If Oil Prices Rose, Would Elio Rise With Them?

[JCar]

My take on Elio's decline is that most people are too dumb, greedy and/or shortsighted to understand or care that:

1. Oil is finite. Abiotic oil has never been proved in any significant amount, if at all.
2. Given the truth of point 1, oil shouldn't be squandered at any price, but most people still consume it based on cost, including myself at times of convenience.
3. I think the shale "revolution" (vastly overstated in terms of volume* by non-geologists) and the overproduction glut from OPEC and Russia killed price momentum just when Elio really needed it.

How many agree that if gas was at $4.00+/gallon, the funding prospects for Elio Motors would be a lot better? When Paul first started his dream, he didn't see the shale boom coming and neither did many others, but oil is still scarcer in the ground every second at any price (see point 1 above).

I don't buy into panaceas of a "100% renewable/electric economy" because it takes fossil fuels to build, transport and maintain most infrastructure. Dense, portable energy will always be critical. Even so-called "electric" semi trucks are planned with gas turbines, not just batteries. There may be no pragmatic way to ditch fossil fuels in an economy of this scale, so people keep the time-line vague and frankly lie about the physics.

I think Elio remains a great idea but the public is too shallow to see why it's always been a great idea. You don't wait until a finite resource is past peak before you start getting serious about conserving it! They originally called oil black gold and I'd like to see that term emphasized every day.

NOTE : political comment removed

*https://www.peakprosperity.com/podc...ays-shale-era-retirement-party-oil-production

P.S. I could also rant about people who squander too much fuel idling their engines (increasingly for the sake of their smartphones) but that could be another topic.

 

[larryboy]

My take on Elio's decline is that most people are too dumb, greedy and/or shortsighted to understand or care that:

1. Oil is finite. Abiotic oil has never been proved in any significant amount, if at all.
2. Given the truth of point 1, oil shouldn't be squandered at any price, but most people still consume it based on cost, including myself at times of convenience.
3. I think the shale "revolution" (vastly overstated in terms of volume* by non-geologists) and the overproduction glut from OPEC and Russia killed price momentum just when Elio really needed it.
4. Our current POTUS isn't helping matters with his pro-pollution anti-EPA mandate. He's banking on cornucopian visions for oil that don't match the science of diminishing returns.

How many agree that if gas was at $4.00+/gallon, the funding prospects for Elio Motors would be a lot better? When Paul first started his dream, he didn't see the shale boom coming and neither did many others, but oil is still scarcer in the ground every second at any price (see point 1 above).

I don't buy into panaceas of a "100% renewable/electric economy" because it takes fossil fuels to build, transport and maintain most infrastructure. Dense, portable energy will always be critical. Even so-called "electric" semi trucks are planned with gas turbines, not just batteries. There may be no pragmatic way to ditch fossil fuels in an economy of this scale, so people keep the time-line vague and frankly lie about the physics.

I think Elio remains a great idea but the public is too shallow to see why it's always been a great idea. You don't wait until a finite resource is past peak before you start getting serious about conserving it! They originally called oil black gold and I'd like to see that term emphasized every day.

*https://www.peakprosperity.com/podc...ays-shale-era-retirement-party-oil-production

P.S. I could also rant about people who squander too much fuel idling their engines (increasingly for the sake of their smartphones) but that could be another topic.

If oil would have stayed at the price it was when Paul started work on the Elio I would be driving my third one! I have a niece and nephew who would have started driving during that time and being the nice uncle that I am I would have given them my "old" one and gotten a new one. That is if production could have kept up with demand. I bought a Honda during the 1973 oil embargo and price spike.
They were hard to get and the dealers would not deal. That was for a 40mpg vehicle. An 84mpg Elio would be in much greater demand!

 

[84mpg]

POtuS.....

Political comment?

 

[gottemfeathers]

POtuS.....

Political comment?

my thoughts exactly

 

[gottemfeathers]

How many agree that if gas was at $4.00+/gallon, the funding prospects for Elio Motors would be a lot better? When Paul first started his dream, he didn't see the shale boom coming and neither did many others, but oil is still scarcer in the ground every second at any price (see point 1 above).

You don't wait until a finite resource is past peak before you start getting serious about conserving it!

Solar energy is a finite resource. Someday the sun will burn out and then we will all be hosed!

I'm not worried about finite oil one bit. There is plenty of oil for the foreseeable future. I agree that high priced gas would make high mileage cars more in demand but I'm certainly not wishing for $4.00 or higher gas to get Elio on the road.

 

[4matic]

Commodities have always had large fluctuations of price...

Technology in the last five years has vastly improved the ability to recover and process crude oil & it's derivatives...

But...the technological advances in renewable energy most certainly will put pressure on fossil fuel consumption...

 

[4matic]

 

[larryboy]

View attachment 21960


Commodities have always had large fluctuations of price...

Technology in the last five years has vastly improved the ability to recover and process crude oil & it's derivatives...

The technological advances in renewable energy most certainly will put pressure on fossil fuel consumption...

Yeah, I guess I got excited for nothing. Venezuela and the middle east will always stay in business and nothing will happen that will interfere with the smooth flow of fossil fuels from our other suppliers. People in Oklahoma will get used to the earth quakes caused by fracking and no 2018 rebound will put an administration into power that will raise taxes on gas and diesel. In fact, I am so impressed and influenced by your optimism that I am going to go out and spend money like crazy. I might not win the current powerball jackpot but I expect to win one soon.

 

[Elio Amazed]

my thoughts exactly

Seemingly political AND vaguely related to peak oil. Double sin. LOL. Lighten up guys.
If jCar had replaced "POtuS" with "government", there probably wouldn't have been any concern.

And that was certainly not the focus of the post.
Oh, my God! I just saw a nit run past!.

 

[84mpg]

Seemingly political AND vaguely related to peak oil. Double sin. LOL. Lighten up guys.


And that was certainly not the focus of the post.
Oh, my God! I just saw a nit run past!.

If I can refrain from political comments because of forum rules – others should be able to so as well. It's really not that hard to do. It just takes a little self restraint.

I appreciate the moderators keeping a handle on it as best that they can.