President Bush wants to put an end to the presidential moratorium on offshore drilling – he’s a moron!

And here are my top 4 reasons why:

1) Won’t significantly affect prices
Saying that opening up more coastal waters to offshore drilling will help alleviate high gas prices I like putting a band-aid on severed artery. It doesn’t help and just wastes time. The federal Energy Information Administration estimates that there are roughly 16 billion barrels of oil we currently can’t get at due to the offshore moratorium. I realize that may sound like a lot, but consider that in the U.S. we go through about 140 billion gallons of gasoline each year. So that amount of oil is enough to keep our cars running for about 1 ½ months.

Not only that, but experts also feel that we wouldn’t really see the full affects of lifting the ban until 2030! Remember, it takes time to 1) figure out where oil might be 2) drill exploratory wells 3) put up offshore drilling rigs 4) get that oil to be refined.

I don’t know about you but I sincerely hope we’re not using any oil at that point in time, which brings me to reason number 2…

2) Short sighted
In the world of politics you have to get used to short sighted policies, but this is ridiculous. Even if we keep finding more oil, we know for a fact that we’re going to run out of it – period! It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

While I certainly don’t like going to the pump and putting $4.05/gallon gas in my tank, I’m willing to “take one for the team here.” At some point, one generation is going to have to suck it up and make the transition to other ways to our vehicles from here to there. We have the opportunity right now to do that right now, so I say it may as well be us and not our children or their children.

Think of the switch to alternative fuels like pulling off a band-aid. You can either do it slowly and it hurts the entire time you pull it off or you can pull it off quickly and it really hurts for just a few seconds, and then it’s all better. I’d rather get this transition over with as quickly as possible, wouldn’t you – rather than suffering through it for the next 20-30 years (or longer if the oil companies get their way)?

3) Only good for oil companies & OPEC
Have you seen those Chevron commercials claiming how they’re “part of the solution.” They want you to think they’re one of the good guys, and that they’re on your side. Don’t let them fool you. This is the same company that owns the technology for the most promising battery technology for electric cars and refuses to do anything with it except horde it to make sure that we need to continue buying their oil.
Lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling only helps keep the government in bed with oil companies, which already get huge tax breaks despite the fact that they’re reaping record profits right now. (*cough* corruption *cough*)

How about the government starts using its time and resources to favor alternatives? It’s true that it’ll take a few years for us to start seeing the benefits, but no matter what we do, it’s going to take time. I say we put those resources towards a long term solution.

Why should we keep giving all our money to countries that hate us? (i.e. the middle east, Venezuela, etc.) Seriously, that’s just stupid.

4) Won’t help with recession
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, but offshore drilling isn’t going to help with the recession that we seem to be entering right now. High gas prices may not be helping things, but they’re certainly not the only factor at work right now. In fact, I’m going to tell you right now it’s best to tighten you belt for the next few years because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Things will get better, maybe even better than ever, but that light of the tunnel is still just a dot in the distance right now.

So I’m going to say it again. Let’s act a bit more like our grandparents, and theirs before them, and really work on making this country a great one for our children and their children instead of trashing it. It’s not always going to be fun, and at times it’s going to be painful, but it’ll be worth it.

Want a solution you can use to start using significantly less gas right now? Perform a water conversion on your car and you can improve your gas mileage by up to 57% - works with ANY vehicle.

In what’s seemed like endless delays in delivery of Tesla’s sport $100k all electric roadster, there’s finally some good news to report…

Deliver has started.

So far Tesla is reporting that they’ve delivered 9 of the vehicles so far with three more being delived by the weekend.

The GM assembly line this is not.

Right now Tesla is capable of finishing four production vehicles each week, and they currently have 27 roadsters in “various stages of assembly.”

So why the heck is production on these things so slow? Well, according to Tesla Motors CEO Ze’ev Drori, “we deliberately limit the production until we install our own born and bred final transmission by mid-September, at which time production will start to ramp up leading toward a monthly rate of over 100 cars in December.”

I know a cheap all electric Tesla probably won’t be making it’s way to my Nebraska home anytime soon, but I’m still excited to see these things finally hitting the road.

And if you still aren’t amped about electric vehicles, you need to read this post - Hydrogen Fuel Cells vs Electric Cars

Want a solution you can use to start saving money on gas right now - perform a water conversion on your car and you can slash your gas bill by 40% or more.

