Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero.

Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gruseom on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @10:47AM (#201008)

My understanding is that this prediction of oil running out (always a few decades in the future) has been commonplace for almost a century. How is it possible to know what will or won't be discovered, either by way of new deposits or new technologies? 30 billion (estimated) barrels were just discovered in Brazil.

I should perhaps add that I don't have much of an opinion one way or the other. I just like being skeptical, and I smell ideology in these predictions.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gnaritas on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @10:53AM (#201017)

It's not about oil running out, it's about supply peaking and not being able to keep up with demand. That's happened, China and India demand is only going to continue rising. Short of some new technology, prices will continue to rise from now on.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gruseom on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:03AM (#201030)

Fair enough, but these predictions have a way of turning out wrong. I think the ideology driving the prediction is the operative factor.

Edit: I'm being too hasty this morning. How exactly does "supply peaking" not have to do with "oil running out"?

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gnaritas on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:09AM (#201036)

Supply and demand are the operative factors, price is up because demand is up while supply remains steady. Ideology has little to do with it.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gruseom on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:11AM (#201038)

I look at who's making the predictions, what else they think, and what agenda they have. From that perspective, ideology has a great deal to do with it.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gnaritas on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:22AM (#201053)

Which means little once the predictions start coming true. Look around, peak oil isn't really a prediction any more, it's happening, demand has sky rocketed beyond what supply can handle. When pieces of sky are hitting you in the head you don't stand around questioning Chicken Little's ideology

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by Retric on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @12:27PM (#201133)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Oil_Prices_1861_2007.svg

Demand trails price and production trails demand by several years and it's related to politics. So it's hard to make real predictions. In the end politics plays a huge role in today’s oil prices and long term we can manufacture it from other sources for less than 200$ per barrel. Granted we use a lot of oil so infrastructure costs are huge so the major players are going to be vary conservative.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by Prrometheus on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:01AM (#201027)

At a certain price, there is always enough supply for the demand.

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Re:Cost of converting entire U.S. to electric cars? Zero. by gnaritas on Tuesday May 27, 2008 @11:08AM (#201034)

Of course, but then you can't expect low prices, demand dictates price which is exactly what we're seeing now.

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