Is an oil free future even possible with current and forseeable future technology?

[dmcowen674]

Sorry Vic but I think plenty of car enthusiasts would beg to differ. Every electric car out there, including the Tesla, is rather boring and underperforming compared to gasoline-powered sports cars. For the price of a Tesla ($109k MSRP) you can get some pretty incredible cars that will trounce the Tesla in just about every test there is. The extreme low-end torque production is a pretty cool feature of electric motors but it doesn't seem to translate into awesome acceleration times. Maybe in the future it will (keeping my fingers crossed).

Please don't misinterpret my post as anti-clean energy. The fact that we'll run out of oil one day is undisputed. I think R&D into alternatives is a necessity. But I don't see a whole lot of hope for car enthusiasts. The options available now are like plain tofu patties when you're used to eating steak.

Go find another planet to pollute in the name of horsepower.

 

[Brigandier]

The Tesla goes 0-60 in 3.7 and runs a mid 12 quarter mile, I think that's plenty quick.

 

[Elfear]

Go find another planet to pollute in the name of horsepower.

Hey I'd be happy if the price of electric cars came down and everybody else went and bought one. You don't think a small group of car enthusiasts would cause a noticeable amount of pollution do ya?

The Tesla goes 0-60 in 3.7 and runs a mid 12 quarter mile, I think that's plenty quick.

I can do the same thing for $45k. Not seeing the incentive yet.

 

[Brigandier]

Hey I'd be happy if the price of electric cars came down and everybody else went and bought one. You don't think a small group of car enthusiasts would cause a noticeable amount of pollution do ya?



I can do the same thing for $45k. Not seeing the incentive yet.

I can find cars for way more than $100 k that perform worse, where's the incentive in that? It's slated as a luxury item/car, people that see you drive it will know you're cool. Cars aren't priced just according to performance.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I can do the same thing for $45k. Not seeing the incentive yet.

corvette?
what else?

 

[Elfear]

corvette?
what else?

But of course. I'm sure there are quite a few other models that will hang with or outperform a Tesla for less money but the Vette came to mind first.

A few others: Nissan GT-R, the Dodge Viper (sadly going the way of the dodo), Cadillac CTS-V, M3 and C63 AMG come close for $65k, 911 Turbo, Rosslon Q1, 911 GT3, etc.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

The fact that we'll run out of oil one day is undisputed.

That is if you believe that it is a "fossil fuel". I'm not saying it isn't but there are some who don't believe it is a finite resource.

 

[bfdd]

corvette?
what else?

There are plenty of cars under 100k that can do 12second 1/4's. 0-60 in under 4 though is impressive and not very many cars can do that. I would still rather take 50k, buy an Mitsubishi Evolution XI or X and build it up. I could definitely do sub 12 1/4's, sub 4s 0-60, all while having better handling and room for 4 passengers.

 

[Elfear]

I can find cars for way more than $100 k that perform worse, where's the incentive in that? It's slated as a luxury item/car, people that see you drive it will know you're cool. Cars aren't priced just according to performance.

You're right, they aren't but the Tesla is marketed as a green sports car. If it was marketed as a luxury car than it would be a different story.

 

[Elfear]

That is if you believe that it is a "fossil fuel". I'm not saying it isn't but there are some who don't believe it is a finite resource.

True enough. I did come across a little absolute in my post.

 

[bfdd]

That is if you believe that it is a "fossil fuel". I'm not saying it isn't but there are some who don't believe it is a finite resource.

Well it is called the fossil fuel THEORY. It's not a law, it's a theory that was widely accepted and more recent discoveries have put dents into that theory, for instance finding hydrocarbons on other planets.

 

[xj0hnx]

I can do the same thing for $45k. Not seeing the incentive yet.

You could easily do it for $10,000. Nothing OEM mind you.

 

[Brigandier]

You're right, they aren't but the Tesla is marketed as a green sports car. If it was marketed as a luxury car than it would be a different story.

