Why won't americans realize that we need an alternate fuel source?

Question

Why won't americans realize that we need an alternate fuel source?

Answer 1

Yes we need alternate fuel sources.

but they need to be responsible alternate fuel sources.

making ethanol from corn or any other bio-fuel from food crops is counterproductive and outright dangerous

also displacing food crops is bad

hydrogen fuel cell systems will meet with the same problems.

there are fuel cells that do not use hydrogen that will be a much better alternative.

# Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM)

# Phosphoric Acid

# Direct Methanol

# Alkaline

# Molten Carbonate

# Solid Oxide

# Regenerative (Reversible)

# Fuel Cell Comparisons

many of these can use liquid fuels or other gases that are already in th system that can be pumped with the existing filling station equipment.

that means that they can come on line faster with less expense.

also most produce  a lot more energy per unit volume then hydrogen and at a lot lower cost.

as it stands now the cost per energy volume for hydrogen is about equal to gas at $50 dollars per gal.

http://www.dotynmr.com/PDF/Doty_H2Price....

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8365544

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/32525....

http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/T...

http://www.danlewis.org/images/Power%20E...

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/20...

Answer 2

h**l I've been wondering that since the 1970's and the 1st OPEC embargo.

Answer 3

we realize this and have since 1973.  I paid 99 cents a gallon only 10 years ago before china and India started buy oil. it's only been a real crises in the last few years, so when you see some viable cars with torque come out that are not powered by gasoline, i wil be first in line. however, until alternate fuel is 3.50 a gallon, gasoline is still the cheapest. it wont be long though. necessity is the mother of invention.

Answer 4

Until and alternative is found that can compete on economic terms with oil and gas, there will be no widespread use of alternative energy.  This is simply the way the real world works.  Most people are not prepared to pay more for energy just because you think its a good thing.

Answer 5

Nobody wants to pay higher prices for a less reliable fuel source.  We have had over 100 years to perfect getting energy from oil.

How is this America's problem?  The rest of the world uses the same oil we do.

Answer 6

I have,I burn wvo in my diesel.Something told me two years ago to research wvo,and buy the best engine.

Answer 7

It will never happen until a source is found that is more profitable than oil

Answer 8

Because we don't.  Traditional oil is the most abundant, most efficient, and cheapest fuel we have.  And I know someone is going to say it's running out to which I say, you're absolutely wrong.  Jimmy Carter said in the 1970's we'd run out of oil in 10 years, and here we are still up to our eyeballs in it.  Alaska is brimming with the stuff.  A vast reserve was just discovered in the American West.  It's very abundant.  And while the cost is high right now because of various reasons ie China and India buying more driving up the cost and the weakened American dollar, it's still cheaper than ethanol since ethanol is loaded with government subsidies.  It also requires more energy to produce than it yields, making it inefficient and counter productive.  So, we don't NEED an alternative source.  We should get one though if the free market demands it.  If that happens, the market will provide.  Until then, we're just fine with oil.

Answer 9

The media man, that's one of the main problem, we seem to think that our local and cable news brings us the truth every night about whats happening in the world and our country. we need to find alternative news like www.democracynow.org and others that brings us a different look on the world which our regular media does not give due to their misunderstood need to save face i guess in showing us whatS really going on.

And we have to also show these folks that are greedy for money, that we demand that they bring us these fuel cell cars, SUV, trucks, etc. Honda has a fuel cell car that is now out in certain places of California, go to Honda.com and read about it, BMW has a whole fleet that's waiting for mass production which they drove across the U.S. but because we are too distracted by our bills, so called reality TV, our endless search for what we think is pleasure, and we are afraid of our government or the law, so we are even more hesitant when it comes to getting out and protesting, and of course the food we eating is preventing us from coming to together cause we don't trust each other, and to make matters worst when we leave college we are in debt, our wife or girlfriend is too, then we have to get a car, and a house.

So we are now in more debt and boy does these corporations(jobs) love that because we are even less willing to complain about our situation. BAD HEATH CARE FOR EVERYONE, BAD FUEL VEHICLES, BAD ROADS, BAD INSURANCE COMPANIES. we can also buy the cars that are more fuel efficient they are usually a Honda or Toyota. The American made vehicles are at the bottom, and these bio fuels are no good at all they are just as poluting or more harmful to our environment than oil or gas.

Answer 10

That's right, it's all American's fault.

We really don't.  There are 100s of years of oil known to exist right now, and many hundreds more available from Fisher-Tropsch conversion of coal into oil.  It's all political.  Thumbs-downing me won't change that.

Answer 11

I think everyone of us americans realizes that fact, it's just most don't think about it. Most don't care about. Yes alot of us are sick of the gas prices for cars and household heating but most people don't go, "Hey we need to find a different fuel source!" Most people just say, "Why won't these prices go down!?!?"

Not to say that your question is dumb or anything, it's a very good question why we haven't been putting more resources into finding a more abundant, or cleaner, or renewing energy source. Heck if enough people are moved by this question we could all march down to our statesmen and ask what the h**l is going on.

