Post Oil Personal Transportation

[Hydrogen]

Image link:  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FgrGlSjVIAAcQBp?format=jpg&name=small

Pictured above: the dogsled quad, which was known for once making an appearance at burning man




Image link:  https://i.ibb.co/wK4HQMx/ostrich-cart.jpg

Pictured above:  an ostrich pulled cart




Image link:  https://i.ibb.co/2KNqsXh/velomobile.jpg

Pictured above:  the velomobile recumbent, pedal powered, 3 wheeler


Given current oil and gaosline prices, demand has risen considerably for alternatives to petrol powered vehicles. While tesla current has a good position in EV (electric vehicle) markets. The biggest complaint I have heard is new teslas trending towards being unaffordable for many. While Elon Musk has announced a low priced EV will be produced soon, that model has yet to hit markets.

I saw someone on here claim oil was expected to become an unfeasible asset to extract from the earth around the year 2050. Which leaves a question of which method of personal propulsion we might utilize in a post oil economy. Given that this line of thought parallels current issues with high gas and diesel prices, do we have good ideas and technology for coping with a world where the cost of extracting oil from very deep wells, exceeds the value which can be derived from consuming said oil.

My favorite option so far is the velomobile (#2 picture). Its an aerodynamic 3 wheeled recumbent bicycle which can cruise at speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. It seems like the closest option to replacing a car for transportation purposes.

Hauling cargo and large loads would need to be solved using other methods. Steam powered railroads were once used for this purpose in centuries past. Perhaps they could one day make a return.

Many have asked which investments were good options for our current era of economic crisis. It is possible that someone might fulfill transportation demand by sourcing vehicles alternate to fossil fuels. Build a business on that concept and do ok for themselves. Although, material costs and skilled labor being what they are. Even a velomobile doesn't come cheap. The base cost is measured in thosands of euros. A price tag which would rival the cost of 2nd hand cars.

If the world becomes crazy enough perhaps we could see a resurgence of ostrich driven carts. How crazy are things going to get?

[hatshepsut93]

Before people switch to these exotic vehicles, there's one thing that should be tried first - public transportation. If a car weighs over 1 ton and a human weighs 70kg, then most of the energy is wasted on moving the car rather than moving the human. But a bus that carries 20 people weighs less than 20 cars, so the net use of fuel is lower in society that prefers public trasport. Especially since there's electricity-driven public trasport, while electric cars are still in their early days.

And for short distances, like 1-2km, there's walking. Car owners really like to drive their cars even if the distance is only 500m, and then wonder why they have health problems.

[Hydrogen]

Before people switch to these exotic vehicles, there's one thing that should be tried first - public transportation. If a car weighs over 1 ton and a human weighs 70kg, then most of the energy is wasted on moving the car rather than moving the human. But a bus that carries 20 people weighs less than 20 cars, so the net use of fuel is lower in society that prefers public trasport. Especially since there's electricity-driven public trasport, while electric cars are still in their early days.

Let's say that a person uses three 5 gallon jugs for their potable water needs. Is there a public transportation option for them taking their water jugs on a bus? If the wait for a bus is typically 15 to 30 minutes. How does a person buy ice cream. Knowing that it could completely melt while they wait 30 minutes for a bus to arrive. Is there a public transportation option for paddle boards that are 9 feet in length. If a person's pet 400 lb pig was injured in a freak accident, could they rush it to a hospital or vet, using public transportation?

The regulations and rules of public transportation are too restrictive. I think in their current form they could never replace personal transportation options, even if they could be made carbon neutral.

If I had to take a 8 mile trip and had a choice between waiting for the bus. Or riding a bike. There are many times when I rode a bike instead. My main issue with walking is it takes too long. I have walked home from work many times in a 10+ mile trip. The only negative complaint I have is it consuming too much time. An hour and a half or more of walking is too time consuming. A bike or recumbent pedal powered vehicle which can cruise comfortably at 20 to 30 miles per hour greatly reduces travel time. The secondary concern would be cargo capacity. A trailer or cargo space which can comfortably store a good amount of items. while maintaining a good 20 to 30 mph would offer performance similar to a car or truck for short to mid range travels.

The next drawback of pedal powered vehicles is them being single seater with no passenger capacity. I'm not certain if that issue could ever be addressed. If fossil fuel prices continue to rise, perhaps we will see more brilliant minds tackle the issue as it becomes more relevant to maintaining standard of living.

[philipma1957]

We would be pure electric and maybe electric/hydrogen hybrids.

Pretty easy fix if the rich were willing to do it.

[Darker45]

We would be pure electric and maybe electric/hydrogen hybrids.

