Greetings Members and Readers,

There is much concern among consumers about the present day trends to kill the petroleum industry and how that will affect us all.  And then, there is the military to consider.  How will they fare.

First, if that happens, we will need more coal.  Presently, about 60% of all the electricity generated in the U.S is powered by fossil fuels.  That includes natural gas, coal, and liquid fuel.  So, we will be mostly in the dark, hot or cold without hot water and refrigeration.

Does not sound too comfy to me.

There are thousands of items produced with by-products of petroleum that we use in our daily lives, including cell phones. You will be surprised.

In order to seek out and share researched information, I’m including a link so that you will get the short list on all of that.  There are thousands more!

My point is that we are not quite ready to kill such an enterprise.  It is true that we need to become more proactive regarding carbon but I am not feeling good about the rush toward electric cars, trucks, etc.

They require large amounts of petroleum products to produce, most do not perform well for trips over 250 miles, it is a lengthy process to re-charge the batteries, and one might have to sit in line to get a re-charge.  If three cars are ahead of you and each charge requires 35 minutes, your fuel stop just went from 10 minutes for gas to 2 and a half hours for battery recharge.

Replacement batteries are going to cost upwards to $4-6000.00 ( the big Mercedes battery is $55,000.00) and the disposal of the old battery will average $3000.00, every 5 years to be generous. There are many environmental concerns attached to large battery disposal and that represents one more contaminant disposed into our environment and this one will be problematic because they are lithium.

Weather in your geographic area will be a concern. Batteries have a hard time in very frigid weather. An electric heater in your car, music, GPS, ac, computers and driving lights are going to suck up a lot of forward motion energy as well but the battery car salesman say that is no big deal.

In time, perhaps, there will be better technology to accommodate such endeavors but I am feeling that we are pushing too hard, too fast to move from petro to electric.  The proof is to be observed as we proceed but I do not want to be on the front line, at great expense, to be disappointed.  I might be happier to spend $4500.00 for an around town revved up street legal golf cart until later. But then the gas car sits waiting for trip out of town.

Just remember your gasoline bill might drop a few hundred dollars more or less, but your electric bill will rise by a few hundred or more as well. And you will be delayed often.  It will cost around $1800.00 to wire your house for large and fast battery charging depending upon where you live if the local electric company can handle it and if the grid has the depth to accommodate your needs x 1000’s.  These days, I am sure that you have heard, our old grid is, at times, strained to the max already.

It may be time to remind ourselves that the whole point of all of this is to reduce carbon, (so they say) and to repeat the facts:  electric cars do not really reduce carbon output, but minimally over an 8 year period.  Moreover, we can not seriously believe that the oil companies are just going to shut down their oil wells and hit the golf course.  They are going find other thirsty buyers in the international market place and ship that oil to them, some of whom might be our enemies and then go”buy” a golf course.  Those buyers will spew the carbon into the air, fill up their Fiats and increase their manufacturing capacity while we sit in the dark, with little manufacturing capability, cold and unemployed with no toothpaste.

Where is the “win” for the atmosphere, the environment or us?

Oh, The U.S. military (Department of Defense) uses 4,600,000.00 gallons per day.

Click on the title below for more information on petro by-product

 

Products Made from Oil & Gas (Part 1)

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