Image: Svadilfari

But what about gas prices? Today the NYTimes reports that oil prices have fallen below the $70 mark for the first time in 16 months. With the markets spiraling downwards, I doubt that many people have looked at the price of oil recently, but it has been on a steady slide since it reached its peak of $145 this summer.

I’m sure most of you remember watching oil prices carefully at the time, what with gas prices soaring to over $4/gallon nationwide and many people cutting back on driving or learning how to ecodrive. However, what you might not be noticing is a fall in the price of gasoline that corresponds to the radical decrease in the price of crude. Oil has fallen because consumption looks to be lower in the future due to the current crisis and possibility of economic recession.

While the Times talks about how these rapid swings in crude oil prices could destabilize the world energy markets, what they do not talk about is how these lower oil prices will affect consumers at the pump. I’m not a fan of cheap gas from an environmentalist perspective, but it’s hard not to notice that the price of gas in my area has only dropped about 50 cents (~13%) in the same period that the price of crude oil has dropped more than %50.

Is this more evidence of price gouging or do you think something bigger is going on? If so, what? Let’s here what you think in the comments.

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Automobiles, Where To Now

by Jud Engels Jan. 20, 2008

This is the first in a series of chapters on the future of automobiles. As an introduction, this first article is setting the stage for the investigation of future options for the automobile. This is an interesting subject to many, of which there are many opinions.

Pressing problem: OIL I think that everyone will agree that we have to find a solution to fossil fuels. Without a doubt, oil will run out. Some think it will run out sooner than later. See peak oil here. Unless we want to go back to horses, we need to find a solution to replace oil.

Historical Perspective: This is not a new problem. If we think back prior to the 1800’s, the primary fuel was wood. There is a good article here about the historical deforestation of the world by humans. We (humans) were in the process of deforesting the world. In fact much of the eastern US was devoid of forests by the American Civil War. This picture, VA. I have been to this place, and it is now all grown back with trees, but at the time of the Civil War, most of the trees had been cut down. Wood was replaced in the industrial revolution by coal. This was good for the forests, but as everyone knows bad for air quality not to mention greenhouse gasses. Then there is the Whaling issue. As we all know, whales were hunted almost to extinction for there oil. In 1859 Edwin Drake drilled the first “oil well”, and started the whole oil industry. This essentially enabled automobiles to develop to where they are now.

In summation fossil fuels are but a stepping stone in the advancement of engineering and transportation. The question is what is the next step.

Review of Automotive Fuel:

Fossil fuels: Up to this point, most automobiles have used gasoline or diesel fuels. As we have seen, there is a finite supply of all types of fossil fuel. Additionally there is the environmental issue. Additional finds may be available, but the price is sure to go up. The good news, is that they are not going to run out immediately, but will last a while longer. A proven good provider for fuel for automobiles

Batteries: Some of the earliest automobiles were battery powered EV’s. This is a brief history of the electric car. Although some of the earliest cars were EV’s, they fell out of production around 1900. The major advantages are: very little pollution, no greenhouse gasses, and little mechanical maintenance.

Next Chapters:

Future Automotive Fuel Options:

• Internal Combustion Engine
• Gasoline:
• Natural Gas/Propane
• Hydrogen
• Diesel
• Bio fuels
• Electric
• Batteries
• Ultra Capacitors
• Fuel Cells
• Compressed air