Around this time every year I get a multitude of email (facebook, friendster, instant messenger) messages telling me not to pump gas on a particular date.
This year the date is May 15
th, and supposedly if enough people don’t pump gas on that day, it will cost the oil companies billions of dollars.
This is all done in an attempt to get oil companies to lower the price of gasoline.
Well I hate to burst the bubble of millions of Americans, but it ain’t gonna work!
Here’s why: If people top off their gas tanks on May 14th in anticipation of boycotting May 15th, or if people fill up on May 16th, the amount of gas consumed won’t change. The only thing that changes is the amount of gas consumed on a particular day, not the overall amount of gas consumed. Since the amount of gas consumed would be the same overall, there would be no penalty to the gas companies, and hence no reason to change the cost of gas.
But fret not, there are possibilities that exist. Perhaps a similar plan of action could be mildly successful if we were all willing to make the necessary sacrifices.
One method that would be helpful would be to actually take public transportation (carpooling could also work). Most cities, even the small ones, have some form of mass transit that is reasonable with respect to cost (perhaps $1 per ride). Doing this would mean that less people would need to fill their personal vehicles, therefore causing a decrease in consumption at the pump. However, to make a significant dent in the pocketbooks of the oil companies I think such a gas station boycott would have to be sustained for more than a mere day; perhaps a week would suffice.
Unfortunately, in this present nation, the most of us want to be able to go where we want to go, when we want to go. We want the autonomy, and so it is much more convenient to just drive our own cars. Also, not all mass transit functions the hours necessary to sustain people who perhaps work late-night/early-morning shifts.
My final point is one that many will take issue with, but I think its worth thinking about. I recently purchased gas at $3.19 a gallon, and it cost me $47 to fill up my tank (yes, that’s a record for me). Of course I’m not happy with the cost of gas these days, especially since it is seemingly unnecessary given that the oil companies are making an exorbitant amount of money (literally breaking records in revenue during the last year and a half). But the fact of the matter is that we are blessed to only be paying $3 a gallon considering that in many nations gas cost double that, and sometimes more.
We are largely to blame as a nation because we don’t take the opportunities to use mass transit, we unnecessarily buy SUV’s, Minivans and Trucks, we ignored the call to manufacture hybrid vehicles until recently (unlike countries like Japan), and we didn’t take the lead on finding alternative sources of fuel energy (as countries like Brazil did).
So I personally tend not to complain too much about the cost of gas since I know we could be much worse off. And no, I haven’t ignored the reality that we have more motor vehicles in this nation than in others, and that the car industry has been a vital industry in this country since the beginning of last century. But those realities are fast becoming untrue and whether they remain the truth or not, we will still be faced with major problems like destruction of the ozone, global warming, high gas prices, and a need to find alternate sources of fuel.
My ultimate plea to you is instead of not pumping gas on May 15th this year, try public/mass transit for 3 days. It will actually make a difference, and perhaps you’ll discover that it isn’t as bad as it may sound.
-Maelstrom
5 comments:
thank you...this is EXACTLY what I have been trying to tell people!!!
Maelstrom,
Are you willing to pick me up and take me o work everday so we can use only one car per day? It would be nice to save on gas money. By the way, other countries such as those in Europe re conducive to public transportation and less dependence on cars. Everything is packed closer together as opposed to the spread out design of the United States. The closeness means that walking is very practical and the well designed public transit requires less time from stop to stop. European roads were built ages before motor vehicles, meaning that the cars in Europe must be built to accomodate the narrow roads of Europe. This means the cars must be small which makes them lightweight and thuse fuel efficient. Therefore, the price of gas in Europe may not have as profound an influence as it does elsewhere. America, however, is still expanding and new roads are being built everyday, and they are built with large American cars in mind.
The true solution likely lies in eradicating the direct use of fossil fuels for personal transportation in order to utilize it in the production of electric energy which is much more energy efficient. This energy can then be used to power electric cars which is an interation of the automobile that is much more practical and safer.
The white paper available at the following link will provide some insights.
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/twentyfirstcenturycar.pdf
You don’t even need to follow the math for it to make sense. The graphs and charts clearly demonstrate the utility of electric energy.
Further more. The simplicity of electric propulsion systems limits the danger of; handling explosive fuels, dealing with expensive maintenance of complex machinery,(take one look at a camshaft assembly and you will understand why mechanics charge so much), and even the dynamics of automobile collisions (Internal combustion engines are very heavy. Lighter cars means less wear on tear on expensive consumables like brakes. Plus, instead of going to the pump for pricey fuel, you will have only to deal with your home energy bill which is much less expensive.
