TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › Ouch - oil and gasoline prices!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Ouch - oil and gasoline prices!

post #1 of 8
10/20/07 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 
The price for a barrel of crude oil passed the $90 mark Thursday, so naturally that meant an immediate price hike at the gas station. These prices are crazy: The average price of a liter of heating oil in Germany is now €00.655 = $.934 = $3.55 a gallon. Diesel is now at €1.23 per liter, meaning $6.65 a gallon. One liter of super is €1.39 a liter, i.e., $7.52 a gallon! This, right in the middle of a rail strike.

I really think governments have to force car manufacturers to make much more fuel-efficient cars.
Reply
post #2 of 8
10/20/07 at 1:50pm
Sadly, China is building its growing infrastructure based on private ownership of cars.

This spike is probably temporary - the concern is a political one. Economic growth in the U.S. and Europe will likely slow as a repercussion of the credit issues, so demand for oil will also slow. The question is, when oil comes back down, will they lower those prices at the pump at the same rate?

But you are so right. I just wrote in another thread that without new energy policies, the IEA is predicting world oil demand will grow by 50 percent by 2030 and gas demand will double. That means the IEA is predicting that world demand for oil energy to consumers will cost $17 trillion.

So yes - new policies are REALLY needed!

Laurie
Reply
post #3 of 8
10/20/07 at 2:40pm
I agree: more fuel efficient vehicles and more public transportation options!!!

I'm really thankful that we moved to NJ after hearing about these gas prices. Michigan was one of the most expensive states for gas, higher than CA most of this past summer. I think when I left it was down to $3.19/gal (a month ago).

The highest I saw today for our area is $2.63, but that was in the "rich" neighborhood. The not so rich was $2.50 average.
Reply
post #4 of 8
10/20/07 at 3:29pm
High gas prices is what pushed Detroit to start offering more fuel efficient cars. OPEC is going to watch the prices because they don't want them to get too high. The last time that happened, sources that were too expensive to develop became feasible. The same thing is starting to happen again here as gas and oil development is taken off at a tremendous pace. Hopefully we don't destroy our environment in the process.

The higher prices also encourages alternative fuel development.
Reply
post #5 of 8
10/20/07 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by katachtig View Post
High gas prices is what pushed Detroit to start offering more fuel efficient cars. OPEC is going to watch the prices because they don't want them to get too high. The last time that happened, sources that were too expensive to develop became feasible. The same thing is starting to happen again here as gas and oil development is taken off at a tremendous pace. Hopefully we don't destroy our environment in the process.

The higher prices also encourages alternative fuel development.
That and the fact that everyone started to buy Hondas and Toyotas when the gas prices went up. Ford, GM, and Chrysler HAD to get rid of a lot of their SUVs or make them more fuel efficient. It's too bad that they took longer to do it then Toyota or Honda.

I know that GM was really trying to push the Ethanol as the alternative for a long time in detroit, but really Ethanol isn't worth it. It takes something like 500 ears of corn to produce 1 gallon of gas...and with the drought we had last summer, that would make the price of gas worse.

I'm also voting for this guy's alternative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ChLaqkm_ME
Reply
post #6 of 8
10/20/07 at 6:38pm
I've found it interesting that last spring and summer every time the price of crude oil went up a dollar or so gasoline prices at the pump went immediately the next day. BUT since Labor day, and until a couple days ago, gas prices have been stuck at about the same price even while crude oil was climbing...climbing....climbing from $75 a barrel on up. It seems to me that if gas prices aren't tracking crude oil prices any more, there's been a disconnect between supply and demand. Which implies the runup from $75 to $90 has been pure speculation driven by the uncertain situation in the Middle East: Turkey & the Kurds being just the latest of a whole string of worries that drive up oil prices. I think oil's making a run for $100 and when it gets there, the specs are going to take their profits and head for the bank. Or in other words, the price will bounce off $100 and head down. This is absent any other new and major Middle East problem.
Reply
post #7 of 8
10/20/07 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
I really think governments have to force car manufacturers to make much more fuel-efficient cars.
But they've been trying to do that for a couple decades. You've heard of the CAFE standards, no? The car companies moan and wail that they can't meet the higher standards, hand out huge campaign contributions, and then the Congress folds and compromises on whatever the car companies want.
Reply
post #8 of 8
10/20/07 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
I really think governments have to force car manufacturers to make much more fuel-efficient cars.
No what they need to do, is force car manufacturers to find other fuels.
I vote for Hydrogen, I am sick of dealing with the middle east. Take away the need for oil. The middle east can go back to killing each other., how most of the rest of the world will no longer care.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: IMO: In My Opinion
TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › Ouch - oil and gasoline prices!