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Originally Posted by u crank
Not likely. Although there is going to be an eventual shift to electric cars would you like to predict when that will be? I would say that the point where the US does not have to import oil is a long way off. You and I won't see it.
As for that pipeline it brings the majority of the USA's imported crude oil. 48%. The next highest amounts are from Mexico 7%, Saudi Arabia 6% and Russia 6%. Who do you think gets cut out of the loop first? Even if the demand is somewhat diminished that source, Alberta will still be the main supplier of the USA's imported oil.
Like I have said, if you guys don't buy it someone else will. We don't really care.  There is already a pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia on the Pacific coast. That pipeline is being expanded to double it's capacity. I hear the Chinese and the Indians are growing economies with a thirst for oil. |
I do think the rise of electric vehicles will most likely be much sooner than you or I expect; the US, and foreign, auto industries are very heavily investing in electric vehicle technology, particularly battery technology, and it would seem counterintuitive to believe they'd not want to see a return on their investments sooner rather than later; also, remember most US drivers, in the course of their daily lives, don't really travel very far, just to work, shopping, etc., so a low cost of operation/maintenance vehicle platform is more attractive than one that really is more 'high-maintenance'; that very concept is why so many urban fleet operators have been switching to CNG, hybrid, or all-electric vehicles, not just cars, but trucks and other commercial vehicle; cities like NY and LA have already swithced their mass-transit bus systems from diesel to CNG, and, here in LA, we are already seeing all-electric buses appearing on some lines, with more to follow...
As far as foreign oil sales, that may continue at a steady pace for a while, but environmental concerns, as well as concerns about energy dependency, are motivating many foreign governments and corporations to look more closely at non-petroleum transportation, including such other vehicle power sources as fuel cells and hydrogen gas propulsion; China, in particular, seems more than welcoming to the idea of electric, etc., alternatives to solve or mitigate urban pollution problems as well as breaking from dependency on outside energy sources; also, China, in particular, would have a marked interest in developing their own alternative fuel/vehicle industry: it gives them one more aspect to their exports...
As I said, if you see Big Oil pumping a lotta cash into alternative fuels, as they are doing, you might begin to think they can see the handwriting on the wall when it comes to where a very large part of their future revenue is going to come from; I'd be more inclined to think the shift is still a long, long, way away if it weren't for the fact Big Oil is spending less on new plant for fossil fuel production relative to their expenditures on developing or getting a foot into alternative fuels...
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