Consider this, at $3.20 per gallon and a conservative estimate of 25 miles per gallon; you are paying 12.8 cents per mile. If you live only 10 miles from your job and don’t stop for traffic, or go anywhere else for an entire month you will spend more than $50 on fuel. You will spend more if you travel anywhere for entertainment, pick up your kids, shop for food or essentially have a life.
Electricity costs about 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour (I checked my April electricity bill). Current electric cars use 0.177 kilowatt hours per mile (and their 0-60 time is 3.9 seconds which is faster a Porsche supercar). This means that if you charged your car from your house to drive to work every day, you would be paying about 1.3 cents per mile or an extra $5.14 on your electricity bill each month as opposed to $50 in gas. That leaves you at least $40 to spend on something else, like Maelstrom T-shirts or better broadband service.
If you do the numbers it all makes sense, the problem is that oil companies do not support this economy since it means they sell less gas, and thus they do not feel inclined to inform you about a much more practical solution.
Maelstrom,
Are you willing to pick me up and take me to work everday so we can use only one car per day? It would be nice to save on gas money. By the way, other countries such as those in Europe are conducive to public transportation and less dependence on cars. Everything is packed closer together as opposed to the spread out design of the United States. The closeness means that walking is very practical and the well designed public transit requires less time from stop to stop. European roads were built ages before motor vehicles, meaning that the cars in Europe must be built to accomodate the narrow roads of Europe. This means the cars must be small which makes them lightweight and thuse fuel efficient. Therefore, the price of gas in Europe may not have as profound an influence as it does elsewhere. America, however, is still expanding and new roads are being built everyday, and they are built with large American cars in mind.
The true solution likely lies in eradicating the direct use of fossil fuels for personal transportation in order to utilize it in the production of electric energy which is much more energy efficient. This energy can then be used to power electric cars which is an interation of the automobile that is much more practical and safer.
The white paper available at the following link will provide some insights.
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/twentyfirstcenturycar.pdf
You don’t even need to follow the math for it to make sense. The graphs and charts clearly demonstrate the utility of electric energy.
Further more. The simplicity of electric propulsion systems limits the danger of; handling explosive fuels, dealing with expensive maintenance of complex machinery,(take one look at a camshaft assembly and you will understand why mechanics charge so much), and even the dynamics of automobile collisions (Internal combustion engines are very heavy. Lighter cars means less wear on tear on expensive consumables like brakes. Plus, instead of going to the pump for pricey fuel, you will have only to deal with your home energy bill which is much less expensive.
Consider this, at $3.20 per gallon and a conservative estimate of 25 miles per gallon; you are paying 12.8 cents per mile. If you live only 10 miles from your job and don’t stop for traffic, or go anywhere else for an entire month you will spend more than $50 on fuel. You will spend more if you travel anywhere for entertainment, pick up your kids, shop for food or essentially have a life.
Electricity costs about 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour (I checked my April electricity bill). Current electric cars use 0.177 kilowatt hours per mile (and their 0-60 time is 3.9 seconds which is faster a Porsche supercar). This means that if you charged your car from your house to drive to work every day, you would be paying about 1.3 cents per mile or an extra $5.14 on your electricity bill each month as opposed to $50 in gas. That leaves you at least $40 to spend on something else, like Maelstrom T-shirts or better broadband service.
If you do the numbers it all makes sense, the problem is that oil companies do not support this economy since it means they sell less gas, and thus they do not feel inclined to inform you about a much more practical solution.
You've inspired me to say F gas. If you really think about it. Whats another $10-$15 added to the gas tank. That just means cut back on the fast food or some vice that you might have. Its all about budgeting. Most people who are working can afford the gas, but choose to bitch about it. If you budget your spending correctly then you should have nothing to worry about. No fast food, no excessive shopping, etc. Its just another few extra dollars at the pump. If its really that bad... then sell your car. If you gone continue to drive, then shut the hell up. Go ride that bus like my homie just said.
If you want to send a message to the companies: if the distance from your doorstep to your office chair is, let's say 3.6 miles, use a BIKE. It takes 10min each way, far less than by car, parking and walking. But that is not considered cool and your shades might not fit that means of transportation.
Yeah: Maelstrom, you live just 3.6m away from work.
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