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August, 2024

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Would you pay more for gas even if it cost more?

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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139

So I wouldn't consider myself a hippy or crazy environmentalist by any means. I have to compete in this world of oil and carbon just like everyone else. I just try to make a concious effort to always turn off the lights when I'm out of the room. I convinced my mom to start using cloth bags when she went to the grocery. I even try to get people to carpool in the summer.

All of this new fuel sources bring up a big problem for America, it's going to cost more than any of us ever thought. The car that runs on water, well you have to distill the water which takes electricity. So of course you can't use nuclear or coal for that purpose because that would be an oxymoron. So that means wind power is obviously the next step. That's also very expensive. This raises the question, would YOU pay 6-10 dollars for a gallon of gas knowing that you are helping to save this planet for countless generations and you are making a difference. Are there enough Americans who actually care? Personally I'd give up going out to eat a couple times a week to do that. Or whatever I could. Would you? Would America as a whole? Because we all know just how ignorant and stubborn we can be. I really just started this thread to get some intelligent dialect going. so start!

Mar 31 2008 9:42AM
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spudz
Posts: 2564 - Karma: 5
Im down, id be fine because of my eco friendly tercel. But maybe we can teach those people with huge pointless SUV's a lesson. dumbasses.
Mar 31 2008 9:51AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
I don't think many people would be too excited about paying that much for gas if it wasn't necessary.  Especially when many people don't believe there are any serious problems with the earth.
Mar 31 2008 9:58AM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
if gas went up to $6-$10 a gallon, I know I would be giving up much more than food a few times a week. Id be spending almost $240 to fill up if it hit $10 a gallon. Im all for drilling in ANWAR to give us a few years to work on alternative fuel options.
Mar 31 2008 10:06AM
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Meh42
Posts: 2431 - Karma: 14
I'm so happy I drive a Subaru with a tiny gas tank.  I know in reality it makes no difference because I have to fill up more, but it's so nice to never have to pay more than about 35 dollars a tank at the pump, even for premium.  I think I would have have a heart attack if I had to drop near a 100 every time I went.

But to answer your question, I would drive so much less.  Right now I just hop in my car and drive aimlessly whenever I'm in a bad mood or need to clear my head.  I live right on the ski basin road, so It's a lot of fun to rally up a windy mountain road when you're feeling down.  That would definitely have to go if gas doubled in price though.  Fuck.
Mar 31 2008 10:17AM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
Don't let this ruin your day but i've gotta call you out and say Fuck you! for wanting to tap the ANWR, you can argue about whether or not global warming is going to destroy the planet, but tapping the ANWR can be seen as a direct effect of our addiction to oil -- it is distruction of nature for minimal material gain.

If gas goes up to $6 - $10 a gallon, i'd have to sell my car, it'd be a life altering event, but hell sometimes life is suppoes to change, even if you don't want it to.  I'd rather try and change myself before I support a change in something like ANWR


Mar 31 2008 10:23AM
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EastcoastAR5
Posts: 2721 - Karma: 15
Do you really think that will solve the problem?  Its kind of hard for any progress to occur when you have oil tycoon owners running the country.
Mar 31 2008 10:25AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
I drive a car that has a decent sized tank (16 gallons) only runs on premium fuel and has a turbocharged engine. Needless to say when I'm boosting around to work everyday my mileage goes down to shit. I'm praying prices don't go much higher or it will really suck.
Mar 31 2008 10:26AM
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readiculous
Posts: 880 - Karma: 28
In answer to your question, no. That means it would cost me $180 to fill my tank, and I don't have that kind of scrap.
On the other hand I do support raising the price of gas. $6-10 a gallon is the only thing that's gonna break our country's nasty oil habit, and force us to make a stronger effort to come up with alternative fuel sources.
Mar 31 2008 10:26AM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
Honestly yes, it would solve my problem. It would greatly steady gas prices in the US.
Mar 31 2008 10:31AM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59

But at what cost!

Mar 31 2008 10:33AM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
And im sorry people, if it came down to selling you car and not driving, or drilling in ANWR, most people would choose to keep their car.
Mar 31 2008 10:34AM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
Some beautiful land and a few displaced animals.


