Using coal to power our vehicles?

[Dana]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/905391

So, let me get this straight.  We're going to use ANOTHER fossil fuel as an oil substitute???

I'm not sure how much coal we have in the US, but it seems like a step in the wrong direction.  Oh and you think "Big Oil" won't have their hand in it somehow, raping us yet again?

Oy vey!

[ROBsS4R]

Don't we already use coal indirectly to fuel are vehicles 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel_power_plant

Starting tomorrow I am biking to work.

I will be moon lighting between a motorcycle for long distances and short trips using the Bicycle.

[Ducatiloo]

Well I'm just going to use my Green Electric Car.   If I can't see the power plant it doesn't count against my carbon footprint right? 

[sno_duc]

  Oh and you think "Big Oil" won't have their hand in it somehow, raping us yet again?

"Big Oil" does not set the price for crude oil, the Consumer DOES.
If world wide consumtion was 50% of supply the price of crude would drop like a rock, can you say $5.00 a barrel.
When demand is 101% of supply the price goes up.
If you want cheap crude oil cut your usage by 50%. If enough people do this the price will drop.
Look around your average mall parking lot. How many thousands of pounds of vehicle do I need to haul my fat arse and a couple of sacks of groceries home ??

[NAKID]

Really? Then how come the "oil execs" are telling us that oil is expensive because of increasing cost of production?

[ROBsS4R]

11.7 Billion Profit a Quarter 

I want to be a Ceo in that company 

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/01/news/companies/exxon_earnings/

[NAKID]

11.7 Billion Profit a Quarter 

I want to be a Ceo in that company 

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/01/news/companies/exxon_earnings/

No no no, but they "re-invest" that money into newer technologies and other shit like that 

[sno_duc]

Really? Then how come the "oil execs" are telling us that oil is expensive because of increasing cost of production?

There is also a world wide shortage of steel.
Quess what drill stem is made from??
In fact anything oilfield related is on a multi-year waiting list.

[sno_duc]

I'm going to bed been up since 4:30 am.
We'll pick this up in the morning.

[NAKID]

Night...

[OwnyTony]

"Big Oil" does not set the price for crude oil, the Consumer DOES.
If world wide consumtion was 50% of supply the price of crude would drop like a rock, can you say $5.00 a barrel.
When demand is 101% of supply the price goes up.
If you want cheap crude oil cut your usage by 50%. If enough people do this the price will drop.
Look around your average mall parking lot. How many thousands of pounds of vehicle do I need to haul my fat arse and a couple of sacks of groceries home ??

Yes, simple supply and demand but you forget that Oil is a very non-elastic good. Unless we can "sustainably" find an alternative to cut down 50% of our oil usuage, then the price of oil will go down, consumption of it will go right back up because it is cheaper and our demand for it never really changed, thus the price will go back up.

Its like saying " lets drink 50% less beer so we can crash the price of beer so that we can buy more of it cheaper later". Unless you can really REALLY just all of a sudden drop your desirablility for beer by 50% and keep it that way FOREVER, (and i argue that you most likely can not) than the price drop is temporary.   

[sno_duc]

I won't argue that most DMFers like their beer , we do. But we don't waste it.
I drive a VW NB 1.9 TDI most fillups the mileage comes in at the mid 40s mpg, if I'm really mellow I get low 50s mpg. ( I have a heavy right foot )
When I look around I see a lot of big SUV's hauling loads that would easily fit in my bug.
We will never cut our consumption 50%, but if enough of us choose to drive smaller vehicles and live in smaller houses we can get the supply demand curve to flatten out.
The 'Pogo' quote about who the enemy is comes to mind.

[Pakhan]

Well I'm just going to use my Green Electric Car.   If I can't see the power plant it doesn't count against my carbon footprint right? 

exactly!  Out of site, out of mind.  With all these concepts for "clean fuel" for cars it's funny how most don't concern themselves with where that new alternative fuel comes from and the pollution from making it.  In the US we make a considerable amount of electricity from coal.

[lethe]

About a third of my electric company's power comes from non-fossil fuel sources.
When they put up some of the windfarms people pregnant doged though, I think they look awesome.

[desmopr]

There is a shitload of coal in this country.  I think that's one of the main reasons our powerplants are so high in emissions.  Nuclear power all the way imo