I was recently noticing that cars seem to be viewed by public opinion and media as the ultimate user of Petroleum in the United States and around the world. Why is this?
It seems like cars would only be a fraction of the petroleum usage in comparison to the total usage from all the ships, electricity production, heating, jets ect. People are always talking about how cars that use less fuel will reduce fuel prices and stop our dependence o foreign oil. It is a good start, but just seems a little un-realistic. It seems almost impossible to replace all these other sources of petroleum usage. Any reasons why it seems like this, or is it just me?
People focus on automobile energy efficiency because it is an easy thing to go after, the technology exists, and it really wouldn’t affect core lifestyles all that much. People might have to sacrifice driving a huge SUV for a somewhat smaller vehicle, but they would still be able to drive essentially everywhere. In the grand scheme of things, that is a relatively small sacrifice compared to the benefits.
Aside from that, transportation accounts for 60% of the oil consumed in the US and increasing fuel efficiency for domestic cars and light trucks will have a concomitant effect on the total transportation value. If you could double fuel efficiency for everything, you could cut total oil used by 30% of the total, which is a very big deal.
We should never equate the privilege of driving a big fast car with our fundamental right of freedom of movement. Put more simply, you should be free to go wherever you want, but to do so in a personal automobile that gets less than 15 mpg is a luxury carrying no fundamental right. Even less charitably, consumerism does not equal freedom.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:05 am
There will always be groups of people who follow just whatever happens to be trend without actually doing any real thinking/research. Right now, it’s the "go green!" movement. The reason why cars are often sited is because they are the most obvious. These are things that regular Joes can observe on a daily basis without thinking too much of it.
Something similar happened with the anti-nuclear movement of the 70’s. The funny things is that modern nuclear power is probably the most environmentally friendly and efficient source of power available to mankind.
References :
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:41 am
its extremely unrealistic and youre spot on. Most people who want to stop using oil forget how much their standard of living depends on it.
The thing is, cars are very easy to point the finger at. They get far far more blame than they deserve. There are BILLIONS of dollars of research done by the auto industry every year trying to make them greener and more efficient. They really are just about the most efficient apparatus’s that are used everyday. they are miracles of engineering. The air that goes in is dirtier than the air that comes out, they are extremely efficient, safe, comfortable, and fast.
There are alot of places that there are very large gains to be made for much less cost than the auto industry that just arent pushed. If every home in america had energystar appliances/electronics and flourescent bulbs, it would save FAR more energy than swapping everyones car to a fuel efficient car. And it wouldnt even lose any functionality.
References :
05 WRX STi owner, porsche club of america member and racer, mechanical engineer at toyota, FSAE team member (we design, build and race small racecars from scratch).
I also do lots of research on automotive efficiency.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:19 am
The best way to answer opinion is with fact. Do some research on actual petroleum usage. Don’t forget usage for plastics and chemicals, uses much harder to replace than energy. Natural gas is also a finite resource, but different from petroleum, and more abundant.
References :
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:47 am
People focus on automobile energy efficiency because it is an easy thing to go after, the technology exists, and it really wouldn’t affect core lifestyles all that much. People might have to sacrifice driving a huge SUV for a somewhat smaller vehicle, but they would still be able to drive essentially everywhere. In the grand scheme of things, that is a relatively small sacrifice compared to the benefits.
Aside from that, transportation accounts for 60% of the oil consumed in the US and increasing fuel efficiency for domestic cars and light trucks will have a concomitant effect on the total transportation value. If you could double fuel efficiency for everything, you could cut total oil used by 30% of the total, which is a very big deal.
We should never equate the privilege of driving a big fast car with our fundamental right of freedom of movement. Put more simply, you should be free to go wherever you want, but to do so in a personal automobile that gets less than 15 mpg is a luxury carrying no fundamental right. Even less charitably, consumerism does not equal freedom.
References :
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/analysis_publications/oil_market_basics/dem_image_us_cons_sector.htm