When gas runs out completely, what will happen to us? Do you think they are moving fast enough on el vehicles?

Question

We seem to have few, if any, affordable electric cars out now. Most cars out, that the middle class could afford, are uglier than sin in design, and go about 80mph maximum. I guess we could always return to horses for a while until the car companies pull their heads out of their butts...but how long would that take after the last drop of gas falls?

Answer 1

Electric (or solar) cars are not the only "alternative fuel" vehicles out there. A couple of weeks ago at the British Auto show was unveiled a 100% ethanol-burning car. A car that runs on 100% corn-fuel!! AND it generated 500 horsepower, and could also run on regular gasoline. So, if we get the infrastructure up and running, ethanol could easily eliminate our oil dependancy! I said IF. Don't hold your breath, it'll probably be the last possible minute before we run out of oil, if the oil tycoons have anything to do with it. LOL

Answer 2

Well first of all it's a long ways away before "the last drop of gas falls" and before that time occurs we will be far more advanced in ways of transportation then simply oil and gasoline. I think the recent gas crisis has made people much more aware that we do need to find alternative fuel methods. The problem with gas is not that it in danger of running out however it's more that the price of it has become so substantially great it's hard for people to afford it anymore. The greater part of the world is basically run by the oil companies seeing that it is the basis of transportation and without it transportation is nearly impossible and all other methods just not nearly as efficient. Since the oil companies can make the price of oil just about any price they choose that is exactly what they have started doing gradually raising oil prices to ridculous amounts. People have begun to realize the necessity of using alternative fuel sources and eventually a more efficient cheaper fuel source will be made.

Answer 3

A hundred years or so ago, the world ran on whale oil. They were in danger of killing off all the whales, and everyone was saying the same thing about whale oil as they are now, until someone discovered that the toxic muck that was oozing out of the ground (petroleum) could be used in place of whale oil, and that's where we are now.



At current consumption rates, there is over 100 years of oil, not counting the reserves that have not been discovered yet.



Also, they are opening up old wells that they thought were empty, only to find that they somehow filled up again. They speculate that there is a deeper source that they never knew about.



The car companies will not build electric vehicles until the market is big enough to support it. Demand drives supply. This is fine, don't worry. We'll have a new energy source in plenty of time.



If the USA would set a national goal to convert 2% of our vehicles per year, in 50 years we would be completely off oil, and there would still be at least 50 years worth of oil sitting in the ground.

Answer 4

Actually the electric car has been around longer then we think. I was just talking to my Dad the other day about it. I asked him when cars first came around, he said early 1900's. I said wow so cars really haven't been around for long and we already have the technology of electric cars. He told me that one of the first cars that were made were electric cars. (This tells me that we have been working out the bugs all this time.)



So I think in time we will see alot of electric cars. When that is I have no idea. In the beginning it will be costly. That is only because there are only so many to be bought and the need for them are high. Once they are common the price should drop. (I hope)

I am afraid that the gas prices will go up and up and up and for those of us who don't have an electric car will suffer. (Horse and buggy maybe?) It would make sense the less gas needed in America the cost would go down, but I just don't see that happening.



Funny story..

My Dad's Great Grandpa was the first person to drive a car in his county. There were others who drove but not many. When the cars would break down the guys in their horse and buggy would pass them yelling "Get a horse".



His Great grandpa lost control of his car and headed for the ditch. Out of natural reaction he pulled the steering wheel right out of the dash board and said woh. (like one would do with a horse and it's reins.) He still hit the ditch.



I really don't think we will run out of gas. I do believe it will cost so much that we won't be able to afford it at all. Either way it sucks!

Answer 5

Gas wont run out. Gas companies and the people that control the oil fields are just greedy. Thats not going to change. Expect gas prices to go up before they come down again.



You should probibly expect that there will be some regulation by the government that will dictate to the industry how gas and oil products and priced.



Technology is expensive, and to buy an all electric car or one of the newer hybrid cars for under 15K dollars wont happen for at least 15 years.

Answer 6

We really do not have serious cause to worry on this score. There are still around 100 years (and counting) before gas runs out. Hence we have a cushion of 100 years to come up with a new alternative.

