I think this is why there's been such a big focus on plug-in electrics, because power outlets are everywhere, they're easily built out even in places they aren't, and the grid is... the grid. It's already there. This is, shall we say, a rather different proposition than needing to turn every gas station in the country into a hydrogen refueling station.

>The infrastructure that is built up around the
>extraction, transportation, distillation, and distribution of
>petroleum and the substances made from it is the work of decades of
>investment and innovation.

And also, this is key, of political decisions. That investment often took the form of Uncle Sam cutting some big'old checks and writing highly preferential regulations. You can't build an oil pipeline, or a power plant, or anything else of that nature without political actors on your side.

That's the real fly in the ointment that a lot of the people approaching this from a technical standpoint either don't want to or aren't equipped to deal with. The engineering challenges are enormous but straightforward, because it turns out that, for monkeys with delusions of grandeur, we actually really are clever as fuck.

Only it turns out that there are a lot of people in the world, and not all of them agree all the time, and in order to stop us from murdering each other we've established a system where you can't just ignore the people who tell you "No, that's dumb. We won't be doing that."

>It actually says a lot that there's more research money and time put into
>renewable methods of creating hydrocarbon fuels than there is into replacing
>them altogether.

And whether you think that's a good idea or not depends on if you approach this issue from the standpoint of "oil isn't an infinite resource, you guys" or from the standpoint of "even if it were, we should really stop burning it unless you want to find out what Miami looks like under five feet of water." Those are two extremely different first principles.

>Though, I suppose if we wanted to totally wean ourselves off gasoline,
>we could pull out and dust off those plans for nuclear-powered cars.
>I'm thinking of naming mine "Tsar Bomba."

Are you sure you don't mean... Car Bomba?

(I regret nothing.)

-Merc
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