wonderful gas prices

[kovemaster559 5,000+ posts]

we should find a way to put car audio in smart cars its a good idea

 

[bad_trip 10+ year member]

i started leaving the pumps lying on the ground after filling up just to show my displeasure. it's all i feel i can do as one single person, without having the money to buy a more efficient vehicle.

 

[Injected54 10+ year member]

I don't think theres too much room in those cars, is there?

Maybe some shallow subs in a small box rest shouldn't be too hard.

 

[bose301s 5,000+ posts]

I feel I must address some statements on here from an engineering and scientific standpoint rather on the standpoint of economics, because as much as economists think they know things, really, they can't do squat if we can't engineer it.

As for burning fumes increasing gas mileage, incorrect. We already only burn fumes, gasoline is only flammable in a gaseous state, it evaporates then burns, light a can of it on fire, it burs slowly from the top.

We still have a good 60-70 years of oil left, they have been finding more deposits of it and also producing it in new ways from things such as oil shale and the like. However, this is not to say we need to stop worrying about running out now, we definitely don't. Ethanol is a fair stop gap, as long as it isn't corn ethanol. There are many new ways to make ethanol in the works, one of them being switchgrass which produces much more ethanol per acre than corn. There is also ways to harvest oil from algae. New ways to use algae to filter CO2 from smokestacks are being investigated, the algae takes the CO2 from smakestack emmissions bubbled through water filled tubes and the algae grows. It can then be harvested everyday and made into oil to be used in cars and other vehicles.

Electric cars are the future in some form, whether it be hydrogen fuel cells or cars you charge at home. As of now the USA has enough coal to power our country for 200+ years. This energy can be used to make hydrogen cheaply for new cars now while we research alternative fuels for electricity production. Also, electric engines are not nearly 99% efficient, 85%-95% at best, even transformers, a lot like engines bit hve no moving parts, are aroung 97% and that is without moving mechanical parts as stated. Another thing that is being worked on heavily is batteries with increased storage capacities and the ability for quick discharge like a capacitor. They have made headway on them, but there is still a lot to be done. The biggest advances coming for electricity are solar/thermal and wind. As of now wind turbines re in the ~50% efficiency range, if we can increase that to ~80% or so we will have a lot of power. Also, the Sun provides the Earth with enough Solar energy everyday to power everything on Earth for years to come, and thats in a single day. If we can harvest that we are set.

So, in the end this is not going to come down to the economists, it is going to fall on us engineers.

 

[Vipervenom18 10+ year member]

I feel I must address some statements on here from an engineering and scientific standpoint rather on the standpoint of economics, because as much as economists think they know things, really, they can't do squat if we can't engineer it.
As for burning fumes increasing gas mileage, incorrect. We already only burn fumes, gasoline is only flammable in a gaseous state, it evaporates then burns, light a can of it on fire, it burs slowly from the top.

We still have a good 60-70 years of oil left, they have been finding more deposits of it and also producing it in new ways from things such as oil shale and the like. However, this is not to say we need to stop worrying about running out now, we definitely don't. Ethanol is a fair stop gap, as long as it isn't corn ethanol. There are many new ways to make ethanol in the works, one of them being switchgrass which produces much more ethanol per acre than corn. There is also ways to harvest oil from algae. New ways to use algae to filter CO2 from smokestacks are being investigated, the algae takes the CO2 from smakestack emmissions bubbled through water filled tubes and the algae grows. It can then be harvested everyday and made into oil to be used in cars and other vehicles.

Electric cars are the future in some form, whether it be hydrogen fuel cells or cars you charge at home. As of now the USA has enough coal to power our country for 200+ years. This energy can be used to make hydrogen cheaply for new cars now while we research alternative fuels for electricity production. Also, electric engines are not nearly 99% efficient, 85%-95% at best, even transformers, a lot like engines bit hve no moving parts, are aroung 97% and that is without moving mechanical parts as stated. Another thing that is being worked on heavily is batteries with increased storage capacities and the ability for quick discharge like a capacitor. They have made headway on them, but there is still a lot to be done. The biggest advances coming for electricity are solar/thermal and wind. As of now wind turbines re in the ~50% efficiency range, if we can increase that to ~80% or so we will have a lot of power. Also, the Sun provides the Earth with enough Solar energy everyday to power everything on Earth for years to come, and thats in a single day. If we can harvest that we are set.

