Didn’t we Liberate and occupy a country (Iraq) that produces roughly 4.4 million barrels a day ? So why can’t we buy or take their surplus…

Agree, and remember, fire to candles took millions of years, candles to electric lights took thousands of years, incandescent electric lights to LED lights took a hundred years. Technology advances at an exponential rate.

It appears linear to us, but if you take any aspect of technology and trace it from it's origin to today, you will see this exponential nature

Take speed of transportation - walking on all fours, to walking and running upright (3mph average) Millions of years and we start riding horses. Tens of thousands of years and we get boats and wagons. Thousands of years and we get steam. Hundreds of year(s) and we get gas engines. How long for electric? Who knows.

There is abnormal obvious reason for this. Each step along the way uses the previous tech to help the next step. Once we got computers (and computer aided design) things really picked up the pace. Now, with AI design birthing, we can expect the computers to being making faster smarter, and better computers, which will then increase the advance of technology even faster.

We will see where this goes, but 15 years ago, cell phones were HUGE and dumb, now I wear one on my wrist, that is more powerful than the computers used to get us to the moon and back.

I think there is a chance if we don't destroy ourselves first, that we could switch to an electric based economy in 10 to 20 years.

Hmm, maybe because it is not ours? But, we never let a little like that stop us. I mean, why not, isn't that what Putin is doing?

While I am not a believer in mass electric cars
 

This podcast with Barry Ritholtz and the Executive Director of Ford Electric Vehicles is very interesting as to why they are putting large efforts, or dollars, into that market.

Masters in Business: Darren Palmer on the EV Revolution (Podcast) on Apple Podcasts

The interesting point is the opinion of the current EV owners and how they are shaping what Ford believes currently as the future of EVs

skeptical but open minded guy

So, you are saying they are listening to the market?

The Government Relations department at GM are telling upper level management that “like it or not” they will be forced to move to EV’s in the future. GM engineers are then being told by upper level management to focus on EV’s. The engineers aren’t focusing on EV’s because it’s superior technology, it’s because they are doing what their bosses tell them to do.

Okay, I understand. And maybe you can clarify who maintains EVs are "superior" technology? Just asking, because I know I never said that. There are a LOT Of reasons I think we should change to EVs - being superior is not one of them.

The rest of the World is adopting renewable energy and electric vehicles

A shame that the USA, which used to be at the forefront of new technologies, is now dragging its heels and using whatever excuses it can to remain in the clutches of the oil and coal industries

I agree with the above. Unlike others, I believe that transition to Electric Vehicles can happen rather quickly. Government mandate and incentives can speed the conversion.

But that is the easy part. Battery technology will improve and support longer rides. But that neglects the requirement to generate the electricity to charge the EV batteries which is still highly dependent on fossil fuels.

Yeah, around the 70's somehow the US decided it no longer wanted to be the leader in innovation... Sad.

Hopefully there are other technologies that will come along in the near future that will be superior to electric.

BTW does not seem the coal industry has all that much power these days.

Yup, not too long ago the government mandated seat belts. There was a LOT of heated disagreement and endless debates over all sorts of nonsense about them. Now 50 years later they have saved an estimated 500,000 lives and are averaging saving about 20,000 per year now, with having only reached 90% usage compliance. But, auto manufacturers spent(d) a lot of money lobbying and fighting the change.

The government mandating things, in my not so humble opinion, is the only way to get the predatory capitalists to change things so that their products are better for the people instead of better for their bank accounts.

Our auto industry is steeped in being very conservative when it comes to changes - they do not like to make any changes that are not necessary - Edsel was a learning experience.

listen to the podcast yourself and make your own interpretation.

its just another information point for whatever you want to believe.

behavioral bias guy

You're right - for generating electricity, it has dropped from around 40% in 2014 to 20% today, largely as a result of being replaced by natural gas

Don’t you mean no power??. Few fully electric vehicles are enjoying the not crowed charging points right now. add 10 or even hundreds of thousands and you just cant fill up in 10 minutes or so, you have to wait till there open charging point to even start the regeneration. Hybrid makes good sense IMO right now until there will be enough power generated and enough fast charging to satisfy demands when number explode?