Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Gas Prices Rise, Cars Change

If gas prices go high enough, the incentive will exist to put massive amounts of money and effort into cars fueled by alternative methods. The White House is currently backing an ambitious plan to get one million electric vehicles on America's roads by 2015. That's good and probably politically all they can do, but is it enough? I almost think we need to aim higher.

Here's a NY Times article on it.

14 comments:

  1. I agree that this plan is ambitious, but probably not very practical. Even though gas prices are high, I'm not sure they're high enough yet for the average consumer to switch to an electric car. They are more expensive and charging stations are not as readily available as regular gas stations. For Obama's plan to work on such a large scale, electric cars need to be both cheaper and more convenient than traditional gas cars.

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  2. We have discussed how countries like China and India can skip the gas powered car phase and move directly to fuel cells or electric vehicles. If the US waits, is it possible we could leap to the next generation that follows these technologies? Not that this would be the best solution.

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  3. Actually a really interesting idea, to just wait and then skip ahead, but like you said it probably isn't the best answer. I'm not sure we can concede that enormous a new market to China and India without any fight, especially since they're already poised to economically shoot out ahead of us in the next few decades.

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  5. I feel like a change in transportation infrastructure may be more efficient and practical than a change in the types of cars people buy. Kelsey's right about the fact that the average consumer is unlikely to purchase a new, expensive electric car in response to higher gas prices. However, they would be more likely, if gas prices remain high, to make a switch to some form of public transportation. While infrastructure changes can be difficult (expensive), the rising price of gas may increase public support for mass transit initiatives. Each year, the United States government, as well as state and local governments, spends billions of dollars maintaining highways and roads at their current levels. Yet congestion is increasing constantly. The current transportation structure is unsustainable (economically as well as ecologically) and must be changed. Through the improvement and streamlining of train and air transportation networks, the government could save billions each year while at the same time reducing emissions from cars. It is this, the overhaul of transportation infrastructure in the United States, that we should be focusing on.

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  6. The best statistic I could find for number of vehicles on the road is from 2007, and the number was approximately 250 million. While 1 million additional electric and/or battery powered cars sounds like a lot, is it really enough to put a dent in the amount of gas we guzzle? 0.40% of vehicles on the road doesn't seem worthy of changing our entire gas or charging station infrastructure.

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  7. Paralleling what Martin wrote, I don't believe this solution is sufficient. Electric cars are expensive. What about the poor? Such an initiative would disproportionately exclude urban minorities from benefiting. I recently met a young black man while riding Kalamazoo's Paterson bus line. He is dependent on the public transportation system because his car is impounded. However, he told me that even if/when he gets his car back, he will likely still ride the bus because of gas prices. An individual of his socioeconomic standing would not be able to afford an electric car. So then what happens to those who are most hurt by the rising gas prices? They are dependent on public transportation. Therefore, greater investment needs to be made in that arena so that those suffering the most may experience relief. This could come in the form of lower fares and more effective, efficient routes.

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  8. Some people are actually glad to see high gas prices because it is pushing us to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles and new clean energy (such as electrical cars). One question I have is what do we do with the batteries once they have been “used up” and they no longer work? Will they just be thrown away? Can they just be thrown away?
    Also I think we should care more about the budget. We cannot continue to borrow money at the rate that we are. It seems we no longer understand the value of money.

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  9. Selin has a really good point, that some people will not be able to afford either continuing to pay rising gas prices or making the switch to electric. I agree that public transportaion needs to be improved, and were that to happen, we could actually make progress in reducing our dependency on gas.

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  10. I agree as well with Selin. Our public transportation should be the political means of getting out of this gas crisis. Why change infrastructure and give people the option to buy and expensive electric car when we can improve our current public transportation methods. I also think that people will eventually start carpooling more (even though it is a hassle), riding a bike, and new homeowners will simply buy homes as close as possible to where they work.

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  11. Wow, yeah Selin really does have a good point. I think we should focus more on public transportation and find ways to develop it.

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  12. Someone made a good point today in my Urban Sociology class today. Soon, owners of 1st generation hybrids will be selling those or exchanging them for newer, more efficient ones, creating a market for used ones. Still, however, those aren't as effective and reliable, or entirely affordable for the lowest income brackets. It still seems that investing in public transportation would be more effective -- biodiesel fuel and engines, for example.

    I said in my earlier post that the transit-dependent would benefit from lower fares and more efficient routes, but beyond those issues, they are exposed to more of the harmful toxic waste emitted into the environment by buses. These individuals (urban poor, minorities, immigrants) disproportionately endure effects of environmental damage because they have no better options.

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  13. Pigging backing of of Martin et all, we should focus on increasing sustainable transportation that will enhance urban life.

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  14. I agree with what everyone said regarding improving the transportation structure in America.While the U.S does need to improve and modify its current infrastructure, the importance of fuel efficient cars cannot be undermined.Its true that electric cars are expensive and unaffordable for a vast majority of people, but so is every newly introduced technological system.More investment needs to be put in RnD for fuel efficient and efforts should be made to make it cheaper and affordable for the masses.

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