So, in the end this is not going to come down to the economists, it is going to fall on us engineers.

This is also true.

 

[notoriousroc1 10+ year member]

no doubt //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/verymad.gif.3f39c5c2fd57527b671fad3efdfac756.gif There also taking anolog cable away so everyone has to purchase digital boxes that really sucks for those who cant afford digital on a month to month basis. I know of a few that only have basic cable and those are retired old folks //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/furious.gif.fc81ca146dbff91fede3ed290dbc4f4c.gif We need a change and I dont think any current candidates can do that. They should pick a bum that is homeless and make him president //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

That's already been accomplished.

 

[smd4life 5,000+ posts]

gas sux....everyone drive slow...

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

thats FVCKED UPCali is always more than IL but here in the little town im in its 3.89. in springfield its 3.92 at most places

Most of the stations around here are $3.95+, but chicago and the suburbs have always given everyone the shaft. I did drive past a few that were $3.89 though.

One of the stations near my work has the audacity to charge $4.19. They are always at least 10-15 cents above every other station. Today I saw nobody get gas from them. Hopefully they will get the hint.

 

[blkbeater 10+ year member]

3.99 here in good ol detroit, and i use plus so i pay 4.09 this blows

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Hydrogen only contains 1/3 the energy of gasoline per unit of volume. Good luck keeping it chilled to liquid form...

Maybe you could freeze it to a solid and let it sublime...either way...expensive.

Solar / coal = ftw

 

[4runnercrazy 10+ year member]

Hydrogen only contains 1/3 the energy of gasoline per unit of volume. Good luck keeping it chilled to liquid form...
Maybe you could freeze it to a solid and let it sublime...either way...expensive.

Solar / coal = ftw

not coal, have you seen china? its like San Jose but 100X worse

 

[Psycareyo 10+ year member]

In the last year I've done so much more with my life because the price of gas has gone insane.

Instead of waiting in fast food lines with the engine running I parked and went inside. That saved me a pretty shocking amount of fuel everyday. From there I got annoyed with having to go in and eventually started buying healthy food and prepairing my lunch at home the night before. I've lost 22 pounds so far and I feel better than I have since I was in college.

I've completely stopped needless trips. Unless it's an emergancy I save my running around for my way home from work.

I don't run to the gym at all. The membership money I saved bought me an Eliptical that I used every day at home while watching TV.

I only buy gas from a local Sunoco station that has special sales on Thursday. 5 cents off per/ gal. In addition to that I buy most of my meat there. They run a special where in the event that you buy 1/2 pound of competitively priced ham or turkey they discount gas 20 cents per/ gal up to 20 gal. So it works well for me. They are one of the cities premier meat markets so I don't mind at all.

I used to only fill my tank to half. Filling to full means your burning gas to hual gas. Whats the point? I get better mileage filling only to half. The downside is that everytime I fill up gas costs more and more and more so I don't do it as much as I did because I don't think I get the same return.

I use coupons now. I never did before but I've saved hundreds of dollars a month with them. My wife and I make it a fun game cutting them out. As a result of getting better deals with coupons we cook together more now and we feel closer now than the say we married. You would be surprised how much more turned on a woman is when you cook together!

We don't eat out more than once per week. Originally we wanted to drop it to once per month but I like the socializing for business. It has a good return. That was the hardest thing to curve.

I recently sold my F150 that got me a net 7.56 MPG city and 10-12 highway. I bought another V8. A much nicer veicle and it gets double the fuel economy my jacked up F150 got. I don't feel bad about driving it at all. In fact, I'm bothered less by the cost of gas because I'm driving something I greatly enjoy.

Gas still cuts into my life more than I'd like it to but there is very little I can do other than reduce my fuel consumption. If everyone else in the country did this the demand would go down and prices should fall. The economy would strengthen. That is an economic fact.

In short, even if you don't feel the gas crunch as bad as others you should do whatever you can to reduce your dependence on oil. It adds up so fast you would be amazed. You can do your part without having to drive a V6, 4 or a moped.

 

[jdawg90 10+ year member]

3.65 here... the gas station 50 yards away from the apartment was 3.52 but it jumped to 3.70 overnight.