US gasoline demand down 8% from 2006 peak - never to return?

[wtmusic]

"After seven decades of mostly uninterrupted growth, U.S. gasoline demand is at the start of a long-term decline. By 2030, Americans will burn at least 20 percent less gasoline than today, experts say, even as millions of more cars clog the roads.

The country's thirst for gasoline is shrinking as cars and trucks become more fuel-efficient, the government mandates the use of more ethanol and people drive less."

<>

"Americans are burning an average of 8.2 million barrels — 344 million gallons — of gasoline per day in 2010, a figure that excludes the ethanol blended into gasoline. That's 8 percent less than at the 2006 peak, according to government data."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2YitVQIJRBssIHu2s0xjAcnGKRw?docId=865c96a225634368a4f92eed4bcd0892&loc=interstitialskip

[4dsc]

1. Peak oil denialist here

by 2030 Americans will be burning at least 50% less gasoline. These kind of article don't offer a realistic view of the future.

[bullimiami]

2. So why hasnt the drop in demand created a drop in prices? Rigged.

[Tippy]

3. It is because of the drop in demand, the prices have gone up.

[pscot]

4. I think you may be looking

into the wrong end of the telecope.

[NickB79]

6. Because oil consumption globally is still holding strong

From the article:

"While America's diminishing demand will temper global demand, it will be more than offset by rapidly growing demand in China, India, the Middle East and Africa. As a result, declining U.S. gasoline demand will not bring lower pump prices.

Worldwide oil demand will hit a record 88.3 million barrels per day next year, according to the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie."

[bullimiami]

7. Thanks.

[bananas]

5. The Cheney-Bush stimulus package was gas-guzzling SUV's

I see a lot fewer of them on the road, gee whiz I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

[Meeker Morgan]

8. A hiccup caused by a bad economy ...

... it will go back up when the economy does.

Not indefinitely of course.

[madokie]

9. No money to spend on frivolous drives

I know that we don't go as much anymore and that its partly due to the price of gas.
I don't feel comfortable in little tinny cars either because of all the big truck traffic we have so I drive an f150 that does good to average 15 mpg. All things being equal it seems to me that people who are in tiny cars are way more likely to be seriously injured when they tangle with the big rigs than someone who is in a larger vehicle like an suv or a pickup truck. The driver of the small car is not always the cause for the accident either. What I'm getting at is the trade-off for us is to not travel as much, hence the less fuel use. If the economy was to get better I can see how the overall fuel usage would go up though.

[wtmusic]

10. That's the Catch-22.

The better the economy gets and the more fuel-efficient cars get, the more people will use them.

I know you disagree, but IMO if they're electric cars powered by nuclear energy it won't matter much.

[txlibdem]

11. You're right that we need to forget oil and switch over to electric cars

The government obviously has no backbone to force it. The auto industry wouldn't do it without millions of people screaming at them to make electric cars.

Who has the power to make them switch? Us, that's who. Stop buying gasoline cars and trucks and they will very quickly find out that they won't make money by making those types of vehicles. Auto companies want to make a profit, just like all other corporations, so we have to stop buying gas and diesel vehicles and only buy or lease an electric car.

Electric cars you can buy or lease:
Nissan Leaf
Mitsubishi iMiev
Coda Sedan
AMP Equinox, Solstice, or Sky
and coming soon after:
Ford Focus EV
VW EV
Toyota's electric RAV-4 (making a comeback!)
Tesla Model S if you're pretty well off financially (cost projected at $57,000)
and maybe even an Audi EV (it's on again, off again so who knows)