4 ms·

If gas was $100 a gallon, I'd have an electric car and hopefully only one car. The real changes would come from society at large. I hope employers would get s

If gas was $100 a gallon, I'd have an electric car and hopefully only one car. The real changes would come from society at large. I hope employers would get serious about telecommuting, for as many employees as possible. Maybe they'd get more serious about using satellite offices. I'd use electronic means to communicate more and more and I assume others would as well. It would have to bridge the gap of distance that separates us. I'd probably get to know my neighbors a lot better as well. I'd go local for more than food. I'd have no choice.

alaskamiller 18y ago
Would electricity costs be relative enough for an electric car to still make sense? What about goods and products that you buy that's shipped on the massive fleet of trucks? A sudden surge to $100 a gallon gas destroys civilization.
- tomjen 18y ago
  Rail. Ships with sails. Humans can take a lot more shit than they are given credit for.
  - helveticaman 18y ago
    Warren Buffet invests in trains: http://www.cnbc.com/id/20519680/ http://www.cnbc.com/id/20519680/ Freight ship with parachute-like sail: http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/images/Beluga_SkySails.jpg http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/images/Beluga_SkySails.jpg
    - tlrobinson 18y ago
      Interesting idea, but that sail looks tiny for that size ship. I can't imagine it does much.
      - nazgulnarsil 18y ago
        the gas savings outweighed the cost of the parachute or they wouldn't have done it. 1% savings on a ship that size is significant money.
      - nostrademons 18y ago
        The sails in the picture are being winched in. Normally, they fly like a kite, about 200 m above the ship, and tow it forwards. The winds are much stronger up there. It also looks like the kite has been partially furled - the picture on Wikipedia looks much bigger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Beluga_Skysails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Beluga_Skysails
  - alaskamiller 18y ago
    I'm referring actually to the transportation system within the United States and the "last mile" effort required to deliver goods. As fanciful as it is to think that rails is the replacement, it's not. It's a supplement to the system.
- jmilton 18y ago
  How was this downmodded? An incredible rise in gasoline prices would surely have a profoundly major upward effect on energy pricing. The entire economic structure of American society would be utterly destroyed. Technology isn't so great if people cannot afford or even get access to food. A more productive exercise would be to imagine that we simply had to half our personal energy use. Merely shifting away from gasoline is not the answer.
umjames 18y ago
Then let the gas prices rise! So far, we're up to $4/gal here. Telecommuting FTW! I know I'd hate my job less if I could telecommute full-time. My equipment at home is better than what I have to work on at the office.

alaskamiller 18y ago

Would electricity costs be relative enough for an electric car to still make sense? What about goods and products that you buy that's shipped on the massive fleet of trucks? A sudden surge to $100 a gallon gas destroys civilization.

tomjen 18y ago
Rail. Ships with sails. Humans can take a lot more shit than they are given credit for.
- helveticaman 18y ago
  Warren Buffet invests in trains: http://www.cnbc.com/id/20519680/ http://www.cnbc.com/id/20519680/ Freight ship with parachute-like sail: http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/images/Beluga_SkySails.jpg http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/images/Beluga_SkySails.jpg
  - tlrobinson 18y ago
    Interesting idea, but that sail looks tiny for that size ship. I can't imagine it does much.
    - nazgulnarsil 18y ago
      the gas savings outweighed the cost of the parachute or they wouldn't have done it. 1% savings on a ship that size is significant money.
    - nostrademons 18y ago
      The sails in the picture are being winched in. Normally, they fly like a kite, about 200 m above the ship, and tow it forwards. The winds are much stronger up there. It also looks like the kite has been partially furled - the picture on Wikipedia looks much bigger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Beluga_Skysails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Beluga_Skysails
- alaskamiller 18y ago
  I'm referring actually to the transportation system within the United States and the "last mile" effort required to deliver goods. As fanciful as it is to think that rails is the replacement, it's not. It's a supplement to the system.
jmilton 18y ago
How was this downmodded? An incredible rise in gasoline prices would surely have a profoundly major upward effect on energy pricing. The entire economic structure of American society would be utterly destroyed. Technology isn't so great if people cannot afford or even get access to food. A more productive exercise would be to imagine that we simply had to half our personal energy use. Merely shifting away from gasoline is not the answer.

umjames 18y ago

Then let the gas prices rise! So far, we're up to $4/gal here. Telecommuting FTW! I know I'd hate my job less if I could telecommute full-time. My equipment at home is better than what I have to work on at the office.