$3/gal gas prices aren't bad for everyone.

yeti · Post by **yeti** » Jul 28th, '06, 07:51

Well, as long as you have people buying houses 80 miles from where they work, and then commuting solo over congested freeways at an average of 30 mph in a Ford Explorer your energy investments will do well.

A Maryland developer is going to build a 4300 (eventually 9000!) home community in western Maryland his market being people who currently live in the Baltimore/DC metro area. No train, no bus service, no mass transit at all - all car. This development, called Terrapin Run, is over 100 miles from the Washington DC line. Meanwhile in both Baltimore and DC, tens of thousands (over 80,000 in Baltimore alone) of abandoned rowhouses and brownstones sit empty and boarded up.

For this we fight in Iraq - so that people's commutes from such communities will be uninterrupted.

2knees · Post by **2knees** » Jul 28th, '06, 08:24

yeti wrote: For this we fight in Iraq - so that people's commutes from such communities will be uninterrupted.

finally, someone has given me a definitive reason for this war. thank you!

yeti · Post by **yeti** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:09

Well technically, we fight so Bush and his ilk can sell the oil to the commuters... but that would be splitting hairs now wouldn't it?

BigKahuna13 · Post by **BigKahuna13** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:17

Think my next around town car will be an electric - or at least a hybrid. Even if it costs more and doesn't quite live up to expectations, it'll feel good to give oil people the finger.

Post by **SkiDork** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:23

Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...

Cityskier · Post by **Cityskier** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:31

SkiDork wrote:Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...

Hydrogen has been around froever? What are you talking about?

St. Jerry · Post by **St. Jerry** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:32

yeti wrote:Well technically, we fight so Bush and his ilk can sell the oil to the commuters... but that would be splitting hairs now wouldn't it?

Or so many Dems. would believe. Maybe that's part of the story.

Post by **SkiDork** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:33

Cityskier wrote:
SkiDork wrote:Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...
Hydrogen has been around froever? What are you talking about?

I know - (trying to think of witty response - can't come up with one just yet)

Hindenburg.... mumble mumble mumble....

2pink1stink · Post by **2pink1stink** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:36

These guys are installing my conversion kit.

http://www.greasecar.com

MarieM · Post by **MarieM** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:43

SkiDork wrote:Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...

We own shares of this company...http://www.ballard.com/

From the website: "Ballard Power Systems' vision is Power to Change the World®. Our mission is to make fuel cells a commercial reality"

Post by **SkiDork** » Jul 28th, '06, 09:58

2pink1stink wrote:These guys are installing my conversion kit.

http://www.greasecar.com

I looked at that site quickly but couldn't find the answer - is that e85 conversion?

Cityskier · Post by **Cityskier** » Jul 28th, '06, 10:09

St. Jerry wrote:
yeti wrote:Well technically, we fight so Bush and his ilk can sell the oil to the commuters... but that would be splitting hairs now wouldn't it?
Or so many Dems. would believe. Maybe that's part of the story.

What's the real story? Freedom? Democracy? Enlighten us.

BigKahuna13 · Post by **BigKahuna13** » Jul 28th, '06, 10:16

Biggest problem with hydrogen is that most of the H2 that's available on earth has that attached "O". Haven't followed the technology that closely but if I remember correctly it's still an expensive - in terms of energy - process to liberate hydrogen from water.

Too bad we just can't stick a collector out in interplanetary space. Lots of the stuff up there.

XtremeJibber2001 · Post by **XtremeJibber2001** » Jul 28th, '06, 10:21

MarieM wrote:
SkiDork wrote:Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...
We own shares of this company...http://www.ballard.com/

From the website: "Ballard Power Systems' vision is Power to Change the World®. Our mission is to make fuel cells a commercial reality"

From my novice analysis ... looks like the company is on the down swing IMHO. Although, certainly the companies intent is by all means good.

Gross profit EOY '03 was $43.5K and in EOY '05 was $22.4K, but analyst reports show that they expect BLDP to underpeform. Maybe it's on its way back up though.

MarieM · Post by **MarieM** » Jul 28th, '06, 10:26

XtremeJibber2001 wrote:
MarieM wrote:
SkiDork wrote:Hydrogen rules. Too bad it's a long way off...
We own shares of this company...http://www.ballard.com/

From the website: "Ballard Power Systems' vision is Power to Change the World®. Our mission is to make fuel cells a commercial reality"
From my novice analysis ... looks like the company is on the down swing IMHO. Although, certainly the companies intent is by all means good.

Gross profit EOY '03 was $43.5K and in EOY '05 was $22.4K, but analyst reports show that they expect BLDP to underpeform. Maybe it's on its way back up though.

Yup...we ain't gettin' rich on that stock. The company is run by young guys with plenty of techno-vision but not a whole lot of business/common sense/street-wise expertise.