Of course, this question could be sent to your congressmen which would have him think about it atleast. Make sure to get a bundle o' signatures on it, that way they'll know it's on the people's minds.

Very nice question by the way, sorry I didn't do to much answering lol

Answer 12

they do, but they will continue to use fuel for a while

Answer 13

Fossil fuels are much cheaper.

Answer 14

I don't know

Answer 15

Because they are not well-informed. I don't blame the american people- I blame the american politicians and the media who has made it harder for the common masses to get quality news and stay well-informed. They don't want the masses to get smarter, because then they can't hookwink the masses and implement policies that work in the politician's favour

Answer 16

Why we will never run out of fossil fuels. The plants are recycling it right now. All fuels produce CO2.

Answer 17

We realize it. The idiots in D. C. don't get it.

Answer 18

The problem isn't realizing that we need one, the problem is it's too expensive to make any large scale changes at this point in time. Petroleum based fuel prices haven't actually risen enough to economically justify a major switch on a large scale. It would cost the US economy more money to adapt to another major fuel source than it would to keep paying the crazy gas prices for a few more decades.

Take E85 for example, the current national average is $2.78/gal while the current national average for gasoline is $3.27/gal.--you're looking at a %15 price reduction for switching to e85. BUT! Gasoline provides 47MJ/kg of thermal energy while e85 provides less than 32MJ/kg--a %34 reduction in energy. Realistically, e85 is currently a ripoff compared to gasoline and the same can be said about all of the alternative fuels currently being proposed.

Also keep in mind, the prices of alternative fuels are ultimately a product of the supply and demand of petroleum (right now). Until a CHEAPER alternative is found or the energy prices get high enough for an alternative to APPEAR cheaper, corporations/people will not be willing to make a switch.

Answer 19

Big oil has everyone buffaloed including car manufactures.  The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Answer 20

Because we really don't currently.  Americans live in the present not the future

Answer 21

Have you ever tried riding a bike on American roads??

Answer 22

Americans do realize it. It's just that we are allowing the free market to work.

Ethanol is not the answer by the way. It is driving up food prices. (The weakening dollar is also responsible for this.)

What I cannot understand is why Geo-Thermal energy isn't being pushed by anyone. It makes so much more sense over coal-fired plants and will cost less to start up and do a heck of a lot less environmental damage, with no emissions and little impact in setting up the "well".

If more public utilities that are now investing in solar and wind (which are a lot less efficient and actually cost the consumer more) would consider using geo-thermal, I think we could get more people off of heating oil and help alleviate high gas prices a little.

Answer 23

Because most Americans are ignorant and expect oil to be found over and over but eventually it will be depleted. Also it doesn't help that oil companies make the "MOST" profits in the world. It's sad really. Also, more people will buy electric vehicles once they go down in price.

Answer 24

two words...oil companies

also...there not exposed and there idiots

Answer 25

at what price should we pay and how many lives will we be willing to sacrafice in order to attain this fuel?   since the liberals have screamed and complained about this problem we now pay over 2 dollars for a dozen eggs  over 5 dollars for a gallon of milk   potatoes are up some times double what they were so tell me how and what is to be sacraficed to find this source.   also why should the government subsidize the ethanol business?  if this is so simple why aren't privite business striving to find different sources?  maybe it is because of the sacrifices that will be needed to find a source.   people are crying that people all over the world are starving but yet they see no reason to pay higher prices if it will find another source.        go figure.    we now want to do away with plastics   well i can remember when these same eco freaks wanted plastics so that we would save trees well we are saving the trees while people go homeless so now we do away with the evil plastic for what?  cloth bags made out of cotton or wool or wood products and then what happens when we run out of sheep and goats   do we then go back to paper?   sounds kind of rediculous to me.     i have no answer to this problem other than sometimes we should leave well enough alone.      mr  doodles

Answer 26

Amen

and alternative modes of transport and energy

They put out all these futuristic movies with floating bikes, anti gravity ,Cristal power what ever.

but remain doggedly addicted to the primitive internal combustion engine

We have fantastic technology in the distant past

check the story of Baalbeck

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_ba...

Translated Sumerian hieroglyphics by  Zacheria Sitchin reveal that a very high technology existed in the dawn of Human existence on this planet,

But they are shoved under the carpet,because they contradict religious scriptures

If we are so clever

why can we not find out how these guys

did stuff like this

what energy they used

how stones weighing 2000 tons  each ,were used like leggo blocks

And they did not use petroleum ,Could it have been nuclear energy ,and anti gravity

Could it be that Humans dependence to gasoline still provide nice profits for those who sell it.

Answer 27

They are too busy believing the oil companies have conspiracies against them, so they continue to buy their SUV's.

Answer 28

Who says we don't? The problem is, it's still easier to fill up with gas, no matter how expensive, than to knuckle down and do the research, choose a system, convert to it, then worry about where you're gonna get your hydrogen/ ethanol/ biodiesel/ CNG/ whatever.

Answer 29

we do recognize that we need alternate forms of energy, the problem however comes in where people expect the alternate energy forms to be available now despite the fact that there is little or no infrastructure in place for using alternate energy forms.