Ridiculous Gas Prices?

I think that gas prices have gotten so high in the past year that there should be an alternative way because who likes paying ridiculous amounts of money on gas? I know I sure do not. Well Peter Katel writes an article called “Oil Jitters,” which talks about the facts behind the high prices of gas and what is happening in the Middle Eastern Countries. To put an end to these problems, Bryan Walsh wrote an article, which was recently published in TIME Magazine, called “The Volt.” This talked about the new car that should be hitting the streets by 2010 that will prevent the use of gas.

The increase in gas prices have really been hitting the United States hard in this past year, but currently the prices are the lowest they have been in a long time. Also, have you ever noticed whenever the prices for gas increase, it affects everything else around it? For example, when the prices go up for gas, fast food restaurants increase the price of their food because they have to be able to pay for shipping. The increase in gas prices affects everything, including the economy, just because it is one of the most consumed products in the U.S.

Peter Katel wrote an article called “Oil Jitters” that really gave me an inside view of why gas prices have been so high lately. “Vastly increased demands for oil in rapidly modernizing China and India, warfare and instability in the Middle East and the weakening U.S. dollar have revived fears of a new energy crisis” (Katel). It is unfortunate that when there is a struggle in another country and the problems in other countries affect us, the United States. Katel next says that, “Gasoline shortages and the accompanying lines at gas stations were thought to have ended with the Jimmy Carter administration” (Katel). The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local public entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards. Jimmy Carter stated in his Energy Policy that the United States would never import as much gasoline as they did in 1977. “Then as soon as 2008 began, American drivers were paying more than $3 a gallon, and crude oil hit a milestone, $100 a barrel” (Katel). Three dollars a gallon was considered a deal a couple weeks ago when the hurricane hit Texas which then hurt North Carolina because Texas is where North Carolina gets there oil. “In any event, the days of cheap, plentiful oil appear to be over, and motorists may have to learn how to conserve energy” (Katel).

How do you conserve this energy you ask? Well, General Motors is one step ahead by creating the Chevy Volt. “The Volt isn't powered by a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine, like nearly every automobile since the first Model T rolled off Henry Ford's assembly line in 1908” (Walsh). Having a vehicle that does not run on gasoline will help out the economy and atmosphere tremendously. “Nor is it a hybrid like Toyota's fuel-efficient Prius with a gas engine assisted by an electric motor. This vehicle is electric, powered by a 400-lb. lithium-ion battery nestled beneath the floorboard, an energy source that is not only silent but entirely emission-free” (Walsh). This car could begin a new era in driving. It would not only be next coolest thing ever, but it would save our economy from the stressful times when it comes to gasoline. It would also help clean up our atmosphere because we will not be sending so much burning gas into the air. This could then help the world’s global warming situation. “GM is hardly the only major automaker to explore electrics as the way to make that happen; in recent months every major international automaker has announced plans to produce plug-in hybrids, semi-electric cars that can be recharged from a wall socket, like the Volt” (Walsh). This idea is beyond genius. Families can come home from work and simply plug there cars’ into the wall instead of running to the gas station to spend ginormous amounts of money on gas. “The company (GM) does not have a happy history with electrics, having produced the battery-powered EV1 in the 1990s only to discontinue it in 1999. But this time GM has staked its future on the Volt, promising to have it in showrooms by the end of 2010, far quicker than the pace of development for a standard car, let alone one whose battery does not technically exist yet” (Walsh). I am very excited to see how much this vehicle will cost and how popular it will soon become.

Those are just some of the reasons why everyone should own a vehicle like The Volt, when it comes out, to prevent our economy from worrying about it. The one con about buying a car like The Volt is it will be a little bit more expensive than your average car. The pros are as follows: No more ridiculous gas prices, no more burning fuel into the atmosphere, and those are just the top few. So who likes paying ridiculous amounts of money on gas now? I know I still don’t.



















Work Cited

Katel, Peter. Oil Jitters. 2008. January 4, 2008

Walsh, Bryan. The Chevy Volt: GM's Huge Bet on the Electric Car. 2008. Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2008