Pretty easy fix if the rich were willing to do it.

Exactly! If only the motive is not to get rich, I think there'd be a lot more practical transportation inventions and innovations.

As a matter of fact, instead of a sudden full shift to expensive electric cars and vehicles, why not a gradual transition to electric/oil hybrids? I'm seeing a few hybrids like this but it seems the hype and attention are always directed toward sleek fully electric cars, which are more about showing costly beauty and class than practicality.

[cabron]

We would be pure electric and maybe electric/hydrogen hybrids.

Pretty easy fix if the rich were willing to do it.

With hydrogen, they are not going to make money out of it and it will not make the economy better so they are not up for it. Horses and cows still work though as had been the transportation a century ago. If a mile away, a bike will do.

There are things to fix if they really going to push climate change. Like working at home after all the world is going digital. Less travel.

[Hydrogen]

We would be pure electric and maybe electric/hydrogen hybrids.

Pretty easy fix if the rich were willing to do it.

When I was younger I worked in a grocery store in an area known for having a high number of homeless residents. I would see them at bus stops and on the side of the road. Sometimes they would enter the store to use the restroom. Having an overactive brain, I would see them and think about the logistics of homelessness. How could they be helped? Many struggle with impulse control and substance abuse issues.

I thought of methods which could be used to supply the poor with free food and free energy. Eventually realizing it might be done without exotic or specialized technology. I kept these ideas in the back of my mind thinking I might get around to implementing them someday.

At some point my thinking changed. If there was a homeless encampment of 10,000 residents. And they were given free food and energy. Wouldn't their population explode into a camp with a far larger population? Throwing free stuff at demographics with impulse control and substance abuse issues doesn't necessarily help them to fix their own problems. For reasons identical to most lottery winners ending up poor again within a short time of winning the lottery. Free food and free energy could worsen social issues as it would greatly accelerate population expansion. Many poor families prefer having large families of 10 to 20 kids. These trends are not sustainable over the long term.

I know there are many who preach free energy as a means of celebrating progress. The next time free energy is mentioned, think of homeless residents you have known or seen. How would they live if they had unlimited access to food and energy. Maybe they would mine bitcoin and instantly become mega trillionaire geniuses. But it is possible that it could also propel negative precedents.

If the goal is helping people. It might take a form other than giving away things for free. In some cases, they're the only ones who can help themselves. They simply don't know how to. Information, counseling and guidance could have underrated value.

[pooya87]

Given current oil and gaosline prices, demand has risen considerably for alternatives to petrol powered vehicles. While tesla current has a good position in EV (electric vehicle) markets. The biggest complaint I have heard is new teslas trending towards being unaffordable for many. While Elon Musk has announced a low priced EV will be produced soon, that model has yet to hit markets.

With fossil fuel prices rising, soon the electricity price follows (as it has also already risen). With more embargoes and conflict with where nuclear power plants's fuel comes from (ie. mainly Russia) the nuclear electricity would also become scarce and as a whole electricity prices could go up.
In other words electric cars aren't the magic solution to gasoline price rise.

I saw someone on here claim oil was expected to become an unfeasible asset to extract from the earth around the year 2050.

It depends on the source/country. Some regions have very little supply as it is and they are already running out. For example they predict US to only have oil for about 5 years (meaning till about 2025) but other regions are blessed with massive supplies. For example in Iran some predict we are going to have oil for at least 200 more years (ie. till 2200).
In other words fossil fuels are not going to be replaced or even lose their position in the global markets in our lifetimes.

Hauling cargo and large loads would need to be solved using other methods. Steam powered railroads were once used for this purpose in centuries past. Perhaps they could one day make a return.

They used coal which is both inefficient and creates a lot of pollution. It won't come back ever.

[davis196]

Electric cars are all about the battery. The battery is the most expensive and the heaviest thing in the EV. Li-Ion batteries have limits. The batteries of the future will be way different than Li-Ion. Maybe the solid state batteries will provide the answer to a future full of EVs. Who knows?
Why not zeppelins filled with helium replacing the airplanes? Those zeppelins will produce electricity by using the wind or by installing solar panels on them(flying above the clouds). Definitely a better idea than an ostrich driven transportation system on the ground. Do we have enough ostriches around the world to cover the future demand?
I'm kinda skeptical about hydrogen replacing gasoline. The process of producing hydrogen for industrial usage is still very expensive and dirty.

[tabas]

We would be pure electric and maybe electric/hydrogen hybrids.

Pretty easy fix if the rich were willing to do it.

You've said the keyword. Yeah, if they're gonna allow that to happen because for sure that lots of bucks will be missed out if they allow it to do so. But we're all still going to see a lot of oil/diesel-gasoline engine cars because they're making a lot of money from it.

