If people are going to get wipped out by gas cars and electric cars are too expensive and impratical?

Question

Then does mean this is hopeless for those who don't make as much money and will meet their demise really soon?

If electric cars are not the way out and contining to drive gas cars will wipe them out financially, then unless another practical form of transportation is made, unless there really is a helpful PLAN B, then this is going to be a bad time, this will no longer be the richest contry in the world, and the people who just barely make about minimum wage will soon meet their demise....

Is it really hopeless for those less than rich people??...

Answer 1

No one will be meeting any demise.  Americans are way too resilient.  No one died from hunger during the great depression of the 30's and we are no where near that level of economic trouble.

j

Answer 2

First off who says that electric cars are too expensive and impractical? Technology is addressing these problems at a rapidly increasing rate. New batteries and better forms of electric motors are coming forward every week. Have you ever heard of a Tesla coil and how it is being used today for electric cars? It a very expensive car today, but that cost will come down.

Finally, you say that we (guessing you are in the USofA) are no longer the richest country because of what we pay for oil and gas. Do not forget when we were paying $2 for gasoline the Euros and other countries were paying $5 per gallon. Today we are paying $4.75, but in Europe they are paying $11 or more. It is all relative.

They have been doing this for years, things haven't changed in Europe. But they have changed here rapidly. We are using public transportation much more so than ever. In Europe their cities are not strewn out as our cities. They can use the public transportation systems better. In our northern cities around New York City to Philadelphia to Washington we DO use public transportation better than in other areas. They are better suited for this, like the Euro cities.

Sure we have problems but we are way ahead of whom ever is in second place.

Answer 3

No, I'm a big car nut and I'm confident that even the poorest will continue to live. My 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser runs on vegetable oil, my wifes Ford F-150 runs on natural gas, our Mini Cooper is electric, and all 3 of these cars didn't exactly break the bank. Electric will take over eventually, but that will be a very long time from now. I know we're not the ritchest country in the world anymore, but we have high standards of education and highly motivated thinkers who will surly make a difference. People can't count on the government to take care of all their problems, they have to be like me and take care of themselves to retain their high standard of living. As far as cars go, if we drilled for our own oil and raised the minimum mpg for small cars to 40 mpg, we would be off foreign oil in 2 years. Europe has small diesels that get over 60 mpg. We just need to persue this already existing technology and we'll be just fine.

Answer 4

Electric cars are very practical and efficient, but something everyone doesn't realize is the impacts production have and the impact it has at the end of it's life.

The average production of an electric or hybrid creates about 40 TONS of CO2!!

Or in other words driving a 25mpg gas car for one-hundred-thousand miles!! (100,000)

Then at the end of the cars life cycle, there are the batteries to take care of.  Lead acid and nickel-cadmium are some very nasty stuff.

A single mL of that stuff can contaminate an entire body of water, killing off any life and making it unsuitable for drinking.

The best solution for the immediate future is diesel.

People don't realize that diesels aren't what they used to be.

They're no longer the smoky, stinky, clunky engines of the past.

Just by nature, they're much more efficient that gas engines.

Particle pollution was their main problem of the past, but with ultra-low sulfur and the new catalyst technologies, those problems are gone. (along with the stink)

Then of course their is bio-diesel.

Unfortunately, the big companies seem to be set on producing bio-fuels from corn and soy.

Even though their is algae which produces over 30 times more... but that's another story, and this post is already long enough..

Answer 5

you certainly have a sour view of things dont you? the reality is that while high gas prices have hurt consumers, and in more than just transportation costs, people are adapting quite nicely thank you. more people take public transportation, drive less, walk more etc. this country and its people are far more financially resilient than you think. those that think like you however need lessons on controlling your spending, and getting your priorities straight.

Answer 6

  Practical electric cars can and are being built, mostly by do it yourselfers.The oil guys have successfully kept them out of mass production .This may change. Most of them are not for long road trips, but most driving consists of commuting to work,less than 50 miles ,shopping, and errands etc.

Answer 7

Nobody is getting wiped out by fuel prices.  According to the US Department of transportation the average fuel economy in the US was 17.1 mpg in 2004.  If you drive 15,000 miles per year, that is 882 gallons of gas.  So if gas has gone from $2 to $4 per gallon, that is an additional $1764 dollars a year or $147 per month.  That can hurt, but I wouldn't call it wiped out.

And yes, the US is still the richest country in the world based on GDP.  Using GDP per capita the US is number 8.

Answer 8

go to: http://bwt.jeffotto.com/sr/mfttff.php  click on PICC scroll down and watch the PICC video   then scroll down and watch the HAFC video... cheer up there is a way  

Answer 9

electric cars are not at all impractical...

Electric energy is the cheapest to transport...send it over the wire.

Electric engines are the cleanest and most efficient type of engine.

Generating adequate electricity without the use of fossil fuels is the most challenging part of eliminating our reliance on non-renewable energy.

Photovoltaics are not priced right, for the average family to employ.

Wind energy is good, but only available to limited number of states.

Nuclear is "fairly clean", but produces waste that we don't have a solution to safely store yet.

Sterling engines produce kenetic energy from heat sources, like the sun, and is begining to be used commercially to recover waste heat, but is still mostly out of the realm of residential solution because of the size of the engines.

Magnet motors are unproven, though there are many claims.

Biofuels are promising, but are still a long way away from mass production.

Ethanol is good, but the concern is that it will deplete food crops and cause inflation of food prices...not to mention it is too corrosive to transport through existing pipeline infrastructure.

Hydrogen is clean, but very expensive to transport, and the amount of energy you put in to generating hydrogen is less than what can be recovered through combustion or other means.

There are alot of people working on this right as we speak...

The answer will come soon....

I'm currently working on a DIY (do it yourself) solar panel...and i've managed to get my cost to $1.98 per watt.  I'm building a small 250 watt system, which I will double and eventually quadruple over the next year.

Right now, the REAL savings is in conservation.

For example...practical things you can do to reduce your energy consumption...like solar water heaters, energy efficient appliances, light bulbs, insulating your home properly, planting trees or bushes in front of windows, installing awnings, using liquid cooling radiators for AC systems to expel heat more efficiently into the ground rather than the air, digital thermostats, window tinting, recycling, inflating your tires, attic ventalation systems, installing tile in your home.

the list goes on and on....

as far as transporation goes....American autos are once again lagging behind when it comes to energy efficiency.

Sadly...

Most of the reasonabley priced eco-autos will come from foreign markets over the next decade.