do you believe the OPEC nations are automotive manufacturers are conspiring together?

Question

there have been so many cost effective alternate fuel and energy sources created, but each and every one of them seem to either get totally shot down, or are no longer heard from.

Answer 1

in some ways yes. Check the stock portfolio for GM......

Answer 2

I do believe it and have since the 70s. It may not be the OPEC nations, but someone high up in oil is responsible. In the 70's a man named Archie Blue from New Zealand invented a water powered car. There have been several other similar inventions over time that would allow you to drive your car on a cross of solar power and hydrogen conversion. See any of them out there? I don't. The only ones out there are cars that people have altered themselves. But the fact remains that several of these patents WERE purchased by either oil companies or even car manufacturers.

Also, look at our "energy efficient" hybrid cars. They are a JOKE. The "gas savings" is similar to fully fuel run vehicles and sometimes LOWER!
Here are a few Hybrids:
Honda Civic Hybrid - 49/51 mpg
Honda Accord Hybrid - 28/35 mpg
Lexus GS 450h - 25/28 mpg
Nissan Altima Hybrid - 42/36 mpg
Saturn Aura Hybrid - 28/35 mpg
Toyota Camry Hybrid - 40/38 mpg
Toyota Prius - 60/51 mpg

Now a few NON-hybrid cars:
Geo Metro - 50 mpg
Suzuki Swift - 49 mpg
Mazda 3 - 28/35 mpg
Chevy Aveo - 27/37 mpg
Dodge Caliber - 28/32 mpg
Toyota Corolla - 41 mpg
Toyota Yaris - 40 mpg
Toyota Camry - 35 mpg
Toyota Matrix - 36 mpg

Every single Hybrid car is matched or topped by another car that isn't a hybrid. Now if they can make a Geo metro get more than 50 mpg on full fuel (my old Geo metro convertible actually got 63 mpg) why can't they make a decent hybrid that will not just match it but EXCEED it. We're told that hybrids are increasing our fuel efficiency. Yeah, my butt they are!

Answer 3

They don't have to conspire together; they have similar goals. Automotive manufacturers will not invest in a new technology until they are forced to, either by regulation or the market. There are still too many of us who believe that "they" wouldn't let it happen if there were any real danger. As long as gratuitously big SUV's and non-working trucks are bestsellers, the manufacturers have no economic motive to change. Both OPEC and the manufacturers would lose money in the short term; and in the long term, OPEC countries would become poorer. As long as people fear losing their income, the problem will exist. When you take away someone's income, alternatives need to be in place. We can keep on working at being better people. It really is happening! And in the meantime, use public transport and walk and convert your cars to fuel you can make yourself or buy from a neighbour and carpool and vote for people who take environment seriously and buy from environmentally friendly merchants. The choices are obvious and endless.

Answer 4

Yes, I believe the oil companies own huge amounts of auto stock, possibly in a covert manner. Why else would a model T get better gas milage than a new car, Have we not advanced in fuel technology at all? Of course we have they just don't want it and you hear about ethanol being bad and it won't work as good. While the truth is that ethanol can be made from grass and cane and produce more than double what can be made from corn, it is called cellulosic ethanol and its is being made today but they say it won't work also ethanol needs high compression to work properly thats why dragsters use it because it has alot of power, it is far better than gas but you must use high compression pistons or it will get terrible fuel mileage. Plus there are many things to make a car more fuel efficient like turbo charging but they don't want that and there is electric cars. We have the technology for awesome electric cars and they would only cost the equivilant of 50 cents a gallon to operate, do you know that the land speed record is held by a electric car?

Answer 5

Not so much OPEC because there will always be a high demand for oil whether its for gasoline or heating homes or creating plastics etc.

Where you want to look are the lobbyists in the US Congress and the big gas companies in the US like exxon mobil. Lobbyists for these companies are so wealthy that they can send money to a congressman's district in exchange for a vote against alternative fuels.

Do some research on the Gasahal (sp?) of the 1970's. It was an alternative alcohol based gasoline product invented to combat the gas shortage. But it dissapeared suddenly!! People were led to believe the alcohol was unsafe and could corrode the gas tank. However, it was a non-petroleum option and could've been improved upon....yet it just fell of the radar. Oil companies and lobbyists payed big money to keep it from getting developed any further because they knew how much it could damage their product

Answer 6

No.
The issue with many of the alternative fuels is the distribution system. We have a million gas stations, not to mention delivery vehicles, marketing companies and refineries. Try getting a nationwide distribution network for hydrogen, LP, natural gas or straight ethanol. It is a chicken and egg thing. Some 21st Century Henry Ford will need to introduce some mass-market innovation to drive demand for new infrastructure.
Now the gasoline/oil companies, car companies and labor unions, among others, are all pushing the government (though not necessarily together) to squash any new alternative technologies or paradigms.

Answer 7

I see how it's easy to think so, and for a long time I did. But as I have studied all the technologies, I realize it is just that gasoline is superior because of its high energy density and easy storage.

Increasing efficiency of all cars and using a percentage of biofuels seems like the best thing we can focus on right now! Everyone can help by selling their SUV and beying a high mpg car. This will tell that car makers to focus on fuel efficiency.

One of the reasons they haven't done this is not conspiracy, but rather all the Americans who are still buying profitable SUV's today when gasoline is almost $4 a gallon in parts of the US!

Answer 8

Not exactly, like you said there are so many cost effective solutions which one should we choose and which one will be the new break through. The petroleum industry buys the rights to these cost effective engines and shelves them so they can't be sold, that is a fact that everyone knows. Maybe they conspire but aw well there is nothing we can do about it. It would be worse if I had a hydrogen car you had an electric one and your friend had a car that ran on ethanol and your other friend had one that ran on gas. How would we accommodate each individuals needs that would simply be too much.

Answer 9

I dont think is OPEC, think it is Shell, Exxon, Valero, OPEC just doesnt pump oil to keep there pockets fat just like BIG Oil doesnt help with alternatives. For Big Oil to get into green fuels we are talking multi billions, even trillions of dollars to overhaul the transportation system. Then your going to have different codes for all the different fuels, Big Oil is just lobbying for time for the inevitable. Meanwhile OPEC cuts production to keep oil at a price they like. Opec somehow always has the same amount of fuel every year in reserves. Talk about monopoly.

Answer 10

they are conspiring together to keep oil prices high. Saudi Arabia has a known 40 oil fields. It exploits 8 fields. It does not and will not invest in digging the other fields until it runs its current fields up. This keeps oil prices high because there is less oil and the demand for oil will only go up.

The OPEC nations are probably giving money bribes to Ford and other big car sellers to continue selling SUV's and advertise them better than ever before.

Answer 11

I think more and more people are starting to wake up, and taking step by step matters into their own hands circumventing the greed gridlock, making their own alternative fuel vehicles, no longer feeding the monster. Those people only have power, if we the people give it to them. So let's not give it to them, ha ha! More young idealistic entrepeneur are coming up with more alternative, steam injection, solar steam generators, more efficient pv panels, etahnol fuel cell hybrids. Start looking to free yourself. Who needs oil companies? I don't. I went electric, and it's free 'cause I get it from the sun. And it's a good feeling all around. I'm not polluting the air. I'm part of the natural system, and the earth. And I trust it.