Why Gas-Powered Cars Will Soon Be Obsolete

by AUTOINSURANCEQUOTES.ORG STAFF WRITER on AUGUST 8, 2012

Gas-powered cars will soon be obsolete, and we have the facts to prove it. Limited natural resources, crazy population growth, and advancements in the world of hybrid technology, are all contributing to the final burial of the gas-guzzling, oil-dependent vehicle we know, love, and happily drove for years, regardless of its impact on the environment. Don’t believe us? Well, here are six reasons why cars that run on gas will soon become an anomaly.

1. We’re running out of oil:

   
   Ironically, the multinational oil and gas company BP reports in their Statistical Review of World Energy 2012 that the total amount of global oil from proven oil resources is enough to only last us another 46.2 years. There are those who disagree that as a result of our relentless consumption of oil, we’ve managed to reach what is called “peak oil,” meaning, the earth is all tapped out. But oil is one of half a dozen natural resources that are becoming more and more scarce.

2. We’re running out of natural gas:

   
   The U.S. is currently the largest producer of natural gas in the world. In his January 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama rightly declared, “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years.” However, as filmmaker Josh Fox documented in his award winning film Gasland, extracting natural gas from shale wreaks havoc on the environment and the physical health of those living nearby. Converting our vehicles from oil to natural gas for fuel is possible, but what happens after the predicted 100 years of supply has past? By the way, BP’s report says we’ve actually only got 58.6 years of natural gas at our disposal.

3. The population keeps growing:

   
   The diminishing of natural resources used to fuel vehicles would not be an issue if there were no population growth. Consider that in the next two decades, the world’s population will grow by 20%, and as populations increase, so does the demand for energy. Right now, 2,000 new cars hit the streets of Beijing, China every friggin’ day. Car ownership is up in Asia, but what happens when there’s no fuel for all of those gas tanks?

4. U.S. oil and gas prices are insanely high:

   
   So less oil and less gas means that that stuff gets more expensive? Of course! If you drive, you already knew this, as gas prices are high, despite the fact that U.S. gas consumption is down. But oil is a globally traded commodity, and demand for oil is way up in other parts of the world, especially India and China. There’s little doubt that the world’s dwindling supply of oil will lead to more fuel efficient technology, but again, with resources tapped, what do you do with a gas-guzzling car?

5. Hybrid car technology will continue to develop:

   
   In 2011, the growth in the use of renewable resources for power was up, but the production of biofuels stalled, due in part to weather that affected crops around the globe. However, the popularity of hybrid cars among consumers, including battery-powered electric cars, continues to rise, and hybrids are predicted to account for the majority of car sales around the globe as early as 2030. Whether or not the production costs of building battery-powered cars will come down remains to be seen.

6. People love to invent things:

   
   Human beings have a well-deserved reputation for greedily eating up the planet’s resources without regard to what such behavior means for future generations. But human beings are also resourceful and creative; they like to invent stuff. As long as scientists and engineers are willing to imagine possibilities for transportation in a world of diminished natural resources, we may be able to avoid a future where we’re all driving some variation of Fred Flintstone’s car.

Source:  (http://www.autoinsurancequotes.org/2012/08/why-gas-powered-cars-will-soon-be-obsolete/).