Mar 31 2008 10:35AM
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Meh42
Posts: 2431 - Karma: 14
And for how long?  It's really just delaying the inevitable. 
Mar 31 2008 10:38AM
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Itsbackfliptime
Posts: 18901 - Karma: 75
If we drill in ANWR we destroy a little bit of nature. Luckily, its a section of the world that very few people will ever see and the impact it would have on the lives of everyone would be much greater than the inconveniences of some Caribou. Animals can adapt very well and oil drilling has become a much cleaner process than it used to be.

I think the real future lies in hydrogen cars though. As far as I can tell, a hydrogen fuel cell is the best way of storing large amounts of energy in a tank that isn't oil. I don't think batteries are ever going to be so good that they'll compare to the range or power of gas, which is why I think hydrogen will be a big player in the future.

The big problem of hydrogen is that its expensive to produce, especially without using fossil fuels like natural gas. Nuclear power should be used to get the hydrogen out of water, and when it becomes more efficient, solar and wind power.

And to answer the question, yes I would pay more for gas, but only because I would have to pay more to get to work or whatever.
Mar 31 2008 11:32AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
The other big problem with Hydrogen is that it is fucking small as hell. Your engine has to be sealed incredibly well. Any leaks and it can be very problematic. I don't know how crashes work with hydrogen fuel cell cars, but I'm sure they have some system. In all reality it's probably not much more explosive than gasoline at all.
Mar 31 2008 11:38AM
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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139
I really think that's what we Americans need. No one can deny that we are a nation of put it off till tomorrow people. Instead of us tackling this problem of our addiction to oil head on we just leave it be assuming the later generations will solve our fuck up.

But I just realized that my title makes absolutely no sense. Thanks for no pointing it out anyone!
Mar 31 2008 11:38AM
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Schmidnj
Posts: 387 - Karma: 10
I would definitely pay more, only because i would need to get to work, ect.
Mar 31 2008 11:39AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
I could probably bike to work in the summer. It's like 7-9 miles or so which isn't too bad. Driving back and forth to college would suck though.
Mar 31 2008 11:42AM
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beer.
Posts: 3096 - Karma: 44
just buy a moped.  if youre in college or live in the city they are great to have.  at my school youre allowed to park them anywhere, so you can just ride it right up to class.  they get 75 miles per gallon, so its like paying 1995 gas prices.  and the tank is tiny, it cost me $1.75 to fill up.  also driving drunk on a moped is great.  the cops will never ever pull you over, and the only life you are endangering is your own, which I'm cool with.

too bad mine got stolen
Mar 31 2008 11:49AM
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sarahskis
Posts: 1587 - Karma: 41
I'd pay the extra money for gas.I'm planning on getting a Yaris which gets more than 40 miles to the gallon, and it would definately get other people to start getting more ecological cars.  And those who don't want to get a different car won't be driving as much, and it will give us the boost to get some better public transportation.  If i had it at all in my town, I'd use it way more than having to drive everywhere.
Mar 31 2008 11:54AM
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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139
Well I've always been a runner so when I get to college next year I'll end up just walking to class in my workout gear then running afterwords. I'm kind of stoked for 4+ years of not having to buy gas on a regular basis. Hopefully the feul situation will be a little more under the control by the time I get into the real world.
Mar 31 2008 11:54AM
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cmeriptahoe
Posts: 1785 - Karma: 12
I would be down probably even though it would cost me about 380 bucks every time I had to fill up.

To the thread creator, the fact that you write off nuclear power as something that obviously won't work just shows your complete ignorance of the situation.  Nuclear power is the cleanest, most cost-effective form of energy out there and if America would pull its head out of its ass people might realize that.  I don't care who the candidate is, if one of them advocated bringing nuclear power back to the US I would vote for them without thinking twice.
Mar 31 2008 12:01PM
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sarahskis
Posts: 1587 - Karma: 41
I'd also vote for whoever brings nuclear power back. My best friends brother is in grad school for nuclear engineering, and theres no reason we don't use the power besides people being scared of it for the few mishaps there have been. Granted, they really sucked, but we know a lot more about it now and the world is in dire need for an alternative energy source
Mar 31 2008 12:15PM
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Meh42
Posts: 2431 - Karma: 14
The nuclear disasters weren't caused by a lack of understanding, it was human stupidity.