Electric cars have not fully lived up to the promise they once offered even though large amounts have been spent on their R & D. Then you have the problem of disposal of the waste from batteries which can be toxic. Fuel cells hold promise but the most exciting development is fusion reactors which basically imitate the reaction process of the sun (by combining hydrogen atoms to produce helium and release energy in the process). This is a complete conversion of matter into energy with an efficiency of 100%! Also the raw material (hydrogen) is abundant throughout. The energy released can be calculated in terms of the famous Einstien equation - E=MC(squared). As an added bonus, the radioactivity issues in such fission reactions are much much less as compared to the conventional fusion reactors.

However there are serious engineering and technological hurdles before a light portable fusion reactor can be made (one that can be carried in the bonnet of a car). My guess is that it will take anything between 50-100 years before such a reactor can be made as it requires many breakthroughs in materials and technology. However once a viable fusion reactor is made, the energy problems of the the world will be resolved in one shot.

As of now governments are not investing as much as they should on fusion research - everyone is interested in short term. However if the price of oil keeps on moving north, you can expect more by way of funding.

To conclude, there is really nothing to be seriously worried about. In the short run we can always tide over oil shocks. Throughout history the human race has always been able to find a way out - be it controlling disease, population growth.... and now oil.

Answer 7

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If you gotta go faster than 80mph, there's always the Tesla electric sports car:

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http://www.teslamotors.com

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It tops 130mph, accelerates 0-60 in four seconds, and can beat a Ferrari in a race. It gets 250 miles to the charge. And it's not ugly. But it is expensive. If you can wait a couple of years, they plan on releasing some cheaper cars.

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Here's a less expensive electric car - a Chinese import, it gets a 200 mile range, 80mph top speed, sells for $28,500, but not available until next year:

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http://www.milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html

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The reason most electric vehicles top out at 80 mph or so is because they don't have transmissions. Electric motors have very wide powerbands, and can do 0 to 80 mph without a transmission. The Tesla has a two speed transmission to get to 130mph. Probably most EVs will only go 80 mph to save on the cost of the transmission.

Answer 8

First, it will be a long time before that happens, plenty of time for development. Second, it is not just electric cars that are beign worked on. There are vehicles that can realistically run on other fuels, like hydrogen, that have been developped. They are still working out some kinks in the designs and working on marketability, but still. Also, you have high ethanol fuel vehicles now. Eventually we will convert from gasoline to other fuels, it is just an uphill battle with oil and gas companies pushing down from the top.

Answer 9

They are not moving fast enough. This question was on every ones mind in the 1970 gas lines. Shortages are not new, just a way for Oil to make big money. Record profits, like and addict we go to the pumps and give them our hard earned money.



Solutions have been available for years. The government is lobbied not to solve the problem with legislation.



This problem could go away in 5 years! But it will still be around 10 years from now. Because we have to force the right direction here. Hydrogen is the right way. You can make hydrogen from water by putting energy into water. Yes it costs. But when hydrogen burns, you get Water. Clean burning. This is available today, just the infrastructure for Hydrogen 'Pumps', is not.

Answer 10

Gas is a natural resource when it is all gone.Bush better work on something real good cause many people in this century depend on gas to get them to their destination.And horses wouldn't work what if you are late to work or school.A car would get you there a couple of minutes faster.i don't think it is the car companies either because maybe they aren't getting enough money from our government to help us .And know this Alaska s**t then the other gas supply in New Orleans had to be shut down cause of Hurricane Katrina.I would be happy to sit in a car that goes 80 mph then to have to walk or ride a horse 5 or 10 miles.Cause horses cant protect you from the rain and neither can walking.So our government better get there stuff together or all mayhem in this place.

Answer 11

It will be hundreds of years before gas "runs out"

it may be in short supply and the price might be high,

but there will be fuel. THousands of people are'working on alternative fueled vehicles as we write.

Every major auto producer has a working protype if not production model of at least partially electric cars.

If we wait until we get to that point, the economy

will be so bad and our standard of liveing so low that

we would no long be able to produce such a thing.

Our continued growth as a superpower is based on

energy and always has been.

Answer 12

Maybe we will have to rethink the way we live in this country, in this world for that matter. Maybe we need to simplify our lives a bit, slow down. Maybe by us not having all the gas to run from here to there and every where we will have no choice but to slow down and look and pay attention to the things that really matter. Maybe by having the privilege of unlimited mobility taken from us we will learn to appreciate the little things that we take for granted every day. We will survive and the world will hopefully learn and grow from the change forced on us. By the way.. all the people that say that we will go back to riding horses obviously have never traveled this way. This my friends will never be an option.

