[Rules] How about an electric powered series

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by thebear

Our president has forbidden oil drilling in the Florida Straits, an ~90 mile wide waterway between the end of the Florida Keys and the island of Cuba. The US' territorial waters extend by treaty ~45 miles.

Cuba has negotiated deepwater drilling rights with China for their side of the 45 mile zone.

Osama Obama is indeed a man of vision.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Well, they don't make it. They have to get it from where everyone else gets there's from - out of the ground.

They know that.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Many other oil producing countries are deeply suspicious about these new discoveries.

Infomoney:

"Despite the incredible advance of 14% in Petrobras stock shares after the discovery of Tupi and Jupiter fields, the North American answer for the shares was the worst possible. Petrobras' ADR's - American Depositary Receipts - fell more than 4% in New York. It seems that the market is interpreting the discovery with mistrust.
(...) Everyone knows that the potential of the fields is huge, but that stills being only a "potential". No concrete information about the fields' capacity has been released at any time. These are only expectations, which still face a great technological challenge to the exploration of so deep deposits, which may even make this exploration unfeasible."

Marbot, you didn't read the last part of my post, the extraction started on March, 2011. I guess your information is out of date, check it again.

[Bononi]

Oh and the Tupi and Jupiter fields are old news, they are producing oil since 2009 : Brazil's field boom and
Next oil boom

[Marbot]

Oils well that ends well.

Thank God for things that are millions of years old.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by davyboy

From what I've read over the last 2 years... the new Brazilian oil discoveries are on a gigantic scale. The political system in Brazil has been stable for some time now, its got a large workforce, phenomenal natural resources and food production capabilities... and now it is set to become one of the world's largest oil producers. Over the next 10-20 years, world order is set to change... and Brazil is almost certain to have a position at the top table. Write Brazil off at your peril.

Hopefully Brazil will get the chance to use its new found wealth without outside interference!
Discovering oil may be the worst thing that could have happened to the country in the long term.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by wnut

Hopefully Brazil will get the chance to use its new found wealth without outside interference!
Discovering oil may be the worst thing that could have happened to the country in the long term.

Why do you say that?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Why do you say that?

The ownership of a significant portion of a strategic and limited resource will inevitably draw competition from competing interests to control that resource, and the results can be highly destabilising and bad for the country where they are located.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by wnut

The ownership of a significant portion of a strategic and limited resource will inevitably draw competition from competing interests to control that resource, and the results can be highly destabilising and bad for the country where they are located.

We're talking about Brazil not some middle eastern country. Brazil is the 5th country in size and population and the 8th economy of the world, one of the biggest democracies of the western world and a super power in the making - is the B in the BRIC group - so that's something big to mess with.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by wnut

The ownership of a significant portion of a strategic and limited resource will inevitably draw competition from competing interests to control that resource, and the results can be highly destabilising and bad for the country where they are located.

It's no secret that the US and China are already fighting over it. It's all money in the bank for Brazil, and probably at the expense of others. And, apparently, it's not just Brazil that's sitting on lots of oil in South America.

http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/201...r-brazils-oil/

[luke g28]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Television and the Internet were new 'inventions'. They offered enormous benefits, created a need and enjoyed rapid uptake.

The current crop of electric cars do what IC engined cars do, only worse. There is no need for these which is why few of them sell. That was my point.

TV & Internet created a need? i.e. before their invention there was no need for them? Why then is it not possible for a future generation of electric cars to be more successful than IC and to create a need for themselves?

Originally Posted by davyboy

A true replacement for a petrol/diesel car has been debated and discussed for over 100 years and we're still no closer today than we've ever been. Are we likely to see this in one year, ten years or another hundred ?

I agree completely that currently the technology is not sufficient but I disagree with the view that IC is the best engine we will develop in the next 100 years.

We cannot go to Mars with a really big diesel engine.

We have already seen development of the first commercial spaceport (Virgin Galactic). We are truly entering the space age and unfortunately the IC will not be at the forefront of it. As commercial space flights increase in popularity and the tech develops, it will filter down to conventional airlines and inevitably replace / redesign the jet engine.

The biggest problem with IC is its inefficiency but its largest benefit is the cheapness.

Originally Posted by davyboy

I'm not so sure about that. I reckon there's much much more oil buried in places like Siberia than we're being led to believe. After all... the less oil there is at any one time, the higher the price.

I dont doubt there is some truth in that however it is a finite supply and it is not going to last forever. Arguing the toss between 20 years and 60 years doesnt really matter in the scheme of things as it will become very cost prohibitive before it runs outs.

Originally Posted by http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/28/3202209.htm

IEA chief economist Fatih Birol says the world's crude oil production peaked in 2006.

He says oil prices are likely to rise 30 per cent over the next three years.

"The existing fields are declining so sharply that in order to stay where we are in terms of production levels in the next 25 years, we have to find and develop four new Saudi Arabias," he said.

"It is a huge, huge challenge that we continue to underline."

The IEA says governments around the world need to rethink their reliance on oil.