"lol guys, wat dus this flashing lite mean?"

Oops, bye Chernobyl.
Mar 31 2008 12:21PM
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freeskier824
Posts: 813 - Karma: 11
i can barely handle paying 50 bucks to fill up my tank right now, so if prices were to double or triple, i would definitely take it easy on the driving. i can't give up my car though, i hate having to rely on other people/public transportation to get places. i don't have a problem walking or riding a bike but if i want to go up to vermont or something i need to have my own car (i'm in ct)
Mar 31 2008 12:23PM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
I plan on rebuilding my moped this summer and use that to get around daily then when I need my car I'll use it. I pay $40 to fill my tank and I get 15-20mpg in the winter with my thule and the awd.
Mar 31 2008 12:54PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
**cough cough choke splutter**

sorry i'm choking on irony

i know you don't think humans are animals, but come on, the caribou don't need the oil, why should they have to adapt?

If it's our problem, we should suffer the consequences. 

if it's something that caribou could easily adapt to, imagine how much easier it would be for humans to adapt to...unless you're not as smart as a caribou.
Mar 31 2008 1:13PM
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Zook
Posts: 265 - Karma: 10
I think by the time that gas gets to that price there will definitely be alternate fuel sources. I am taking an environmental engineering seminar this semester and we have alot of discussions about alternate energy sources and about how these technologies are becoming more and more possible. I feel like there are enough talented environmental engineers that are going to finally given the resources and means to make these technologies a reality. Things like hydrogen fuel, wind power, solar power, capturing energy from the ocean, tritium, etc. Many of these ideas have been around for several years, but there was not an urgent need to develop different energy sources. You would also be surprised at how much energy can be saved by using smart architectural design and environmentally friendly buildings and housing.

It is also interesting how things could change politically with the implementation of new energy sources.
Mar 31 2008 1:21PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
do you guys talk mainly about substitutive solutions?

I think there is more to solving the enviornmental poblems than just replaicing one source with another. Consumption patterns need to be changed, not just what we consume, but how and why.

i'd be interested to know if you guys have talked about any of this sort of change


Mar 31 2008 1:27PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
problm solved ride a bike
but i cant evemn affort almost 350 a gallon now even if it goes up a litttle more looks like ill be walking
Mar 31 2008 1:45PM
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Zook
Posts: 265 - Karma: 10
No, we also talk about how politics play a large role for new energy sources, as well as things that have to do with water treatment and sustainability of our natural water sources etc.

We also have talked about how there needs to be a change how and why we consume. Its great being in this class because its nice to discuss these things with other people who see the same problems that I do with the way we consume our energy in america. Unfortunately, the average person does not see the need for these changes as urgently as many environmental engineers.

The change your talking about is unlikely to happen, so the best we can do is to make our energy sources as efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly as possible while keeping low costs so that these technologies stand a chance from an economic stand point. People will almost always go for the cheapest option and with the increase in gas prices it makes new technologies much more attractive.

One thing I we discussed that was really interesting was a town in I think calfornia that had alot of regulations about how the houses were built. Some of these houses used sunlight and shade to heat and cool the water in their house, while giving up very little comfort. In the long run these people were saving money because their bills were lower. However, this doesnt make sense for alot of places because sunlight is not constant like it was in this town. But I was really interested in how things such as where windows are facing in the design of a house can make a difference in how much energy it cost to run the house. I definitely think that architects and environmental engineers need to work together more to make building designs that do not waste energy.
Mar 31 2008 1:46PM
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crazyfuck
Posts: 5968 - Karma: -7

yes, my Jeep, which i use to haul shit for building mtn bike trails and actually take off road regularly, is totally pointless.  your Tercel, i'm sure, could go where ever and do whatever my Jeep can.  really solid argument... dumbass.

"oooohhh, SUVs are pointless and just waste tons of gas!"  really?  mind pointing out a more efficient method of hauling a bunch of DH bikes, wood, tools, riding gear, filming gear, and people down a gnarly 10 mile two-track?  i mean, if there's a way to do it easier, i'm all for it because it can be a huge pain in the ass, but something tells me your Tercel wouldn't like the occassional two feet of standing water, big ruts, sand, and steep, off-camber grades we have to deal with.  so go blow yourself over your fucking entry-level Toyota and make sure to swallow the load of bullshit next time instead of spewing it all over here.