Answer 13

Go Nuclear. Just make sure the people running the plants & oversight are Navy-trained. Nuclear subs & carriers are a great prooving ground for technicians. When you're a thousand miles from land with no place to run for cover, you get VERY safety conscious. PS: Before anyone flames about Chernoby, did you know they didn't have a containment building. It was just the reactor in a concrete bunker. That's why theirs look smaller than the USA's. The hourglass-shape is the containment tower built around/over the reactor building.

Answer 14

We are not going to run out of gas in the near future but it will become more and more expensive. In my opinion we are not moving fast enough to electric vehicles, but then no one stands to make a lot of money from electric cars (fuel companies and car companies) I dont understand why some large electric companies fund a company to produce a viable electric car. They would stand to gain the most from it. I think ethanol is a sad cruel joke the powers that be are playing on us. There is no economically feasible way for ethanol to even supply 20% of our present fuel needs. People really need to rethink their stance on ethanol. Its a joke...I work in an ethanol plant and am a farmer...the only people that are going to benefit from ethanol is a person like me.

Answer 15

There will probably be no last drop of gas. Oil deposits are discovered all the time. From the research i've seen, the current world gas usage (and forseeable increases) will surpass capacity within 50 years. Before this happens prices will have already increased so much that alternative sources will no longer be 'alternative' but mainstream.

Answer 16

Why don't people try other modes of transportation instead of just cars all the time? If you have a bike you can be fit and healthy and get where you want to go. If you get a bus pass then you can get further in all kinds of weather and don't have the stress of driving. The same for any light rail service in the city. Let's not be slaves to our cars, with the high maintenance costs, gas prices, road rage and all kinds of other stress.

Answer 17

We will probably be riding bicycles to work. Or go back to using horses for transportation.



There's a slight possibility that an aspiring person will come up with a "true" alternative to gasoline sometime before or soon after we run out. Study hard!



Question for "Nitebug"...do you ride your bicycle 50 miles every day? My job is 25 miles away from where I live. Been looking for a job closer to home for 6 years to no avail. And moving closer to work is not an option.

Answer 18

I think you should worry more about what is going to happen to you when the country goes bankrupt, and people realize it. You'll be looking for Food and not fuel. Well, maybe fuel if you live in a climate that needs it to stay warm. The depression will be so huge that the sucking sound you'll hear is going to be your wallet being pulled out of your pocket so fast that your pants get ripped off in the process. Better get a horse.

Answer 19

Electric cars are far *worse* for the environment than gasoline cars. After all, where does the power for the car come from? Coal-fired power plants, in most places in the USA. Because there is no additional nuclear (read: clean) development going on, an increase in electric cars will mean a huge increase in greenhouse gases.

Answer 20

The larger car companies aren't going to mass market electric cars until there's so much demand from consumers that at least one of the independent companies marketing them becomes a major player. Right now, my money's on Tesla to be the company to pull that one off. http://www.teslamotors.com They're starting with a sharp looking high performance car with a 250 mile per-charge range that's outperforming a lot of the existing high performance vehicles and they plan to mass market a mid priced sedan in the (hopefully near) future. It's not your great great great grandma's electric car!

Answer 21

Cars are not the issue.



We'll find ways to get around, be they electric cars, trains, buses, etc.



But what will happen to the trucks that move our produce around? We can't run them on electricity. And more importantly, how will the great cargo liners get from port to port? Sails?



We have 8 billion people on this planet who rely on international trade. The flat-earther, anti-globalization types might not want to hear this, but without international trade, a sod of a lot of those people are going to starve.



And here are a couple of biggies most people don't think about: Fertilizer and plastics. Without petroleum, they suddenly become a real bother. More starvation, more disruption to our economies.



So, in summary, cars are irrelevant. We don't need them and can survive with out them. People will find ways to get around. But we are still going to need petroleum and their complex hydro-carbons for other things that just can't be replace by wind, solar, nuclear or what have you.



So, here is the honest unvarnished truth: There are 50 years of oil left. But we are going to need oil for things other than cars and we're going to keep needing it for the rest of forever. We need to stop people wasting these precious, irreplaceable hydrocarbons on trips to the mall.



