V.L.R.B!!

If we just redistribute taxes so that less $ are collected from property and income taxes, and more $ are collected from general “transportation” taxes (gasoline tolls, etc.), then people will naturally make the decision to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, drive less miles, look for closer jobs, ride mass transit, etc.

Thus, an increase in gasoline taxes can — depending on _YOUR_ chosen lifestyle — result in a _decrease_ in your overall taxes.

Thanks for the link on Flex Fuel Vehicles and ethanol — 3 very important points in it:

“* The majority of FFVs are large vehicles like the Tahoe that get relatively poor fuel economy even on gasoline.

* The FFV surge is being motivated by generous fuel-economy credits that auto-makers get for every FFV they build, even if it never runs on E85. This allows them to pump out more gas-guzzling large SUVs and pickups, which is resulting in the consumption of many times more gallons of gasoline than E85 now replaces….In addition, FFV engines are designed to run more efficiently on gasoline. E85 fuel economy could approach that of gasoline if manufacturers optimized engines for that fuel.”——

In short, because Congress put a big loophole in CAFE, we have to import MORE oil, gas demand and prices are HIGHER, and we’re WASTING our valuable ethanol.

And… Detroit gets to push a bogus “green” image.

I agree on the water problem for irrigating corn — especially if climate change causes drought + higher temps in farming areas.

The obvious (but ignored) solution is higher mpg. That’d cut oil imports, and drop gas prices. It’d make ethanol, hydrogen, nat gas, batteries, etc more feasible, and cheaper.

100 years ago, anyone proposing to commute 25, 50, 100 miles to work every day would have been considered insane. Today, it’s considered “normal.”

It doesn’t matter whether your car runs on gasoline, vegetable oil, electricity or “zero-point energy”: if you drive more than 10 miles one way to work, you’re a fool. Sell your house and MOVE.

Gotta program in stalling and running out of gas …

;^)

Posted by: Ben Huie | October 10, 2006 at 02:57 PM

Ben: It may not have seemed like a big deal at the time, but it made me laugh on what is turning into a semi-crappy day. Thanks.

Lithium is not really all that toxic; in small doses it is therapeutic.

Lithium batteries have great potential, but Lithium itself is a deadly poison, so major incentives would have to be in place to discourage dumping. But, hell, if I had a hundred grand laying around, I would be tempted.

Efficiency problems too.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4024242

I don’t want the ’sound effects’ mentioned above – I want a radar jammer!

I don’t know if you read Hecklers link. It is promising as to storage problems for electricity.

I may have been a bit misleading in the 4 wheel drive thing. I’m don’t know alot about off roading. My optimism was more in where a vehicle could go as opposed to how fast it could maneuver there. I was actually thinking more in terms of remote terrain exploration on Earth and really remote exploration on other worlds.I caught a little of a plan a while back for windmills way offshore in deep water. There they would not spoil any views or harm shore birds.

In order for an electric motor to compete, it would have to be around 200 hp and have a energy system that would make it practical. With todays technology, such a 200 hp, battery driven car would get about 1/2 a block. A transmission could extend the drive to maybe 1/2 a mile. That 200 hp encompasses any combination of electric motors.

There is really not enough of an advance in electric motor technology, nor energy storage, to make it practical.

Which is why high pressure hydrogen, (3000 psi or greater)in large and strong enough containment system to make drives of 200 miles or greater practical, is the problem we should be working on.

Gas should not even be in the energy equation, but it is, and probably will be for another 30 years.

Whether Bush is controlling the price of oil is not worth the time to worry about. I think this administration has shown itself to be incapable of running a country, as has most of congress.

So what do we do? VOTE THE MORONS OUT!!! That includes Tihart and the rest of the business owned servants of the rich, including many democrats. God knows most of the republicans have procrastinated themselves out of office, if this country has any brains.

G

I would not think you would need a transmission with an electric motor unless for some reason you wanted to build it with the power source in one end of the vehicle and the drive wheels in the other. Other than that, only 4 wheel drive vehicles would need a transmission.

OR just while I was typing that, another consideration.Think of a 4 wheel drive vehicle with 4 independent electric motors one for each wheel! With the sophisticated computer control we have today, such a vehicle would be far superior to current 4 wheel drive vehicles.I think we are about to embark into a technological revolution. Maybe this time the oil companies won’t be able to stop it.

Note the new Treasury Secretary, PPT, need to lower inventory, etc

‘Gasoline Price Manipulation Before the Elections’http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/stojan1.html