If Gasoline Hits 10 USD a Gallon

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Ladogaboy

Don't the higher European gas prices also result from fewer subsidies than in the United States?

Tax.

[Allch Chcar]

I personally wouldn't be either way about it. But I know many people that would personally suffer from it. Here in Kentucky most everything is rural and spread out. It's not unusual to have a 30-60 mile commute to get a decent job.

[Pappnese]

The gas/diesel is about $9.50 a US gallon (14.60 NOK/L) where I live. Both fuels are heavily taxed, gasoline a little more than diesel.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Don't have to develop anything, just buy it off the shelf from European train equipment manufacturers - something like 80% of European rail is electric.

Develop or purchase, sure. But you would still need to implement those changes, which would be a massive undertaking. Purchasing thousands of engines and replacing possibly hundreds of thousands of miles of rail (the U.S rail system runs on a different standard than European rails) is expensive and difficult. It would be easier to actually augment our current technology.

[Frank Lee]

We can not change trains, and that is why they are all coal-fired steam locomotives to this day.

[Superturnier]

Yes, the fuel is heavily taxed in here too. And also every car you own & use must pay annual taxes depending on weight or CO2. But I'm glad about the healthcare & schools & such which we get "for return"
I used to think that it's everyone else's kids that get seriously sick, but the reality taught me a lesson. Anyhow, thanks for the healthcare we are doing quite ok.

I'm glad that a bicycle is still free of taxes.

[drkarrow]

While some say my 6 mile drive to work makes me the perfect candidate for an electric car, even at 10$ a gallon it would still not be economical for me to buy an electric vehicle.

At 10$ a gallon a new gas Nissan Versa would cost me $931 more per year in fuel costs than a new electric Nissan Leaf. But the Leaf costs $24k more than a Versa. So the electric Leaf does not save me money unless I own if for longer than 26 years. And that's even with gas at $10/gallon!

But I still hyper-mile just because I'm cheap.

[merccom]

last i checked nobody liked paying more for anything than they have to for no reason.

higher fuel prices effect us all even if we dont think so directly.

if it cost farmers more money to run the machines that make inexpensive food then food prices go up. same for interstate trucking.

fares will go up on those bus and train tickets that everybody loves so much.

your electric bills will go higher also as it will cost more for the oil and coal fired power plants to do business.

taxes will have to go up because of the additional cost for the state to do business.

people in europe say oh we've had high prices forever and we deal with it. that may be so but european citys were designed around the idea that people walked because most of them have been around since WAY before cars and even trains. most of america on the other hand only exists because of trains and cars.

if you want to use as little gas a possable to "do your part" thats awesome and i thank you for it but saying oh i wish gas prices were 3 to 4 times what they are now so that it changes the behavior of other people is like saying i wish food prices were 3 or 4 times what they are now because i think those other people are fat.

higher gas prices will benefit you in no way. all it will do is divert money that you could have spent on other things into your gas tank and into the gas tanks of those whos services you use.

if you think it will help the enviroment you're still wrong because then it becomes "cheaper" to burn coal and wood. governments would most likely have to ease up on emissions standards for better mileage new vehicles. people will have to continue driving older vehicles that pollute more because they can no longer afford the new car payment. more people will have to make decisions of buy new tires/put brakes on the car/or put fuel in the tank and hopefully they'll have more money next month

hire fuel prices will only hurt everybodys cause

[Arragonis]

Yep - I take in healthcare but I pay in taxes. It all works out.

[gone-ot]

...looks almost like a stale stalemate!