Not that motivated? You could always get a gas rebate card. It’s an extremely easy way to start saving money on gas every time you fill up the tank.

I stumbled across this cool map of the United States color coded to show where the cheapest and highest gas prices in the country are - just like with a heat map.

By default, it’s divided up into counties, and you can see how prices tend to vary not only from from state to state, but from county to county within a state.

If you’re looking for the cheapest gas, you’ll want to visit Missouri, South Carolina, and Missouri. you’ll find the highest gas prices in California, closely followed by Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Connecticut, and New York.

Want a solution you can use to start saving money on gas right now - perform a water conversion on your car and you can slash your gas bill by 40% or more.

Not that motivated? You could always get a gas rebate card. It’s an extremely easy way to start saving money on gas every time you fill up the tank.

Gas Prices heat map

If you’re looking for a fuel efficient vehicle, and a used Geo Metro really isn’t your style, here are the ten most fuel efficient vehicles you can purchase right now. One of the best things about these vehicles is the fact that the most economical vehicles for fuel efficiency also tend to be some of the most budget friendly. With three choices costing less than $15,000 and with none costing more than $30,000, you can save gas without breaking the bank.

1 - Toyota Prius - 46 MPG - Cost $22,160

As expected, the Toyota Prius get the top spot in this list of the most fuel efficient vehicles. This car doesn’t have a lot of power, and really isn’t a driver’s car, but when it comes to fuel economy, especially in the city, this “king of hybrids” just can’t be beat. The next generation hybrid comes out next year which is making this a tough to get car since Toyota is capping production at just 180,000 units this year. Look for a plug-in version of this car in 2011.

2 - Honda Civic Hybrid - 42 MPG - Cost $23,270

Honda came out with the first production hybrid that enjoyed some success with the Insight. However, despite superior gas mileage to a Prius, it didn’t make it - probably because it looked kinda weird. However, that doen’t mean Honda gave up on building fuel efficient vehicles or hybrids. It’s Honda Civic hybrid comes in at #2 on our list with it’s combined 42mpg rating and 45mpg highway mileage. If you’re looking a car that doesn’t look like a hybrid - it looks nearly the same as the regular Civic, then this vehicle is a good option. Also, of note, it handles better than some of its hybrid counterparts.

3 - Smart Fortwo - 36 MPG - Cost $12,235

The third most fuel efficient and second cheapest car on this list - the Smart Fortwo. This car is tiny - every time I see one I expect to see eight clowns come piling out of it, but if you’re on a tight budget and need a fuel efficient car, this would be a good choice. This car has been deemed the “ultimate urban vehicle” and I’d definitely buy that. It’s a dream to park, and can easily squeeze into places impossible for anything but a motorcycle. However, this car is lacking in the power department and is the slowest accelerating passenger vehicle in the country, so if you do a lot of freeway commuting, you may want to look at some of the other vehicles on this list.

4 - Nissan Altima Hybrid - 34 MPG - Cost $26,140

I’ve never personally driven or seen a Nissan Altima Hybrid which is probably because it’s only sold in California and seven eastern states. I live smack dab in the middle of the country, which means no Nissan Altima Hybird for me. This car is a good handling sedan and delivers even better performance than the standard Altima model. It also has a sporty sedan look which makes this a good choice for someone looking to have some fun while they save the planet.

5 - Toyota Camry Hybrid - 34 MPG - Cost $25,860

The 34mpg Toyota Camry Hybrid is everything you’d expect from a family friendly sedan. It’s quite similar to the gas powered Camry and handles well. When you decide to go with the hybrid package you also get stability control and the XLE interior package (minus leather seats).

6 - VW Jetta TDI - 34 MPG - Cost $22,650

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I’ve been hyping up this car for a while claiming that the only diesel car on this list will get 50mpg+. And now the official numbers have come up with a combined mileage of 34 mpg, so you’re probably wondering what gives. What’s interesting about diesel cars is that they typically end up getting better mileage than what is estimated by the EPA whereas hybrids end up getting lower gas mileage than what’s estimated by the EPA. If earlier models of VW Jetta diesels are any indication, this car will get over 50mpg on the highway and close to 40 in the city, but if we’re just using EPA data, this car ranks six on this list, but it’s still at the top of my list as a vehicle to buy even though diesel is rather expensive.

