China sets new fuel standards

Miakal

Today I read in the paper how China is setting new fuel standards.

Do you think as far as America (or whatever country you live in) that we are behind the times for a stricter fuel usage standard?

It seems to me that China is on the right track here. They seem to be on the right track with everything....everyone seems to predict that China will be the top superpower in twenty years.

It also seems blindly apparent to me that America desperately needs to invest itself in alternative energy sources, not for the environment, but for the sake of good economics.

I think America has proved that if it has the will in something it will get the job done. Kennedy said we'd get to the moon in x amount of years, everyone thought we were crazy, and we did it. Why can't we get a President to make the same bold and inspiration claim about an alternative energy source? No, this isn't an attack on George Bush....just posing a question here.

Drunksader

China has the advantage of being able to modernize its entire infrastructure with foreign investment dollars - also, the government can still control many methods and sources of consumption, so it's feasible that they could pull something like that off.

If there's a place to be engaged in business right now, it's China. That being said, it still has a staggering poverty problem.

Miakal

Yes, but do you think America is behind in these terms?

Drunksader

Any western nation with a substantial fuel economy is most certainly behind, yes. Do you understand the kind of legislation that would be necessary to get something like this through Congress? You say that if we have the will to get something done, we will, but I doubt that you'll see anything non warfare-related in the near future that the US is willing to drop politics and aim for. It's just not how things are done around here, unfortunately. That being said, I imagine that few countries are going to jump to adhere to this.

Miakal

Yes, I know.

But when we started our quest for the moon we were in the Cold War.

Now our enemy is those crazy terrorists. And again, we have something which relates to that war and our nation....fuel.

I know what you are saying, though.

Drunksader

I disagree. I just disagree.

DaveyBoy

unless you're a tree hugger there is no need to invest in alternative energy sources very heavily right now. eventually the oil reserves will be depleted, who knows when but it will happen, and when that does happen alternative energy sources will be more economically feasible as exploration and drilling costs of oil skyrocket to try and retrieve the bits that are left. If America or any other country wanted to they could get away from oil and gas as energy sources but costs would be astronomical. most of the large energy companies already have alternative energy departments so that once the oil is gone their companies can survive. things will swing towards more alternative energy sources out of neccessetity, there is no need to waste money trying to change before it is needed or economically feasible. (unless of course you are a granola eating hippy tree hugger as stated above)

Miakal

Davey,

I think you are missing the point that I'm trying to make here.

Already China, which, again, is going to be the new superpower in 20 years, is investing it's resources in pushing for lower gas usage and more usage on other sources.

The American government has had no substancial push for the automotive industry to do the same. Yes, the prices are high for altnerative energy research...but so was the space program...and so was the cost for the war in Iraq and the cost we pay for being so heavily involved in the middle east in the first place.

DaveyBoy

i'm just saying that as the years go by things will trend in that direction anyway without governments having to throw large amounts of money at it. most of the major oil companies already have alternative energy research and development divisions that are working on new energy sources, but right now oil and natural gas are the most efficient (well nuclear is more efficient but people are too scared to have nuclear power as a major energy provider)

One of the major reasons behind chinas initiative in this direction likely stems from the fact that china doesn't have a lot of large oil and gas reserves. most of the hydrocarbon resources in china are coal deposits, and with their large population they need to find a better energy source than coal while not having access to the petroleum reserves other countries have.

you say to do it for the economics of it? well how is spending a lot of government money on this make a lot of economic sense when private companies will be more than willing to spend money on it when it truly becomes necessary, and are already infact spending money on it?

Miakal

Yes, but very few companies who are spending money on this are American. Further, car companies like Ford and Chevy have no real incentive to invest loads in cars that get lower gas mileage or cars that use a different energy source altogether...but it's vastly apparent to nearly everyone that this is going to turn out to be a huge mistake and in 20 years they are going to be way behind the times.

Yeah, oil companies and car companies put money into this kind of research but when you've got countries like Japan and China putting the necessary money down for this to come about it's only going to prove that United States was too stubborn to move forward and progress.

Look how good American car companies did on making fuel efficient cars. Who won that race? It's going to be the same thing repeating.