Rare Book Monthly
The Most Important Book You Will Ever Read - The Oil Endgame.
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So, then, what is the plan, and does it require enormous sacrifices in our lifestyles to achieve? Listen to Lovins and all again: "Americans have also been too ready to accept dismissive claims, often from those whom change may discomfit, that any improvement will be decades away, crimp lifestyles and freedoms, and require intrusive interventions and exorbitant taxation." Don't accept that anymore! As they note, "Consumer electronics every month get smaller, better, faster, cheaper; why can't anything else?"
There is a two-pronged attack, alternative fuels and greater efficiency. They are intractably tied together. Most people think that sources such as biomass fuels are too limited to solve our problem. Perhaps they are, but if we can substantially reduce demand through greater efficiency, suddenly these potential sources become very large.
But, we have all said it, how can we ever gain enough more in efficiency to make a serious dent in oil imports, particularly since worldwide demand is rising? Leaving aside the fact that the Japanese have already made huge strides, the authors examine what happens when gasoline is burned in an automobile engine. What they tell us is, "Only an eighth of that fuel energy ever reaches the wheels, a sixteenth accelerates the car, and less than one percent ends up moving the driver." Think about it. Less than one percent of the energy in the fuel goes to accomplishing the desired task, moving you from point A to point B. What if we could raise that to some "enormous number," like 2% or 3%? We could so reduce our need for oil that we could replace it with biofuels and/or hydrogen cells. We could free ourselves of our narcotic foreign dependence.
This issue implies what may be their most important means of increasing mileage, vehicle weight. Once you have finished cursing out their plan to stick you in a tiny, unsafe minicar, you'll want to read about modern polymers that weigh a fraction of steel but are stronger and more durable. They quote Henry Ford that one of the biggest fallacies of the business is that heavier weight means more strength. They then point to a racecar accident where a lightweight, polymer car crashed into a wall at 220 mph. The driver did break a few bones, but recovered to race again. Don't try this with your heavyweight SUV! What they dub "ultralightweights" have the potential to increase mileage by enormous amounts while being roomy, comfortable and safer. Combine this with other advances such as hybrid technology, and/or efficient hydrogen fuel cells, and the potential is astonishing.
There are many other steps too numerous to go into here. Some cars employ more aerodynamic designs, but most don't, and few have paid attention to the drag caused by the bottom of the car. Engines can certainly be more efficient, and fuel cells can convert other fuels to far more efficient hydrogen. Tires can be designed to save fuel. Automotive air conditioners can be more efficient. And, we are only talking about cars. Power plants and home furnaces that burn oil can be more efficient. And gas burning and other fuel plants and appliances can be made more efficient, freeing up more of these fuels to replace oil burned in power plants. There are changes that can be made in highways, traffic lights, and such to reduce fuel consumption. The list goes on and on, but hopefully, you can see the point. Astonishingly, these are all based on technologies available today. Does anyone not believe that further advancements will be made in the years ahead that will enable us to increase efficiency even more?
