to pay $3 or $4 per gal.

Ken Garlock
06-24-2007, 8:51 PM
Hi, I was just going to mention, and then you beat me to it regarding the Diesel engines in cars.

Today, if you have an extra $55,000, you can get a Mercedes Benz E300 diesel sedan from you local dealer that will deliver 35 MPG on the highway, and in the upper 20s around town. The 2008 model will meet the stringent requirements of the tree hugging states. IF you go to the main M/B website and choose Germany for the location, you will see that M/B puts diesel engines in their entire model line as the standard engine.

ON a related subject, ethanol. If this lemming like rush to alcohol continues, every food product price will sky rocket. Corn is one of the base foods. What do the beef cattle eat. What do people eat? Farmers are growing corn instead of other crops because it is more profitable to sell it for ethanol production. We are going to be in deep brown stuff.

In the past 6 months there have been articles in Discover and Scientific American regarding electricity production. There exists a technology that will eliminate nuclear waste by reprocessing spent fuel rods. There exists a technology called coal gasification that will totally clean up coal fired plants.
Why aren't we doing it? Well, the nuclear fuel rod reprocessing creates plutonium to be used in the reactors as fuel and an isotope of Cesium that decays in a couple hundred years if that long. Oh my, what is someone steals it and creates a bomb. IF they want to steal the stuff, shoot them dead on the spot just like if they tried to get into Fort Knox. Second, the coal gasification process adds about 10-15% more to the cost of a new plant.

Just some more babbling. I really don't care much since I get Social Security. All I want is to be able to live for the next 25-30 years in comfort.