The ONLY solution that can save man kind? BAN PETROLEUM-POWERED CARS. TODAY. The oil fields are NOT just going to grow back.

Answer 22

There are half electric nehicles right now. They can get up to 63 MPG. If gas runs out the price will probably go down too. There is also diesel fuel which is burned grease, or oil. Thats what school buses run on.

Answer 23

there are many cars out that can run on hydrogen and they run like regular cars. the oil giants want everyone to think we are eventually going to run out, but there is enough natural gas and oil still secretly untapped as it would last us 2000 years and the price of fuel would be 10 cents a gallon. i worked for a oil company called apec that was like opec but was set up for america. we have it and the oil companies lie about what they have and store to make massive profits. last quarter, exxon made over 12 billion profit. they have so much oil they were caught putting some into old wells to store it. we have alot of it but we need more refineroes which they complain are to expensive to build, but are happy to make 12 billion profit per quarter. thats about 50 billion a year profit just from one of the oil giants.

Answer 24

that won't happen in our lifetime. yes, there are alternative sources it just has to be offered/allowed. yes, the cars are ugly, but faster and more reliable then horses. But horses do have their good points too; like soft noses and warm bellies.



The prices for gasoline in England is $10 per gallon. the Continental US has gasoline cheap compared to the rest of the world (including Hawaii). But don't tell the gasoline monsters i said that or they will have a field day. i think the government and the people need to be in control of our gasoline. not privately owned. but what do i know I am just a old woman HA!



Don't worry so much. write your elected officials about your concerns. we pay them - use em till they scream for mercy.

Answer 25

The electric car was squashed by Detroit and the oilcos.

We have a lot more oil then is let on, like diamonds, oil is being kept artificially scarce to keep prices too high.

The federal gov't "led" by Bush and Cheyney, will never do anything about it, or say a harsh word to their benefactors. Cheyney made 36,000,000 in one year at Halliburton. Any questions??

Answer 26

Maybe Gas is a natural product of the Earth's Core and will never run out? Cornell scientist professor Thomas Gold seems to think so. It's called abiogenic origin. Look it up.

Answer 27

It's sad to think that everything will just stop if we do run out of oil. Just 100 years ago, the automobile was a luxury vehicle. Be proactive and ride a bike, carpool, ...why does everybody make the hugest deal out of this gas price ordeal? I'd like to think we're smarter than that...maybe we're not.

Answer 28

It's all about supply and demand. . .

they less gas there is,

the more we will pay to have it in our tanks.

But as this progresses,

consumers will be given alternative choices of transportation.

Altohugh we could go back to horse and buggys,

experts will be looking ahead for new answers

instead of repeating the past.

Currently, consumers are introduced to

hybird carslike the Toyota Prius,

which operates on both gas and battery,

getting 50-60 mpg.

As time progresses,

so will technology.

That means we will have more (and better!) options for travel.

Answer 29

We're heading for a social collapse. And it's stupid, because we HAVE the technology for free energy electric cars. Problem is, the gov't apparently doesn't want us to have it. Tesla's notes were stolen by gov't agents after he died. T.H. Moray was SHOT AT to shut him up, and finally his work was sabotaged by agents planted in his own organization. Dennis Lee was hounded by attourneys general for 'fraud' when like 2 or 3 customers out of thousands complained about him. John Searl's device was confiscated, and he was thrown in jail on trumped up charges. Other inventors have been 'hospitalized' or had such threatened to shut them up. I for one will not be sorry to see this idiocy culminate in civil collapse. They can reap what they've sown!



Meanwhile, there's enough information on the Internet to make my OWN electric if I can ever afford to.

Answer 30

The question is akin to asking when will be the end of civilization on planet earth which is answered this way. Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.

Now is the time to be ready to meet the Lord and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life. That is the ultimate issue.

Answer 31

Well considering that our lifestyle is not supportable if the whole world tried to do it (how many billions of cars would that be?) even with electric cars seems to me we need to rethink the way we live a bit - like more public transit!

Answer 32

When the gas runs out, I see it as alot of folks riding bikes and horses, and it will be like the old west days. People will be packing guns. "Ever see Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior"? Well, it will be similar to that!

