Oil Price Watch

[uls]

This is why even Rolls-Royce recently came out with an all-electric limousine, because the company has to balance out their gas guzzling models with a zero-emission model. Do you think buyers of Rolls-Royce, Porsche and BMW cars are clamoring for cheaper rides?

what does that have to do with "clamoring for cheaper rides"?

are electric Porsches, BMWs, Rolls Royces cheaper than their petrol counterparts?

is a Prius cheaper than a corolla?

you lost your train of thought

EVs are more expensive than their petrol counterparts

how much is a Chevy Volt?

people buy EVs not coz EVs are cheaper. people buy EVs coz they think they'll save money on fuel which in the long run will make up for the higher price they paid for the EVs (that's what they think)

people who buy Rolls Royces and Porsches can afford to fuel up their cars so why do Rolls Royce and Porsche have to make EVs? Coz they have to.

Right now, you cannot be a competitive automaker if you can't build EVs. Every automaker will eventually have to have EVs in their product line coz that's where the industry is going and that's what the market will demand in the future

they know there will be strong demand for EVs in the future. they have to have products ready. they can't let customers go somewhere else. Rolls Royce and Porsche customers will eventually want electric Rolls and electric Porsches. If they dont have e-Rolls Royces and e-Porsches in their product line, they'll lose customers

it's money

right now, automakers' cash cows aren't EVs. the cash cows are motor vehicles that run on oil. the money they make from selling those cars go to subsidize R&D on EVs

[uls]

Ah, you might want to check what happened in 2007 when the government started supporting the LPG industry.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/293555...-fuel-vehicles

A year later (2008) taxi operators started converting.

from the article above:

The LPG Industry Association (LPGIA) and concerned government agencies will be holding the 1st Philippine Auto-LPG Summit on 22 November 2007 at the Mandarin Oriental with the aim of strengthening policies pertaining to Auto-LPG.

LPGIA and concerned govt agencies? a special interest group (association of local LPG suppliers) lobbied the govt to promote autogas to the public

taxi operators start converting to LPG

who gained? the LPG association members, some govt people

dude, it's about the money

[anonemus]

You're skewing the argument.

I'm not contending that market forces (business associations, automakers, oil companies) do things because its good for the environment or good for the people. They're doing things because of profit. No argument here.

Your premise: people and market forces move to alt energy because of money.

My premise (if you care enough to read carefully the points I'm making) is that environmentalists and some governments influences and/or forces the market players and consumers to change their business practices and spending choices.

The electric Rolls-Royce/BMW/Porsche argument is to show you that buyers of these cars don't give a damn if petrol costs $10/gallon. But Rolls-Royce/BMW/Porsche companies are being forced by government regulation to produce more environment-friendly fleets or else their profit will take a beating by being fined heavily or being forced out of the market.

And who do you think forces these governments to make stricter environmental regulations?

[uls]

And who do you think forces these governments to make stricter environmental regulations?

LEFT LEANING IDEOLOGUES

[uls]

And who do you think forces these governments to make stricter environmental regulations?

[anonemus]

Correction: LEFT LEANING ENVIRONMENTAL IDEOLOGUES.


Or do you prefer a RIGHT-WING, WAR-MONGERING, OIL-SUCKING MORON?

[anonemus]

it's always about money

Right!

[uls]

left-wing, tree-hugging, anti-business

[anonemus]

Oy, idol ko yan! ^

I'm sure you would've voted for this guy if you could have

[anonemus]

...and the reason why Obama won and McCain lost in the election? The economy FAILED under the uber-capitalist, free-market, money-is-everything believer Bush administration.