Big Oil vs Future Car?

Based on the predictions of Michio Kaku and other leading researchers for the car of the future,which would be powered by electricity, do you think that "Big Oil" companies would do there best to hide, surpress or do away completely with that idea?

Oil companies make too much money to just sit back and do nothing while somebody else puts them out of business. I have been trying to find anythng on anything coming close to Oil companies trying to hide a new invention or modification or even alternate powere sources to fuel a vehicle that could really post a threat to them, but so far I have nothing.

If all future cars were fueled by electric energy or hydrogen would almost completly do away with oil for the average consumer. How do you feel the oil companies would react?


Michio Kaku - Future Car
www.youtube.com...

Even if a pure electric car came out tomarrow that made all other cars obsolete, there is still hundreds of millions of cars out there relying on fossil fuel. Unless they gave away the electric cars for free, I don't see the oil business going anywhere.

Also we do use fossil fuels for many more things then just cars-- heating our homes for one example.

[edit on 28-8-2009 by SlasherOfVeils]

reply to post by SlasherOfVeils


I understand what you mean, but speaking in the long run. Many people may opt for electric cars over gas powered fuels when another "Gas crisis" comes around. I mean, how many more of these gas crisis will the public take?

reply to post by duble0peter


I don't see the end of a gas powered car in the future and don't think big oil needs to do anything to hide/stop anything. A few thoughts:

The power grid in the US is in terrible condition. It simply can not handle a massive number of electric cars. Unless we get serious with nuclear power, which I don't see due to the environmental pressure groups, it will take billions and decades to enhance the grid. The California electric company is giving folks for money to turn in refrigerators for new energy efficient ones is due to the fact that they need to cut consumption or they will need to build more plants.

The oil companys are not oil companys any longer. They are "energy" companys. They are heavily invested in battery technology, wind and solar technology. They will continue to win and win big regardless of the technology used to power cars. If you do a bit of research into who is providing angel funding to the alternative energy start-ups, when you get to the bottom it is largely massive multi-nationals, specifically oil and aero-space firms, such as GE.

They have this deal covered. They are even investing in solid waste disposal firms/technology as the disposal of batterys, should the electronic car become mainstream, disposing of the batterys will be a huge issue to deal with and an issue that some firms will make a lot of coin in.

They will always be with us and they will always win. They have too much cash not to place a ton of different bets on the table at the same time

I don't think it will be until they develop an affordable, useful and available electric truck (as in big rig/transportation) that electric cars will really take a foothold, at least in the US. That's my prediction.

I believe one big oil company made a 350 million investment in converting algae to oil or developing the idea. That is not pocket change to me. I believe the concept is workable and apparently so does some big oil money. Right now I don't see people driving long distance using electric power or big rigs driving around on electric power. We will need some type of hybrid power or biofuel. For people who typically drive less than 40 miles a day around town, electric powered cars should work great. Even they will need some other type of fuel for longer trips though. Hopefully our government will not impede electric cars by causing all of our electric utility rates we pay to skyrocket. I read Cap and Trade (which would supposedly reduce domestic carbon production here) would increase the average electricity bill over $100 each and that's an average.

Those FutureSuperCars plans are very intresting to see