Answer 33

After reading all these answers.. it makes me kind of sad. Everyone is saying, why worry about it now? Gas won't run out for a hundred years. What about developing our natural resource use in a sustainable way so that we don't f*ck over our future generations, our grand children and great children, etc?



Do you want to be remembered as someone who only thought about themselves and your own generation, or someone who helped generations for years to come?

Answer 34

We already have the technology and resources but they don't make mass production because then its less money for all the people making millions on oil. So in reality we won't need to go back to riding horses or any other primitive way.

Answer 35

It will be millions of years before we completely run out of oil and gas.. You will never have to wrong about that ... The government says that we are in short supply just to rise prices.

Answer 36

Apparently you do not follow scientific progress very much. We are doing work with other than fossil fuels...besides the majority of electricity is still fossil-fuel produced. However, we have solar, geothermal, wind and tide research projects and really esoteric projects involving antimatter and clean radioactive energy....

Answer 37

Our civilization will sink to pre 1900 levels, after a massive die - off. After that, civilization may rise again, but it will be slowly and with difficulty.



Raven - it may be hundreds of years before it runs out, but it will be less than 10 years before it is too expensive for people to use.

Answer 38

Necessity is the mother of invention. If anything happens to make gas-powered vehicles impossible to use, we'd come up with something else. I bet you'd be surprised how fast it would happen.

Answer 39

Hmm we'll probably go back to the horse-drawn carriage days, except with much shorter skirts than the women then used to wear - an abomination, aye?

Answer 40

well there are hybrid and electric and solar powered cars. they are trying to find a way to store solar energy, if they can do that then we'd all buy solar cars, and still trying to find different sources of power for cars. i really think when then last bit of gasoline is, world war III will be happening, fighten for it, and people will kill and start going crazy.

Answer 41

i wouldnt worry about the gas prices as much as globalwarming. the more we drive the worse it gets you all need to read about the rapidly melting of the polar ice caps that have melted a hundred years too soon you might invest in a good boat with strong sails.

Answer 42

Folks will be riding bicycles like I do now. I stopped being a slave

to big automakers,oil companies and insurance companies over

16 years ago.

Answer 43

Don't worry, we will not run out of oil or gas. The U.S. has over a 1000 yr supply of oil that has not been drilled yet.

Answer 44

Gas will not run out in our day and age. By the time our kids have kids they will have other means of gas!

Answer 45

there is still plenty of oil on this planet... the concern that everyone has is with so called "cheap oil" as found in the middle east and venezuela.... before thinking of buying ugly electric cars, we should think of hybrid cars...

Answer 46

I dont think the gas will run out completely.

Answer 47

i dont think electric cars are the future way or transportation. I think fuel cell cars are what we'll be driving.

Answer 48

I fore see one of two things happening 1. we'll all be back on horses and 2. we'll be riding bikes.

Answer 49

It's possible. It's just not affordable to the average citizen yet.

Answer 50

Do you mean when gas runs out? Or when we run out of money for gas?

Answer 51

we can run our cars off of water if we wanted; but big buisness profits to much from the oil companies...

Answer 52

we have things to replace gas like fryer greece thats a good one there is alot more but search for them online

Answer 53

I buy into the abiotic theory that the earth continually makes crude, and it doesn't come from dead plants or animals.

Answer 54

Ethanol.

Answer 55

no no they're not moving fast enough on electric cars



cinderellamirage

Answer 56

I dont think it will run out anytime soon but I do think we will pay a lot more for it.

Answer 57

believe me! when the automakers cannot sell gas

guzzlers, they will suddenly discover a way to build

something they can sell. until then why should they

bother?

Answer 58

Then why did GM kill their electric car?

Answer 59

i guess we need to learn the rules of the biking road

Answer 60

Other fuels, like steam, biodiesel.

Answer 61

no they need to move faster for less fortunate and poor people who are struggling.

Answer 62

maybe, but i think that we will go to hydro powered cars, at least, in my opinion.

Answer 63

Let's not worry about it and just live for today!

Answer 64

back to cow drawn cart and carriage

Answer 65

they have cars that can run on cooking oil and/or greese

Answer 66

Dear Zanzibar,

This question has been miscatagorized. Please ask in the Mythology and Folklore section.

Answer 67

We should all breathe easier.

Answer 68

nothing you'll just stop completely

Answer 69

maybe