Of all the vehicles on this list, this one is probably the most fun to drive since you can get it with a six speed manual, and the diesel engine delivers plenty of power - it certainly won’t feel like you’re driving a fuel sipping vehicle.

7 - Ford Escape Hybrid - 32 MPG - $29,000

Here’s the vehicle for those of you who just aren’t ready to trade in your SUV for a car just yet. Perhaps, you like the cargo space or you just like the higher ride, but either way with the Ford Escape Hybrid you can have your cake and eat it too. With a starting base price of $29,000, the Escape Hybrid comes in as the highest priced vehicle on the list, but when you consider you’re getting a 32 mpg SUV for the money, you may decide it’s a deal you just can’t afford to pass up.

8 - Toyota Yaris - 32 MPG - $12,210

If you’re looking for an extremely budget friendly car that still excels in the gas mileage department, then look no further than the Toyota Yaris. This car may look tiny, but it’s surprisingly spacious inside and can a good amount of cargo - whether it be groceries or children. It’s really nothing too special, but it is a good deal for those who are budget minded and don’t want the minuscule Smart Fortwo.

9 - Mini Cooper - 32 MPG - $18,700

If you want a unique looking car that still gets great gas mileage, then look no further than the 32mpg Mini Cooper. Designed and manufactured by BMW, it’s no surprise that this vehicle has excellent road manners and is a pleasure to drive. The only downside to this vehicle is that the options can add up in a big hurry, but then again, you do get a whole lot to choose from when designing your Mini Cooper, and excellent resale value.

10 - Honda Fit - 31 MPG - $14,620

Coined a “mini-minivan” the 31 mpg Honda Fit is a great people hauler and offers plenty of storage space. Probably the biggest downside to fuel sipping vehicle is the fact that it’s ugly as sin. However, it’s actual not too bad when it comes to performance, and if you’ve got kids and stuff to move around, and don’t want minivan fuel efficiency or the higher price, then the Honda Fit would be a great choice

(MPG Figures are combined highway/city mileage - cost is base price listed by manufacturer)

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

diesel ford escape hybrid Gas Prices honda fit hybrid mini cooper most fuel efficient cars toyota prius vw jetta tdi yaris

The Geo Metro, a joint effort between GM and Suzuki, was the most fuel efficient vehicle available in the U.S. for the years it was produced - 1989-2001. It was also one of the cheapest, and its 49 horsepower made it seem more like a go-kart than a car.

However, it’s real claim to fame was the fact that it could get up to 58 mpg, and one guy even modified his ‘89 Metro to get 75 mpg.

And while you’d think years later we’d easily have a fleet of vehicles that could outdo the mileage of the Metro, however years of dirt cheap gas prices have taken us in another direction entirely - we’re a nation of trucks and SUVs that get at best 20mpg.

However, $4/gallon gas has this much maligned car making a comeback on the used car market.

This car is in such demand that its been selling for 5 times its blue book value on auction sites like eBay.

People have even started up businesses where they’ll fix up old Metros and resell them for a nice bit of profit locally or on eBay.

The metro to this day still gives the Prius a run for its money in terms of gas mileage, and the nice thing about a Geo Metro is that it’s cheap. It may not get you where you’re going in style, but it will get you there, and the 40mpg+ that it delivers is a welcome relief for drivers accustomed to getting less than half that.

So if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford a Prius or other high gas mileage car, you may want to take a look at picking up a Geo Metro as your commuting car.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Gas Prices geo metro most fuel efficient car used cars

With news that oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia are reaping record profits, most people think that record high oil prices are great news to oil producing countries. And while that may be true in the short term, it’s not going to be in the future.

Think I’m crazy? Maybe, but let’s look at the facts:

$3/gallon gas prices didn’t really affect oil consumption in the U.S., however, $4/gallon gas has certainly seen people using less oil.

Public transportation use is at record high numbers.

More people have started working from home or telecommute a few days a week so that they don’t need to drive to work every day. Many businesses and even some local governments have started allowing employees to work four 10 hour work days instead of five 8 hour days which allows them one less day of commuting.

Gas guzzling SUV sales have plummeted with brands like Hummer seeing a 36% decrease in sales and several other large SUV lines seeing similar declines.

All this translates into less consumption which means that we need less oil. While the reduction in oil use hasn’t become dramatic, it is certainly making people clamor for alternatives, and they’re willing to pay for it.

