Oil Crisis? What Oil Crisis?

Aparently you can run a diesel car on vegetable oil which restaurants give away free!

Well the government is obviously very concerned about it. Yesterday we see another 800 seater super monstrosity take to the skies (a landmark occasion), today we are meant to cheer the opening of another new airport. Blair talks about hitting his Kyoto targets on the same day that he claims that an extra runway at Heathrow is a must. Their concern is palpable when you see them all left, right and centre, taking to the skies in private choppers and jets because they are all too important to practise what they preach. Grrrrr.... On the point of brits using SUVs though, although I know that many of us are, during a radio programme I was listening to the other day, all of those interviewed who owned them were either american, south african or Australian. Probably a coincidence (they were all women too - possibly among them the woman who nearly killed me yesterday because checking her make up in a handheld mirror and talking on her phone is easier in a 4x4 than an ordinary car)

ALSO, since I'm on one, and this is a serious question, how come, if oil companies have to raise the price of oil because of shortages etc, are Shell, BP etc., reporting record profits? Surely they couldn't be... gasp... taking advantage of the situation?

There are several viable alternatives fatelky. Some which could have been implemented some time ago. Unfortunately, the powers that be are determined to hold back on this for economical reasons.

I read that when the new monster plane is at full thrust, it is the equivalent of 3,500 cars at full throttle. So where is the saving?

There's a bit more to it than that Jude. I recently acquired a deisel car and it certainly didn't like vegetable oil. There is an additive that one needs. I don't know what it is. It is also illegal. It is cheaper than deisel and the Exxons of this world don't like you not using their product. Apparently about a couple of years ago in Wales when there was a huge run on mega-size bottles of vegetable oil, the authorities were informed, and several people were arrested when it was found that they were using the oil in their cars. Now there's a story. But I must say that the trip I make to London and back costs about 9 quid with deisel -120- miles as opposed to 15 quid with the old petrol engine. And the deisel has a larger engine. I suppose if I could get vegetable oil to work o.k., then I could get there and back for about tuppence.

If only someone would invent an engine that ran on bullshit, then Bush and Blair really could solve the energy crisis. [%sig%]

Try driving 3500 cars across the atlantic. Got insurance?

Airplanes only use full throttle when taking off. I agree with Rachy about greedy oil companies though. The government, ALL governments and ALL oil companies lie to us to preserve profits. North sea oil was going to be our salvation! We have the highest prices in Europe i believe. Where's the salvation in that?

It explains why - it is claimed - we have the fourth biggest economy.

Official opec figure is 80 years more oil, however it is in the interest of opec countries to exagerate their oil supplies. We don't know how much they do this, although the shell thing last year suggests it's pretty rampant. The amount of known oil in the world is increasing (we're finding it faster than we're using it) although the rate at which we're finding it is falling and it looks like the known amount of oil could peak in the next few years. Add to this the fact that a lot of known oil is low grade oil shale, which at the moment costs a barrel of oil to extract a barrel. Oil won't ruin out any time soon but will continue to get more expensive. There is a hell of a lot under russia, and a hell of a lot under alaska, and a hell of a lot under south america. The balance of power may change interestingly in the coming decades.

What I'd like to know is, why, after sensibly driving around in cars the size of peas for years, the Brits all-of-a-sudden are buying up SUVs. Why?! The car parks have no spaces to fit SUVs! Petrol is the equivalent of five bucks a gallon! Why?

ha ha ...brilliant Hox My reliable source about the veg oil is "Top gear" . They even told you what to add which was something that could be bought cheaply in any DIY store. It is only illegal if you don't declare it to the tax man. If you do you pay the fuel tax but it is still cheaper than diesel by a long shot!

Five bucks a gallon! I wish. More like $7-$8.

Yeah, sorry. 7 bucks. Prices went up.

North Sea oil has saved Norway. They're in great shape. On the other hand, there are only a handful of Norwegians.

thank god...

The saving with the new monster Airbus is that you still only need one pilot and one co-pilot to fly 850 people across the world.

There's the usual escalating exaggerations in operation here. The plane is, as far as I've been led to believe, able to carry approx 550 passengers, which I agree is still a lot of bodies. The saving will be in the need for only one plane instead of two, the one plane being more efficient will exhaust less pollutants than the two previously required. There seems to be some misapprehension that 'new' cars, planes, lorries etc. produce increasing quantities of pollutants when in fact, it's the manufacturers interests to make them more efficient and economical, in order to sell them in the first place. We should be applauding new models rather than slagging them.

We just bought an older model Volvo estate from a very chavvie British woman who insisted that the Volvo just wasn't her (what with lacquered nails and all); her dream car? One of those new Kia monstrosities that look rather like lunar rovers, at 30 litres to the mile. It ain't just the colonies in SUVs nowdays, luvvie.

Apparently there's a lot of it under Antartica. It explains why we fought so hard over the Malvinas. (Falklands) Oh and I meant diesel - not deisel. Why do I want to kill myself when I make a spelling mistake?