oil exists still, yes it will run out and yes it will cost much more even than it does now but we are not yet out of it.
If another fuel existed right now it would need to be introduced slowly.
The Dutch royal family is not the only big owner of our fuel.
a true real breakdown of the world economy would take place, just maybe speculation in oil using it to make money is driving the problem.
But any one who is unaware western governments including ours past and present are profiting from a huge tax impost are not on track in the oil debate.
Those same governments are uninterested in developing new fuels yet.
Paying lip service to a problem LPG could fix for a time in this country at least.
removing the tax is no answer we the whole country are hooked on the things the tax pays for.

DURING THE WORLD WAR TWO, I was a 7 to 12 year old kid.We had a Buick 8 cylinder that we ran on power kerosene.We had a small tank under the bonnet for petrol and switched it off when the engine was hot enough.The oil was thinned by the power kero. but we put it in the fuel tank too!Other cars were converted to coke and wood burning systems.So there are different methods if petrol's too dear.But at $2.00 a litre it is cheaper that soft-drink!Even bottled water sells for more!I am quite happy to have a more efficient small car and catch PUBLIC TRANSPORT-not all the time, but when it's convenient.Train travel beats all in the city, you can read or use your mobile instead of inching along in traffic.When are we going to see POlITICIANS getting the train to work, and showing a good example? They could converse with the people that elected them and learn about the real world.

Good story Diploman. Necessity is the mother of invention in wartime. Your right about politicians. The modern age now has so much technology for them to communicate with, they dont need to see the people much. In the end they become trapped forever in their crystal palaces stuck with the horrible possibilies of 5 star food and of cut price/taxpayer subsidised alcohol in the upstairs bar.
Like to see that LPG used more Belly. Im sure some guy with a bit of brains could also make a pocket size steam engine that could fit under a bonnet...Im sure Ive heard of them.

Diploman yes both true in fact the person I refereed to earlier made charcoal burners for cars in ww2.
LPG can save us for a while but will governments let it?
Yes the subsidy's stays but the waiting to re fit is 4 months.
How long to put a brand new small car on the road that is LPG only?
We must stop thinking public transport is the answer it can at best only be part of it.
We do our self no good refusing to understand how big this country is and how little worth while public transport we have.
Some travel 20 klm just to get to the farm gate and well over 100 to town, they need cheaper fuel too.
We can do better but will oil money let us?

I think CNG (compressed natural gas) would be more viable than LPG in the long run. We could quite easily adapt our engines, it's been done before. New Zealand had CNG bowsers for quite some time.

You'd sacrifice, perhaps 20 per cent of your engine's power, but in return you'd be using a natural resource which New Zealand and Australia have in abundance and sell off at extremely low prices overseas.

LPG is a refined material, though CNG is closer to the original resource and thus requires less processing and is available in far greater quantities.

This isn't new technology. About 18 years ago, my family had a CNG car in NZ and it ran fine. I'm somewhat mystified as to why we're not putting a similar system in place now. It's enough to make one wonder what commercial factors are at play here that prevent such a logical step.

I heard on the ABC today that in America, FORD has a car it expects to be on the market in two years, that uses a small petrol engine to run and charge the batteries that run the car which is ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN.So I guess it's the concept, that battery charging takes less energy than the torque required to drive the car.Electric wheelchairs can do about 20 klms before batteries need charging, at a speed of 8kph. I think unfortunately "Energy out equals Energy in" whatever we come up with.Solar is free because it's the sun supplying the power. But the technology to convert THE SUN'S ENERGY is the costly part.More research in that area is important.