Yes, and its performance figures easily attest it's a sports car.

 

[Throckmorton]

That is if you believe that it is a "fossil fuel". I'm not saying it isn't but there are some who don't believe it is a finite resource.

Belief has nothing to do with anything. Oil is finite, end of story. Mushy "no one is really wrong, everybody is a winner" crap has no place in an actual debate about energy.

 

[Throckmorton]

I always disagree with You, but not on this.

I'll also point out that the Rain Forest isn't being cut down to build Housing or other such use of Wood. It is being cut down for Farmland. At least in Brazil, other places are likely using it as Fuel along with Timber Production. Most of the First World has been practicing quite sustainable Forestry for quite some time now.

Not so much farmland as grazing land

 

[bfdd]

Belief has nothing to do with anything. Oil is finite, end of story. Mushy "no one is really wrong, everybody is a winner" crap has no place in an actual debate about energy.

Prove it. Prove it is finite.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Belief has nothing to do with anything. Oil is finite, end of story. Mushy "no one is really wrong, everybody is a winner" crap has no place in an actual debate about energy.

The earth was flat once too, you twit. The point I was making was that it was presented as "fact" when there has been more and more debate on the matter as of late. Nowhere did I put forth the liberal BS of "everybody is a winner" BS.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Not so much farmland as grazing land

Are you on drugs?

 

[SickBeast]

We could have been oil free 100+ years ago with proper planning. Today it's actually harder in a way because we'd have to convert everything over, but the technology has existed for a long, long time.

 

[Modelworks]

If everyone went to electric cars now it wouldn't work. We don't and can't have enough power plants anytime soon . Most power plants are 25+ years old and building a new one takes about 20 years of planning. Add to that people don't want them near them and nuclear power in this country is a joke compared to places like France. Until the power grid and power plants change in the USA , electric cars are a pipe dream.

Best designed electric cars use about 12KW per hour at 55-60MPH. Add 12KW power consumption to every home now that has a gas powered car and you will see how impossible it really is right now. Low average of 10K miles per year per car = 2000KW of power per car. 2000KW is more than a home uses in a month. Multiply that times the number of cars to replace and we would need another 25-30 power plants , big ones, to power them.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

There are plenty of cars under 100k that can do 12second 1/4's. 0-60 in under 4 though is impressive and not very many cars can do that. I would still rather take 50k, buy an Mitsubishi Evolution XI or X and build it up. I could definitely do sub 12 1/4's, sub 4s 0-60, all while having better handling and room for 4 passengers.

define "plenty". please cite sources.
(i can think of 2 or 3)

 

[desy]

Oil, even if it is an abiotic process isn't replenished as fast as man burns it, witness Tar sands and deep water drilling to sate current demand. The hydro carbons found in space are nothing like the long complex strings of petrochemical found on earth

Electric cars can be supported by the grid just using spare overnight capacity and the electric companies would love to sell you power at night to keep their plants running at optimal effciency. Again there is no battery good enough yet.

Take the car debate over to the garage

 

[Fear No Evil]

We could have been oil free 100+ years ago with proper planning. Today it's actually harder in a way because we'd have to convert everything over, but the technology has existed for a long, long time.

Blacks didn't even get full civil rights until like 45 years ago and you are suggesting we could have managed to be oil free 100+ years ago?

 

[xj0hnx]

define "plenty". please cite sources.
(i can think of 2 or 3)

Do you want off the factory floor OEM cars, or can with throw, modified cars, and, hybrid (not the green hybrids) DIY cars in there too?

 

[flexy]

Blacks didn't even get full civil rights until like 45 years ago and you are suggesting we could have managed to be oil free 100+ years ago?

To be "oil free" 100 years ago would've involved some INSIGHT amd FORESIGHT by people.

Now its 2010 and there are still people who believe oil is plenty and global warming doesn't exist......so....