Date:         Thu, 8 Sep 2005 12:15:07 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: The fuel of choice of the world?
In-Reply-To:  <20050908175105.67346.qmail@web32008.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

--- Tom Sinclair <neeemo@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> This sort of bottom line thinking is a disease
> in this
> country. We've been conditioned from birth to
> put
> everything into dollars and no sense.

So now we should abandon our budgets and accept
any cost we can't afford because it's the "moral"
thing to do.
Conditioned? By whom?  Big-Price Brother?

The key
> is to
> use LESS fuel.  If everyone used 25% less not
> only
> would the price decrease--for you bottom
> liners--but
> we would be less reliant on foreign sources.

Questions to ask:

If indeed we are too reliant on foreign oil,
why is the Alaskan oil being sold to South
America?Yes- it was on my local TV news
yesterday- we are sending oil to South America- I
thought they had their own oil wells?

Secondly , why does'nt the fuel conservation act
re-instate the 55 mph speed limit?

The use -less strategy to lower prices will only
send the surplus to China and eslwhere.

We need to ask why are'nt we exporting more
bicycles, as they are much more used to riding
them than we are- now they all want to become the
world's automobile society? It was great that the
Chinese wanted to western dress, music, etc.
We did'nt see it coming, and from everything
thing I have read, the demand from there and
other places is driving up the cost of fuel.

They have over a billion people- how many
automobiles and trucks will that be?

And do they care about clean air standards?
I'm not aware of it. That will be one giant
so-called greenhouse gas generator.
And we will be the ones riding the bicycles.
I have mine on my bike rack on my Vanagon- just
in case.



> Diesels
> also have the option of running a largely
> renewable
> fuel such as biodiesel. Some intrepid souls are
> even
> making their own biodiesel or running waste
> veggie oil
> rung from the arteries of junk-food junkies.

How many of us have the time, knowledge or
resources to produce our own fuel?

>
> Emissions are an issue, but many modern TDI's
> have
> catalytic converters and are very
> clean--especially
> compared to anything from 1982. I'm looking
> into
> running a "cat" on my TDI if I can find the
> proper
> unit and some room for it. Biodiesel also makes
> for
> cleaner emissions.


Producing fuel from plants is expensive to
produce, more than from oil.

Diesels running on vegetable oil may be cleaner
but right now it's not available. It makes no
sense to promote something that's not available,
as if farmers with government support can provide
all of our energy needs.

It's true that growing plants replace oxygen for
carbon dioxide, that trade-off is missing from
crude oil production and use, but the earth is
full of oil and all the refining technology is in
place.

The real problem is that our energy is a world
commodity, and local energy and products are sold
to the highest bidders elswhere, and we have all
heard the demand is growing in places like China
and India= Supply and demand.

So when talking about lowering the price of fuel
forget about it.
If we could form fuel cooperatives where we all
invested in Biofuel, alcohol and Biodoesel,  how
much would it cost?

And most "green" products are sold at higher
prices, the pitch that you are helping to save
the choking people in Kyoto, or save the snails,
whales, or bales.


Robert

1982 Westfalia
>
>
> Tom
>
> --- Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
> wrote:
>
> > Ok- SO everyone is saying they want a Diesel
> -in
> > your Vanagon.
> >
> > Diesel sells in the Seattle area for $3.12 a
> > gallon right now.
> >
> > I use regular gas @ 2.72 a gallon.
> >
> > I get about 24 mpg if I drive under 60 mph.
> >
> > Your Diesel Vanagon gets 30 mpg, or about a
> range
> > of 480 miles per tank.
> >
> > My gas Vanagon gets 384 miles per tank at 55
> mph.
> >
> > My full tank of 16 gallons costs $43.52.
> >
> > Diesel tankful costs $49.92
> >
> > Diesel saves $6.40 and gives about 48 extra
> miles
> > for that cost.
> >
> > If I fill a gerry can with $6.40 in gas, I
> can
> > extend my range to 432 miles.
> >
> > SO even at the price 0f $3.12 a gallon, you
> still
> > can get an extra 48 miles over the gas .
> >
> > 48 miles , $6.40 in savings , each tank.
> >
> > $50.00 a tank- sounds cheap , doesn't it?
> >
> > When I got my Vanagon in 1995 it cost only
> $17.00
> > to fill the tank.
> >
> > How do they afford it? The world , that is?
> >
> > Robert
> >
> > 1982 Westfalia
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
__________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
> > protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
>
> http://www.TomSinclair.com
>
>
>
>
>
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