Mar 31 2008 2:01PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
well, alot of people DO drive SUV's for no reason. Like the cadillac escalade and the yukon denali? Absolutely no point other than fashion. they throw practicality out the window. No problem having a huge ford expedition if you are actually going to use it for what its meant for.
Mar 31 2008 2:05PM
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crazyfuck
Posts: 5968 - Karma: -7
furthermore, anyone who wants to tell me that comfortable sex is achievable in a sedan is either driving a Maybach or a lying cunt fart.  there simply isn't enough room for more than awkward penetration- no real suspension-busting butt fucking is possible in the cramped interior of a sedan.  i've done plenty of research on the topic and it just isn't possible.
Mar 31 2008 2:13PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
No offence but you are just being dumb with your last statement. You compare caribu, a nomadic animal, whos main purpose is to eat, sleep, fuck and live. While you could argue that yes us humans are the same way, minus the nomadic part as caribu, our lives are 17162157348721414 times more complex. We cant just go zap and have a brand new Car/Truck roll off the assembly line that gets 50mpgs and runs on water. Big changes like that take time to figure out and make applicable.

Damn hippies wanting instant change.
Mar 31 2008 2:36PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
You need to meet a hot midget, i bet the possibilities could be endless.
Mar 31 2008 2:38PM
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Itsbackfliptime
Posts: 18901 - Karma: 75
Caribou adapting to an oil rig is EXTREMELY different than people adapting to life without petroleum products.

I'm sorry if you disagree with me, but I don't think animals (yes I know humans are animals, you know what I mean) get the same rights as we do. If we need to displace a few animals to keep our quality of life the same I'm all for it.

I agree that we need to look for alternative energy sources but right now its simply not going to happen fast enough. We need something like oil from Alaska to lower oil prices and give us time to develop other sources of fuel into viable alternatives.
Mar 31 2008 2:52PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
YES!!!
Mar 31 2008 3:20PM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
I wouldn't be too keen what so ever about paying $6+ a gallon. Not just because it would be astronomical to do any kind of driving (lets face it, U.S., save parts of the NE, is not so friendly sans car) but also everything else would be horrendously expensive, such as food, travel, goods, serives, fucking everything.
Mar 31 2008 3:25PM
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comeatmebro
Posts: 10720 - Karma: 66
exactly, i was waiting for someone to say it. an increase that large in gas would skyrocket prices of EVERYTHING through the roof. everything in one way or another nowadays is transported by something using gas or involves something that uses gas. prices would be ridiculous, people would be fucked.

i'm all for drilling in alaska. it is going to happen eventually, just like you all have said that gas prices going will happen eventually. they are both inevitable. if we drill in alaska, we will have enough oil to buy us time to develop a working, affordable and practical alternative to gas. plus it will shut up america for a time being since 98% of them won't have a clue what is going to happen or is happening.

right now we have other fuel sources, but they all have major flaws in them. such as being much more expensive than gas, harder to create these substances and the list could go on forever. we need time to test all of our options and then from there work on making them efficient enough for us to use. we would be able to do this is if we buy time by drilling in alaska.

really, truthfully now; you would rather make it easier on the wildlife in alaska than make it easier on the human population? i highly doubt that, if you say yes you are either lying or not the brightest person around. the animals aren't going to die, maybe be a little disorientated for a short time, but that's it. where as gas price increases like that will hit us like a ton of bricks. ever think of new shopping centers being built? these don't kill animals, they do the same as the oil drilling would (on a smaller scale of course, but same concept) i don't see all of you out there protesting about that now do i?

all in all nothing is going to change soon, or that's how i see it. guess who runs our country? (better yet world) those billion dollar oil tycoons who are laughing at all of us right now. until something is done and a different generation of kids (AKA our generation) ((AKA the first real generation to care about the environment and our well being at all)) are put in "control" of the country/world, i don't see changes happening. i think it's going to be a while.