And in the capitalistic society that we live in, companies will go where the money is and the money is in alternative fuel technologies right now. Just yesterday I posted about a company that is using bacteria to turn waste products into oil. Last week I talked about a car that gets 300mpg, and several car companies are working on bringing electric cars and hydrogen fuel cells to the market.

Right now it’s looking like 2010 is going to be an excellent year for ultra fuel efficient vehicles with GM releasing its Volt platform which can run for 40 miles on battery power before the gas engine kicks in and VW releasing a car that gets of 200mpg and several other car manufacturers will be following suit.

All this means less oil being consumed, and many countries are working on making themselves self sufficient on oil as well, further reducing the need for foreign oil. And for those who think that emerging countries like India and China will pick up the slack if we reduce our demand for oil, in our global economy, we’ll be happy to export our technology to those countries to help them use less oil as well.

So when I heard that Saudia Arabia had decided to ramp up oil production to 10 million barrels a day (the highest in its history) it only made sense to me. Oil is pretty much the only resource that Saudi Arabia has, and it’s a resource that has made the country incredibly wealthy. However, if the global demand for oil declines, that means that prices will drop. And the higher oil prices go, the faster we’ll transition to technologies that don’t have us depending on oil or that help us use far less of it.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Gas Prices

In the adding insult to injury department comes the news that gas prices could go up another 15% but not because of the rising cost of oil per barrel or due to violence in the middle east or because of refinery issues. Nope, this is a problem of the home grown variety.

Farmers are having trouble growing corn because their fields are flooded. I remember that back when I was a kid helping my dad on the farm it was better if things were too dry rather than too wet. If the field is too dry, the crops won’t grow as tall and the yields will be lower. However, if the fields are too wet, the crops don’t grow at all. In some cases, you can’t even get out in the fields to plant because your tractor will simply get bogged down in mud.

And that’s the situation farmers are facing in the Midwest “corn belt” region. (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas) This is the part of the country that has been hit the hardest by heavy rains and widespread flooding.

I actually spoke to my mother last night who lives in southeastern Wisconsin and she was telling me how just about every city that was near a lake or river had been declared a state of emergency. Entire cities had had been shut down because every road in and out of the city was flooded.

And the heavy rain has caused Corn prices to skyrocket. In the past two weeks alone, corn has jumped from $6.10 a bushel to $7.50 a bushel. And if this trend continues, gas prices could increase another 61 cents per gallon. That will push gas prices close to $5/gallon, and if we have a bad hurricane season like the one from a few years ago, then $7/gallon gas prices will become a reality before the end of the year.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

corn belt corn prices ethanol flooded fields flooding flooding in iowa flooding in wisconsin Gas Prices

For years SUVs have been the cash cow of American car companies like GM, Ford, and Chrysler. However, with gas prices hitting $4/gallon nobody wants to pay the $100/tank or more to fill up their large gas guzzling SUVs anymore. These inefficient beasts have seen sales drop significantly in the last few months and trade in values are dropping thousands of dollars each month.

Some are calling this the death of the SUV. GM is even considering selling off its Hummer line of vehicles.

It’s really a lose lose for SUV owners. If they want to sell their large SUV in favor of a smaller, more fuel efficient car they’re going to find that their SUV no longer sells for what it would have just a few months ago. Let’s take a full size SUV, a Chevy Tahoe, as an example. According to Kelley Blue Book a 2005 Tahoe sold forr about $19,750 last September but now the vehicle sells for $16,400, a $3,350 drop in value, or 17%. Even with gas at $4/gallon, the three grand the SUV owner has lost in value on their vehicle would still put a lot of gas in one of those vehicles.

Diesel powered vehicles have seen an even more dramatic drop with and with diesel prices nearing $5/gallon it’s no surprise. Many models of diesel powered trucks have seen their values drop by $5,000 or more in the last few months.

Nearly all auto manufacturers have seen sales fall but America’s Big 3 have taken the biggest hits due to their dependence on truck and SUV sales. GM has taken the biggest with a 28% drop in sales which has promoted the company to close four truck plants and cut about 10,000 jobs.

And Ford no longer has the best selling vehicle in the U.S. For the past 17 years the Ford F-150 pickup truck has held that title but now that title belongs to the far more fuel efficient and less expensive Honda Civic.

It’ll be interesting to see if American auto manufacturers can recover fast enough from this blow or if it’s already too late.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Gas Prices gaz guzzler suv sales suvs trade in values

Every Tuesday night I get together with some friends, play a little volleyball, drink some beers, and then we start chatting about the world’s problems and how we’d solve them.