As a matter of fact, instead of a sudden full shift to expensive electric cars and vehicles, why not a gradual transition to electric/oil hybrids? I'm seeing a few hybrids like this but it seems the hype and attention are always directed toward sleek fully electric cars, which are more about showing costly beauty and class than practicality.

I am seeing the gradual change from diesel-engine cars, I guess that there's already the introduction for hybrid to full electric cars. I think what most countries will have are hybrid types because not all countries are capable of having battery charging stations from mile to mile. It'll cost them money unless Elon steps in with his Tesla to majority of the countries that are starting to adopt hybrid and full electric cars.

[Sayeds56]

Shifting to green energy/transport is not only important because one day we will run out of oil but also to keep environment pollution free and healthy for our incoming generations. It is true that battery operated cars are very expensive which is not easy to afford but we can use hybrid car which is very helpful to reduce fuel consumption. I also use Hybrid car which has reasonably cut down my fuel bill.

[hatshepsut93]

Let's say that a person uses three 5 gallon jugs for their potable water needs. Is there a public transportation option for them taking their water jugs on a bus? If the wait for a bus is typically 15 to 30 minutes. How does a person buy ice cream. Knowing that it could completely melt while they wait 30 minutes for a bus to arrive. Is there a public transportation option for paddle boards that are 9 feet in length. If a person's pet 400 lb pig was injured in a freak accident, could they rush it to a hospital or vet, using public transportation?

Thing is, people don't typically move huge jugs of water, 9-feet long objects, 400 lbs pigs and so on. And on rare occasions that you need to move something that can't be moved through public trasportation, you can ask a friend or hire someone with a truck. That's usually cheaper than having a car and not paying for its full potential most of the time.

If I had to take a 8 mile trip and had a choice between waiting for the bus. Or riding a bike. There are many times when I rode a bike instead. My main issue with walking is it takes too long. I have walked home from work many times in a 10+ mile trip. The only negative complaint I have is it consuming too much time. An hour and a half or more of walking is too time consuming. A bike or recumbent pedal powered vehicle which can cruise comfortably at 20 to 30 miles per hour greatly reduces travel time. The secondary concern would be cargo capacity. A trailer or cargo space which can comfortably store a good amount of items. while maintaining a good 20 to 30 mph would offer performance similar to a car or truck for short to mid range travels.

Yes, bikes and scooters work great for medium range trips, while walking is suited best for distances up to 2km.

[Sayeds56]

Let's say that a person uses three 5 gallon jugs for their potable water needs. Is there a public transportation option for them taking their water jugs on a bus? If the wait for a bus is typically 15 to 30 minutes. How does a person buy ice cream. Knowing that it could completely melt while they wait 30 minutes for a bus to arrive. Is there a public transportation option for paddle boards that are 9 feet in length. If a person's pet 400 lb pig was injured in a freak accident, could they rush it to a hospital or vet, using public transportation?

Thing is, people don't typically move huge jugs of water, 9-feet long objects, 400 lbs pigs and so on. And on rare occasions that you need to move something that can't be moved through public trasportation, you can ask a friend or hire someone with a truck. That's usually cheaper than having a car and not paying for its full potential most of the time.

If I had to take a 8 mile trip and had a choice between waiting for the bus. Or riding a bike. There are many times when I rode a bike instead. My main issue with walking is it takes too long. I have walked home from work many times in a 10+ mile trip. The only negative complaint I have is it consuming too much time. An hour and a half or more of walking is too time consuming. A bike or recumbent pedal powered vehicle which can cruise comfortably at 20 to 30 miles per hour greatly reduces travel time. The secondary concern would be cargo capacity. A trailer or cargo space which can comfortably store a good amount of items. while maintaining a good 20 to 30 mph would offer performance similar to a car or truck for short to mid range travels.

Yes, bikes and scooters work great for medium range trips, while walking is suited best for distances up to 2km.

Good idea. Walking for short distance trip is also good for health in the long term as well as it cuts down our medical bills. I prefer to walk to super market ( which is located at about 1 mile distance from my home) to buy grocery items of daily needs and never use any kind of transport.

I think in future recycling industry will boom and they will develop technology  to convert plastic and other waste material into low carbon fuel to use it for transport purpose.

[Spendulus]

....For example they predict US to only have oil for about 5 years (meaning till about 2025)....

No "they" do not; or if "they" do, they are fools.

[Gyfts]

If we're out of energy that we can't even engage in personal transportation, doesn't that spell disaster for Bitcoin miners? Are miners going to have hamster wheels powering their rigs?