#185 June, 2006

More miles per gallon

... or not, it's your call

Gas prices todayIT WOULD SEEM THAT AMERICA'S "mobile society" has gotten itself into a sore situation and now is turning to the government to bail it out. In the post-9/11 western world, dependency on foreign oil has become the bane of the fuel pump. It's really sad that it took a vicious terrorist attack, an Iraq occupation and a couple of natural disasters to bring people's attention to our unreliable unbilical cord to someone else's oil fields. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Guzzle some gas

Fueled by Baby Boomer nostalgia, Motor City has been pushing "retro" cars. Ford's Thunderbird was probably one of the early ones, with others following suit with revivals of famous muscle cars like the Mustang, Challenger, Charger, Camaro and others. Although these gas-guzzlers seem to be locked in a zero-to-sixty battle at nine-to-twelve miles per gallon, they are purchased by a relatively small segment of the overall market. The real culprits are the light to heavy trucks and sports-utility vehicles (SUV). But you have to remember, there will always be those with either real or perceived need for gas-guzzlers -- and there will always be a market.

less miles per gallon - Americans on the road

But 'cars' are only a part of the problem. Think about air travel. Fuel consumption on the AirBus is roughly 800 gallons per hour. Now, consider that Chicago's O'Hare boasts 2,308 domestic non-stop departures per day, and 108 non-stop international destinations per day. I won't even attempt to calculate that one. But you figure when I fly to Ft. Lauderdale, a 2.15 hour flight, the plane has probably used well over 2,000 gallons of jet fuel.

Moaning and groaning

Gas prices risingFor the past several days I've listened to a lot of hand-wringing, rhetoric from Washington; and oh yes, the finger pointing -- about what to do. They seem to think that raising the "Cafe" rating (That's short for "Corporate Average Fuel Economy ") to 33 miles per gallon in the next ten years is the answer. When all the while I'm remembering back to the late nineties when the very same belly-aching senators and congressmen voted against capturing the more-than-substantial oil reserves in U.S. territories which would have offset as much as half of the foreign oil consumption. Where were they then? Politicians have very short memories.

No Silver Bullet

No matter how much bitching and moaning we hear from the news media, congress and the public in general, there is only one silver bullet -- in my humble opinion -- and that's alternative fuel. Period.

The United States right now has enough unused agricultural land to cultivate alternative-oil crops to begin the shift to ethanol. This seems to be a no-brainer because it utilizes much of the same internal combustion technology manufactured today. What's up with that? Methane doesn't smell very good, but it sure fires up those tractor engines just like diesel.

For some years we've watched the documentaries on public broadcasting about bright young inventors and sage scientists who have made hydrogen powered automobiles a feasible solution. The physical evidence has proven the concept and it's only a matter of shifting research money from raising internal combustion CAFE ratings 3-miles per gallon to making hydrogen a consumer reality. They could do it if they wanted to.

$4.75 Per Liter

The sad reality of this story is that societal outcries won't be heard by the powers-that-be until fuel hits $10 per gallon. In my recent trip to Uganda, we gassed up the safari Land Rover Defender with diesel at $4.75 per liter. (At 3.784 liters per gallon that equals $17.94 per gallon of fuel. The tank took just under 30 gallons for a whopping $538.20 fuel ticket. Are you up to that? )

Europeans and most other economies around the world have lived with expensive fuel for decades. Do you realize we pay more for bottled water? Do you hear anyone moaning about the cost of water? (Eventually they will.) Gas in America will achieve far more lofty prices than we see now. Bank on it.

more money at the gas ppumpAmericans are fat, lazy and complacent. As long as they insist on going away to college, moving away, taking long vacations, commuting to work and spending a quarter of their waking hours behind the wheel, we'll continue to be held hostage by those who have the oil. And, as long as the drive-by media, and Oil-conglomerate politicians have someone else to blame, nothing will get done.

Folks, the government and politicians aren't the answer. Mix a geek, a scientist, an industrial engineer and a kick-butt entrepreneur with a little bit of desire and profit motive, and you'll get it done.

Thanks for reading...

Fred Showker

smile Editor: DTG Magazine and 60-Second Windows contact me !

Further reading:

 

We're here for you

Please take advantage of everything we have to offer. It will only help you in your daily activities. Please also take advantage of all the opportunities that exist in the online community. Ask questions, offer feedback, and contribute your ideas and opinions. We're here for you, and we're all here for each other.

* Back to 60-Second Window
* The Design & Publishing Center
* DT&G Online Magazine

Would you like to carry the 60-Second Windows column in your newsletter or web site? Ask us about our syndication program... join hundreds of others who now publish 60-Second Windows!

60-Second Windows is wholly owned by the Design & Publishing Center, part of Showker Graphic Arts & Design, Harrisonburg VA; in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia -- Copyright: 1990 through present, All Rights Reserved.