and for the record i'm not some asshole who does nothing for the environment, i try to do the little things and help out as much as i can. but sometimes you need to get your priorities straight, which i think means buying time until we can develop alternative means of energy.
Mar 31 2008 3:49PM
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whattheshit
Posts: 6562 - Karma: 107
well fortunately for me i live a block away from the subway line which is my link to the rest of downtown toronto, so id probably use that to get to work, but the weekends would be my fun time with the car.
Mar 31 2008 3:53PM
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0123456789
Posts: 9226 - Karma: 148
dude calm tha fuck down, we get it your a big man with a big jeep, your penis isnt small we understand.  but im pretty sure by "dumb peoples with suv's" he means soccer moms and business men cruising in H2's and landrovers.  you gotta put shit in context before you start to flip shit on people next time.
Mar 31 2008 5:06PM
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0123456789
Posts: 9226 - Karma: 148
lol i gotta read threads all the way thru bfore i post..

and i def wouldnt be driving  if gas was 10 a gal. i get 20ish in my turbo saab and i can barely affford gas at prices its at now.  and i might buy a cheapas shit moped this summer for curising and college next year.
Mar 31 2008 5:08PM
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Boodje.
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 21
If gas was 10 dollars a gallon, everyone would stil lbuy it. you can live without a car.

people need to find out a way with all this gas chrisis.

ride your bike to work.

my dad does and its like 5 miles hahahah
Mar 31 2008 5:15PM
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bermbuster49
Posts: 7445 - Karma: 90
same boat, i am doing a  looot less boosting lately.  but either way, i would still buy gas if it goes up to that price.  also, since i race dirtbikes, and the electric dirtbikes suck dick, looks like i will be stuck on gasoline for a long time. 

by the way, if gas does go that high, you can expect to see a lot more motorcycles on the roads in the summer, its so much more practical...until you get killed because of the morons in cars that only look for other cars and not bikes. which is why i will never ride a street bike. /rant
Mar 31 2008 5:49PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59

how is it that our lives are 123409128340 times more complex? We need to eat, sleep, live, and fuck just the same as a caribu, the only more complex aspect of life that we have over caribu is that we produce art, but art isn't the aspect of our lives that drives our need for oil

why do you need a car/truck? to get to a job, so you can have money so you can pay for a place to sleep, live, eat and fuck.

perhaps there are lifestyle changes that would be much easier to make than figuring out how to build a car/truck that runs off hippy tears.


What would you say if some alien species came to earth started extracting resources from our planet, and in the processes was killing massive populations, destroying lots of habitats all so that the alien race could power their super-virtual-reality-time-portal-sexual-adventure machine (go crazy here i mean make it as absurd a object you want it really dosent matter, all that's important is in order for them to maintain having this style of life our planet will suffer massive distruction) . Their argument for a justified action in this is that they purchased a large segemnt of the galaxy which our planet resides, and that because they have the super-virtual-relatiy-time-portal-sexual-adventure machine and becaues they can think in several planes of realities, not to mention see in 4 dimentions, they are 1029341320421029341234 times more complex than the monkeys that call themselves humans are, and what the hell do they care about distroying our planet, and our lives, it's not going to affect them on their planent.


I would say get the fuck off my planet i don't care how unimportant you think I am, this is my place to live, at which point i'd be obliterated like a pesky mosiquto getting slapped on a summers afternoon.

It doesn't make it RIGHT for the aliens to come and distroy earht, and it doesn't make it right for us to destroy a natural habitat  just because we want to maintain a particular lifestyle.  You could say that we'd have a right if it were a compitition for survival -- thats nature. But we've survived plenty without oil, we can survive plenty without it.



damn arrogant egotistical pricks who are too afraid to respect mother nature, and live a different lifestyle.

Mar 31 2008 6:01PM
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skiEER
Posts: 4089 - Karma: 79
for most people including myself travel is essesntial for work and school and no matter how much gas costs i will be forced to pay
Mar 31 2008 6:04PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59

It's not like the rest of the world is paying $6 -$10 a gallon, i'm sorry but you're not looking for answers by drilling in alaska, you're being selfish and greedy.

Mar 31 2008 6:18PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
**exscuse me the rest of the world is paying $6-$10 a gallon
Mar 31 2008 6:19PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
actually the only the conutries that reley on an outside source for oil are paying those prices.In countries that are self sufficient for oil prices are much less. Hence drillin AK.
Mar 31 2008 6:52PM
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