We’ve discussed everything from the education system to religion to nuclear war. Pretty much whatever comes up, we’ll discuss.

And with gas prices being in the news so much lately, it’s probably not a surprise that we’ve discussed how to the pending disaster that high gas prices are. If another big hurricane hit the gulf of Mexico, gas prices could surge beyond $6/gallon.

However, I think that this gas crisis could actually end up being a good thing.

And before an angry mob shows up in front of my house to tar and feather me, let me explain.

When gas prices were at $1.50/gallon, did you really care how fuel efficient your vehicle was? My guess is probably not since gas guzzling SUVs were selling in record numbers.

But now with $4/gallon gas becoming a reality, a lot more people are demanding solutions. Whether it’s more fuel efficient vehicles, hybrid technology, electric vehicles, or simply walking more places, people are looking for a change.

And it’s really for us, right now, to bite the bullet and make the sacrifice to switch to a different fuel so that future generations don’t have to pay for our apathy and laziness.

And don’t kid yourself, that’s what we’ve become. We’ve become a society that only cares about “what’s in it for me.” We don’t think about the future. We’re living in a “what have you done for me lately” society and it’s a huge problem that may ultimately lead for our downfall, but I digress – let’s get back to gas.

If we were to say that we’re going to make the switch to electric/hydrogen hybrid vehicles and do so starting right now, not 10 years from now, there would certainly be plenty of growing pains. It would suck for us for a few years, but the technology would improve immensely very quickly, and we’d come out the other side much better.

I know we’ve been told the technology is years away from being commercially viable, but trust me, if we absolutely had to do it, we would and we’d do it in a hurry. Just think back to World War II – look how fast we developed new technology back then. Don’t tell me that 65 years later everything has to take 20 years. How about we just do it, get it done, and be done with it?

So my thought on these ridiculous high gas prices is that while they may not be pleasant, they will lead to change, and the higher they go, the faster things will change.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Fuel Technology gas crisis gas disaster Gas Prices hurricane in gulf coast

I just got done with an interview on Houston’s 1560 The Game about how to save money on gas and one thing that came up was if hybrid cars were really worth the extra money they cost.

I said no. You just don’t make up the extra cost when you drive them when compared to the non hybrid version of the car.

Then another guy came on and told me that with his Prius it’s totally worth it.

So let’s crunch some numbers here. Since the Prius is the most popular hybrid, I’d like to use that but there really is no comparable vehicle to compare it to so let’s instead use the the Toyota Camry and the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The MSRP of the Toyota Camry is $19,380.
The MSRP of the Toyota Camry Hybrid is $27,389

The hybrid costs $8,009 more than the regular Camry. So if gas costs $4/gallon then you’ve got to make up 2,002 gallons of gas over the life of the vehicle to make up for the extra cost of the hybrid.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s just use city mileage since that’s where the hybird really makes a difference. The Camry gets 21mpg in the city and the Camry Hybrid gets 33mpg in the city.

Now let’s say you drive 100,000 miles (all city driving, of course). In the regular Camry you’d have used 4761 gallons of gas to do so.

With the hybrid you’d have used 3030 gallons of gas, a savings of 1731 gallons. So after 100,000 miles you’d still not have made up the difference. And let’s just say you drive 10,000 miles a year - after 10 years that hybrid you bought still hasn’t paid for itself.

Eventually, the hybrid will pay for itself if you only ever drive it in the city, but most of us don’t do that. We drive on the highway too, and on the highway the hybrid gets only a slight mileage advantage - 31mpg for the conventional engine and 34mpg for the hybrid engine.

I think the reason people think the Prius is such a good buy is because there is no conventional Prius to compare it to, but a conventional Prius would certainly cost thousands less and would still get pretty good gas mileage since it’s a small car. That’s what you need to remember. Of course Prius is going to look good when compared to a Hummer, buy so does just about every other vehicle.

That’s why I say it’s just not worth it.

I’d recommend waiting until the PHEVs are released (the plug-in electric hybrids) which will be in the next year or so or wait until the summer to get a 50mpg+ Volkswagon Jetta TDI (clean diesel powered car).

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

camry hybrid Fuel Technology Gas Prices Gas Saving Tips hybird car hybrid car phev prius tdi toyota turbo diesel