Can’t speak for anyone else, but I read it. Some questions, since you seem knowledgeable (I’ve been researching, but blegging works, too). How much does diesel fuel cost, and how available is it, in comparison with unleaded? Is it more or less polluting? Also, how much more (or less) expensive are diesel cars vs. their unleaded-fuel counterparts?

I ask because I’ve been tilting strongly toward getting a hybrid car, for economic, environmental, and thumb-in-the-Wahabbi-eye reasons. But I’m an average person with average practical constraints. I can’t afford a $50K car, even $30K is going to strain my finances to their utmost, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Plus, as appealing as I might find being ready for futuristic supergreen diesel fuels, I foresee needing gas a little sooner than that, and driving all over creation to find a specialized fuel source is a non-starter.

Diesel powered cars remain the most fuel efficient vehicles on the road. The Jetta TDI gets about the same mileage as Prius or Civic without the need to learn how manage your power like a diesel submarine. It’s a bigger car and will last a lot longer then current generation of hybrids. If you want an larger car then the Passat TDI is the best buy. It gets only slightly less mileage then the Jetta. For those without a budget constraint Mercedes has begun importing a new E300 Turbo Diesel, which will get on the order of 40mph with a lot of acceleration. It costs about $50K

What is going to happen, on the current track, is that more and more refining will be done in places other than the US, and that refined product (gasoline, jet fuel, etc) will be transported by long-distance tanker (whereas it is now mainly crude that is so transported.)

I doubt that this is a good thing.

The issue is discussed here:

http://www.rightviews.com/article.php?id=301

Large industry is guiding federal policy that favors their bottom line. As the consumer, it is time we start voting with our dollars.

http://www.RightViews.com

John Moore, it’s good to see you back here. I for one like your long posts.

Richard, I hope you enjoyed.

For future reference, here are some of Steven den Beste’s articles about energy. Well worth reading and bookmarking.

Inexplicably, they were discontinued. Chevy should reconsider marketing the Metro at a more profitable price. They would still be a fraction of the cost of a hybrid.

Lindenen,

You’re probably thinking of an Integral Fast Reactor. Here is a brief piece with a very good comment section on pebble beds and IFR’s. The safety issue regarding spent fuel is political in nature and needs to be adequately addressed – running it through an IFR to reduce the volume and consume the plutonium is better than storage. Here is a fact sheet in question/response form concerning IFR’s.

In the US most of our power production comes from 3 sourcees in the following order 1 Coal 2 Natural Gas (of North Amer origin) 3 Nuclear. Any oil fired plant are usually peaker plants and do not generally make up a signifiigant portion of our energy source.

What this implies then, is that switching to nuclear will NOT reduce oil usage in this country. With the following caveat; it will reduce oil consumption if we begin to switch to some hydrogen or ethanol type fuel. But again economics has not dictated such a move yet.

I am in favor of nuclear power as a long term energy strategy, but for other resaons than fuel/oil needs.

Along those lines, from the evidence and numbers I’ve seen I expect an eventual conversion to some sort of hydrogen or equivelent synthesised fuel, realising that such a system is actually an energy storgae medium from the power plant producers.

Here is a very good website that has very good arguments with explanations.

http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/energy.html

I dont agree with evrything he says, except my free market heart that says let the market decide price, usage, and consumption not politicians.

Steven Den Beste wrote about all those ìalternativesî. He very convincingly argued that they do not amount to anything in practical terms. You can dig his archives for the detailed analysis.