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Date:         Thu, 8 Sep 2005 12:48:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Tom Sinclair <neeemo@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Sinclair <neeemo@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: The fuel of choice of the world?
In-Reply-To:  <20050908191508.68815.qmail@web33515.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

--- Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> 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?

Conditioned by the dominant corporate culture where little matters but the bottom line. What budget? By your own figures diesels are cheaper to run. The fuel is 15% more expensive, but they get 25% better mileage.

> > 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.

All good points that have nothing to do with my argument. Why are we selling oil to other countries? See above: "Dominant Corporate Culture" > > > > 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?

Biodiesel is becoming available all over the country--even here in backward, redder than red Idaho.

> > 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.

More bottom line. How much have/are wars over oil going to cost?

> > 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.

Right--supply and demand. Less demand=less cost.

> 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.

I love snails with garlic and butter.

Tom

> > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > > Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina > > relief effort. > > http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/ > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief > effort. > http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/ >

http://www.TomSinclair.com

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