Re: (ET) New Electrics

["John B Reinhard" <reinharj frontiernet net>]

In a few different articles, I have that the USA 'only' imports $20 billion
annual of petroleum fro the middle east.
In one article, they mentioned that the USA spends $50 billion annually
(before Iraq) on US military presence in same middle east area.

The point the article was making, is that since we don't spend similar 
money
on military presence in any other geographically relatively 'small' areas 
of
the world, that this cost is at least partially related to oil.

Therefore - as Max mentioned - part of the 'True Cost' of gasoline at the
pump is paid for in our Federal taxes.

If paid at the pump, gas might cost $4 or more per gallon.

This might give incentive for higher energy efficiency vehicles - whether
automobiles, garden tractors, or whatever.

Might still be the semi-hybrid like the Honda Insight - since one got 93
miles to the gallon on the path of the annual 'Sun-Race'  (or whatever it 
is
called).

Since Home Power Magazine has analyzed the cost of PhotoVoltaic off-grid
power systems (PV cells, batteries, control system, and inverter) to be
about 65 cents per KWh, I think at-the-pump cost of gasoline will have to
really jump before PV becomes cost effective.  If oil costs jump, then
supply/demand will make every other form of energy jump up also (natural 
gas
used to create the electricity to power our ElecTrak's, etc).

John
E-20's, Comuta-Cars, PV-panel project in process, 3KVA UPS as power
inverter, and a whole 'farm' worth of 6 volt golf cart batteries :>)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Max Hall" <maxo iname com>
To: "Elec-Trak" <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2004 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: (ET) New Electrics


> Wait! I have to ammend one statement. There may be one bogeyman, one 
> sabot
> in geartrain...   petroleum's true costs, both in terms of extraction and
> externalities (costs to human health and environment) are not paid at the
> pump. Conspiracy? Greed? Conspiracy motivated by greed? path of least
> resistance? think locally, act even more locally? I like it fine the way
it
> is? Market inertia? The cost of R&D compared to the current profit 
> selling
> the same-damn-thing-with-only-minor-tweaks-for-decades? Yes, yes, yes, 
> and
> yes, etc.
>
> One bumpersticker: "TAX GAS!"
> or another "Hasten the inevitable: drive FAST, drive BIG!"
> or another "How did OUR oil get under THEIR sand?"
> or another, "Question Internal Combustion"
>
> -Maxo
> procrastinating
>