Fuel price furor
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2000-03-06
Skyrocketing prices for world oil and their subsequent effect on the cost of gasoline are raising fears of a replay of the energy crisis of the 1970s with its line-ups at the fuel pumps and motorists switching away from their gas-guzzling vehicles in favor of smaller and more economic models.
Many energy gurus think oil prices will weaken later this year if, as expected, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries loosens the reins when a year-long production agreement ends at the end of March. At the same time, none of the experts foresaw the cost of crude soaring from $10.72 a barrel to a nine-year high of nearly $32.
What, then, have been the effects of the latest OPEC-engineered crisis?
We Still Love Our Gas Guzzlers
So far, there's little evidence the motoring public is switching away from the modern equivalent of the 1970s gas-guzzler ... the sports utility vehicle. The four-wheel drive, the perceived safety, and the image that were the selling points in the first place remain powerful buying incentives. If gasoline prices remain high, however, public attitudes may change and there could be a swing toward smaller, more economical SUVs.
The news media have carried a smattering of stories about gas station line-ups and people driving away from the pumps without paying, In general, these have been isolated incidents.
Private owners can, and will, adjust to higher prices. It's the commercial operators, though, who really bear the brunt of such increases. Parts of Canada, for example, are already experiencing traffic tie-ups on major highways precipitated by convoys of slow-moving trucks organized by protesting truckers whose profit margins are being squeezed to the limit.
Since the original oil crisis of the '70s, complacency has set in and manufacturers have done little to increase the fuel efficiency of their products. Most of the gains, rather, have been in the area of environmental control because of increasingly stringent laws governing exhaust emissions. Admittedly, though, fuel efficiency and environmental control are strongly linked.
What we're now seeing, in fact, is the emergence of several new technologies based on battery power, fuel cells and alternative fuels such as natural gas.
Ford is TH!NKING!
At the recent North American Auto Show in Detroit, for example, Ford introduced its THI!NK FC5 fuel-cell prototype. Based on a four-door 2000 Ford Focus, the TH!NK FC5 is a family-size sedan powered by the most advanced fuel cell system to date. The system was manufactured by Ballard Power Systems, DaimlerChrysler and Ford affiliate dbb fuel cell engines inc. The electric motor was manufactured by another Ballard, DaimlerChrysler and Ford affiliated company.
There's also a big push around the world to encourage the use of natural gas in vehicles. Mainly the impetus is based on the clean-burning properties of natural gas fuel, but even limited use would start to make a dent in the need for imported oil. Unfortunately, because of the lack of suitable infrastructure such as filling stations, natural gas is at present more suited to vehicle fleets that have central refueling depots.
Once a suitable infrastructure is in place, however, a large-scale changeover would be relatively simple. One company, Alternative Fuel Systems, is conducting numerous trials around the world with a relatively low-cost technology that will convert gasoline and diesel engines to burn natural gas.
Perhaps most immediate of the various alternatives are the hybrid battery-gasoline powered cars either on or due to hit the market later this year.
Toyota and Honda Offer Alternatives
Toyota's Prius has been on the market in Japan where 30,000 vehicles are now on the road. The U.S. version, to be available this summer, will get twice the mileage of conventional cars and run 86 per cent cleaner than the federally required fleet average. The Prius combines a super-efficient gasoline engine with a powerful electric motor. It incorporates an on-board system that charges the batteries while the vehicle is being driven, dispensing with the need to plug into an outside charging source.
The vehicle starts moving under battery power then runs on a combination of gasoline and electric power once it's up to speed. During acceleration, for example, the supplemental power from the motor reduces the load on the engine. The car runs on electric power alone under light loads, as on downgrades.
A similar hybrid, Honda's sporty two-seater Insight, is already available at U.S. dealerships and is attractively priced at less than $19,000. The Insight has earned the Environmental Protection Agency's top mileage rating - 61 mpg in the city and 70 mpg on the highway. In addition, the car also meets California's stringent Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standards.
The Insight incorporates an advanced aerodynamic design and an aluminum body, over 45 per cent lighter than a comparable steel-bodied model.
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