Rising oil prices and changing cars

A survey by the US magazine Consumer Reports shows that more than one-third of American consumers are considering replacing their oil-consuming cars with oil-saving, hybrid-fueled cars in response to the oil price which have long remained high.

The US, a country "on wheels", is a big oil consumer. Its population of 290 million has over 230 million units of cars. More than one out of every ten barrels of global oil production are used by American drivers. In the past decade, the increasing popularity of sport MPV which uses vast amounts of oil added to the further explosion in oil demand.

Low income or even middle class households in the US are seriously affected by the soaring energy prices which in turn have pushed up the cost of housing, phone, power and waste treatment. The inflation in the cost of living has forced many families to cancel holiday traveling plans. Some families are only able to use their car once a week and have had to spend less on leisure activities.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated in May that the high oil price would possibly make Americans use oil in a more cautious way.

Before the age of automobiles, gasoline prices were as low as two cents per gallon. The emergence of vehicles resulted in a rise in the demand and price of gasoline. Now the price of gasoline price stands at around US$ 3 per gallon and will be likely to rise to US$ 4.

In 1911, horse riders or carriages trotted down the streets at 11 kilometers an hour in Los Angeles where hundreds of thousands of walkers went along side with them. Today, drivers trudge ahead at 6.44 kilometers an hour during rush hour on the jammed highway in the city.

Riding a bicycle is certainly a good choice. It does not contribute to pollution, there is little need to worry about traffic, and it is a good form of exercise. It is fashionable in some countries to give up sedans and start using bicycles.

The rise in the oil price is not a good thing. However it improves the awareness of the importance of energy conservation in the community by making energy efficiency a priority along with vehicle quality and the use of vehicles. By doing so it aims to boost the "green revolution".

If the oil price continues to remain high, consumers will have to reduce their oil consumption and speed up research in seeking alternative sources of energy.

There is also the prospect of less dependancy on oil when people switch to using vehicles which run on hybrid fuel and rechargeable battery cells.

By People's Daily Online