Who Killed the Electric Car - We Did

The 60 Cent Per Gallon Auto GM Rounded Up & Destroyed!
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In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, Brave, Hated, and Scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him. For then it costs nothing to be a Patriot - Mark Twain- .
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Who Killed The Electric Car - We All Did

I watched Who Killed the Electric Car this week. It was an excellent documentary which everyone should watch.

See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. for just some of the post which I have written related to the subjects of global warming, alternative energy, and the US addiction to imported oil. I promise to continue to address this issue as long as I have the means to do so.


J.R. Ewing-Bush Doin Some Haulin In His Pickup Truck
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Oil Politics of Greed Controls US Energy Policy

The United States is led by a corrupt political process, which corrupts anyone who enters it. Big Oil has a stranglehold on the Federal Government's energy policy, which means that the US is more dependent upon imported oil than ever before. It also means that even though the world's supply of cheap light crude oil is rapidly being depleted that no real plan for moving the nation toward energy independence is being contemplated.

The transportation sector represents the largest consumer of oil products. What the nation does now will determine how the US will be able to respond to the coming decline of cheap oil.

Automobiles which are being sold today have a road life of nearly thirty years. This means that any transition from inefficient gasoline guzzling SUVs, Trucks, Minivans, and Suburban race cars would need to begin decades before a transition could be completed. The cost of such a transition would be over a trillion dollars, which means in realistic terms such a transition would not be possible as a result of crisis, or political whim.

The mixture of political corruption in Washington, the United States dependence upon imported oil, and the time which would be demanded to transition away from inefficient automobiles leaves the US extremely vulnerable to a major economic crisis.
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D.O.E. - The Party's Over - The End of the Era of Cheap Light Crude Oil Approaches

At a time when cheap light crude oil is reaching peak production, and therefore demand will begin to outstrip any attempts to increase supply, we see the beginning of a huge increase in demand from nations such as China, and India, which will only put greater pressures on pricing.

Peak production means that in the future supplies will be tighter than ever before, and periods of shortage should be expected. When any material is in shortage prices spike. Oil speculation, and tight production of gasoline, drove gasoline prices to nearly four dollars per gallon in some places in the US recently. In a period of Peak Oil such spikes in gasoline prices will become common, and the general price of gasoline will rise significantly.

In the meantime the US consumer still has a love affair with trucks, SUVs, and Minivans. The US response seems to be, if the world is running out of cheap oil, then let's use it up as fast as possible! It seems to be a national act of insanity, based upon greed, and self interest. Future generations can only be looking back at the people of this time with contempt for what we have done, and what we failed to do.

Not only is it unwise for the US to waste the remaining cheap light crude oil as it is doing through the use of inefficient automobiles, there is also the issue of global warming. The release of greenhouse gases through the burning of fossil fuels has already begun to change global temperatures, and may very well result in major ecological catastrophe such as the melting of the poles, and flooding of coastal cities around the world.

The US response to concerns relating to its oil addiction has been attempts to secure its supply as represented by the Gulf War, and the Iraq War. Like a drug addict the US response has been to crawl back to its supplier, and make certain it can get its fix. The US has shown no concern for the longer term issues related to its problem.

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Is there any solution?

Due to the corrupt political system within the US little will be done at the federal level until it has already become too late. Individual states may attempt to take the initiative, but Big Oil, and the domestic auto industry will fight any agenda which could force a move toward more efficient, and clean automobiles.

We should therefore expect to see the following:

• Gasoline prices should rise slowly to seven dollars per gallon, and higher.
• Gasoline shortages, and price spiking will become common.
• Inflation, tied to economic stagnation (stagflation as seen during OPECs oil embargo of the US in the 1970s) will be seen again.
• Several more wars by the US to secure oil imports.
• A continued decline of the standard of living for most citizens in the US.
• Continued political corruption leading US energy policy

Will this happen tomorrow?

This won't happen overnight. We won't wake up to find gasoline at seven or ten dollars per gallon, but it is inevitable. Nothing will be done by any political party to prevent the disasterous economic crisis which will transpire due to political corruption. Big Oil, and the domestic auto industry controls the US energy policy in the US, and this will not change.

Only when the cheap light crude runs out, will anything change, but before then we can expect significant economic problems to result from the US having waited too long to make a transition from fossil fuels toward renewable clean domestically produced sources of energy.

In the meantime I encourage my readers to watch how Big Oil, our corrupt political process, and the domestic auto industry killed the electric car in the state of California. It's an interesting illustration of just why we won't be leaving Iraq anytime soon, and why citizens of this nation can expect a declining standard of living, and economic uncertainty in coming decades.
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About the Department of Energy Graph Above

Some argue that we have already hit peak oil, but whether peak oil has been hit, or will be in the near future one thing is certain - as the demand for cheap oil continues to skyrocket, the supply of cheap light crude oil will not increase. Prices will skyrocket, and economic disaster awaits any nation not prepared for this eventuality. It will take a nation the size of the United States approximately thirty years to transition from total dependence upon fossil fuels for its transportation industry, yet no preparation at all is being made. The United States is being held hostage by oil interest.
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We also need to blame ourselves

Here's a link about how we can help reduce our nation's oil addiction.