Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

The real cost of gasoline

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
One gallon of gasoline weighs about 6 pounds, yet it creates 25 pounds of CO2. No wonder we've changed the planet forever in just the last 100 years.

It's as if aliens arrived and pre-programmed us for self-destruction with a CO2 fun-time atmosphere perfectly suited to their needs.
 
One significant cost the video left out is the significant cost we have spent in Iraq (over $1 trillion) and the money now being spent in Libia. Again that easily adds $.50/gal to the hidden cost of gasoline.

That was a very good video. I very much support reducing / eliminating our need for oil (foreign or domestic). That being said, I don’t think mentioning wars in a video like that would help very much. It would probably cause the conversation of the video to stray to deep political arguments and away from the purpose of the video, which is that burning gasoline is bad.

I think we can get everyone (well, almost everyone) to agree that burning gas is bad. Politics on the other hand… well… it’s much harder to reach an agreement.
 
I'm surprised that government subsidies weren't mentioned (at least I didn't notice them mentioned in my quick viewing).

True, I didn't notice them in the video. According to this article the oil companies will get subsides worth about $2B per year for the next 10 years. As far as I know, those subsides are paid via taxes and so even if they were withdrawn the consumer would still lose as it would more-than-likely result in even higher gas (and oil) prices.
 
Saw Leo di C tweet this recently

"@LeoDiCaprio: Big oil is making huge profits & getting billions in US taxpayer subsidies. End #oilsubsidies. Read more: Eliminating Oil Subsidies: Two Cheers For President Obama - Forbes.com @NRDC"

"@LeoDiCaprio: Do u agree? Call your senators & urge them 2 vote YES on S940 1-877-573-7693 or sign this NRDC: : Tell your senators to end needless subsidies for oil companies @nrdc #oilsubsidies"

"@LeoDiCaprio: Update #oilsubsidies RT @NRDC Senate Caves to Big Oil Pressure; Decides Against Cutting Industry Tax Breaks NRDC: Press Release - Senate Caves to Big Oil Pressure; Decides Against Cutting Industry Tax Breaks "
 
$5.00/gal tax on gasoline

At the EVCCON (Electric Vehicle Conversion Conference) Jack Rickart of EVTV fame had what I thought was a brilliant suggestion to move us off oil. Forget all subsidies, energy tax credits and like and replace it with a simple policy to raise the taxes on gasoline $5/gal phased in over 20 years at $.25/gal/year. This would be a clear signal to US consumers and the world that cheap gasoline will never return. With a slow but predictable rise in taxes people planning for the long term would know fuel prices will rise and with the phase in over 20 years people and business can easily prepare and plan for this.

In all likelyhood the price of gas would actually drop over the next year or two as this would be a very clear signal to speculators that demand will drop off.

Thsi replaces our very confusing and changing energy policy with a simple but clear message, prepare to wean ourselves off of imported oil. I have written my congressman about this plan, not that I think he would ever consider supporting such a high tax. But I think that is exactly what we need to make the changes we need to make.
 
At the EVCCON (Electric Vehicle Conversion Conference) Jack Rickart of EVTV fame had what I thought was a brilliant suggestion to move us off oil. Forget all subsidies, energy tax credits and like and replace it with a simple policy to raise the taxes on gasoline $5/gal phased in over 20 years at $.25/gal/year. This would be a clear signal to US consumers and the world that cheap gasoline will never return. With a slow but predictable rise in taxes people planning for the long term would know fuel prices will rise and with the phase in over 20 years people and business can easily prepare and plan for this.

In all likelyhood the price of gas would actually drop over the next year or two as this would be a very clear signal to speculators that demand will drop off.

Thsi replaces our very confusing and changing energy policy with a simple but clear message, prepare to wean ourselves off of imported oil. I have written my congressman about this plan, not that I think he would ever consider supporting such a high tax. But I think that is exactly what we need to make the changes we need to make.

I think this is a really good idea but agree it'll probably never happen. That would be considered a tax increase so you loose over half of the house right there. Then it would make travel more expensive for voters so you lose the other half. We need to do something though. The US doesn't have any plan when it comes to energy.