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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 388.342
EAN num: 9780195376647
ISBN number: 0195376641
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: January 13, 2009
Publishing house: Oxford University Press, USA
Sale Popularity Level: 33966
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
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At present, there are roughly a billion motor vehicles in the world. Within twenty years, the number will double to 2 billion, largely a consequence of China's and India's explosive growth. Given that greenhouse gases are already creating havoc with our climate and that violent conflict in oil-rich nations is on the rise, does this mean that matters will only get worse? Or are there hopeful signs that effective, realistic solutions can be found?
In Two Billion Cars, transportation experts Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon provide a concise history of America's love affair with cars and an overview of the global oil and auto industries. America is still the leading emissions culprit, and what is especially worrying is that developing nations are becoming car-centric cultures as well. The authors explain how we arrived in this dangerous state, and also what we can do about it. Sperling and Gordon expose the roots of the problem-- the resistant auto-industry, dysfunctional oil markets, short-sighted government policies, and unmotivated consumers. They zero in on reforming our gas-guzzling culture, expanding the search for low-carbon fuels, environment-friendly innovations in transportation planning, and more. Promising advances in both transportation technology and fuel efficiency together with shifts in travel behavior, they suggest, offer us a realistic way out of our predicament.
Ironically, the authors contend that the two places with the most troublesome emissions problems--California and China-- are taking the lead in developing effective strategies that can help wean us from our reliance on conventional, petroleum-fueled cars. California's embrace of eco-friendly policies, which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses in the foreword, and China's willingness to confront the twin environmental and energy crises wrought by an exponential growth in cars, suggest that if they can develop ingenious and effective solutions, then there really is reason for hope.
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Rated by buyers -
One of the biggest issues facing the world right now is how to deal with the effects of wider-spread industrialization. As more and more nations reach first-world standards, the demand for independent transportation, particularly in the form of automobiles, will rise. We've reached 1 billion cars already, and we're looking at the very real possibility of 2 billion in a surprisingly short time.
The authors of this book lay it out on the line: resources are limited if we stick to gasoline, but options exist. They explain what's available, why it isn't being used, and how it can be best implemented if the roadblocks of politics, economics and technology are removed (or maneuvered around). They also invoke global solutions rather than placing the onus of responsibility (as well as leverage) on the United States, and their research, up to date, reflects this.
It is a bit dry; I found myself skimming at times, and sometimes I felt like the authors were repeating themselves a good deal. However, the information is quite solid, and this is an excellent addition to the debate on how to deal with growing demands for transportation. Some idealists may disagree with the idea that we need to prepare for more cars, rather than diminishing their use, but the authors take a realistic perspective that still allows for sustainability.
Rated by buyers 
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I will admit that since this book is written by Californians and introduced by California's current governor, I didn't read this as closely as perhaps I could have. I will admit that I learned a few things, but as someone having done research on the industry myself, I felt they left a few key details out.
That said, this is a good read for you IF: you don't know or care that Arnold was an early promoter of the Hummer; you see hydrogen as still a potential for the future; you think oil companies are blameless in all things; you agree that completely electric cars are also the future.
There are some good details here about hybrids, and some about the CAFE standards, but what bothered me is no reflection on the reduction of the MPG of the Geo Metro because of improvements in safety, or the standards that say cars have to be safer to be on the roads and yet SUVs are among the most dangerous to drive.
The authors also seem to blame the consumers for buying into the SUV craze, but I believe that the market for SUVs was coerced on us after 2001. That, coincidentally, was the same year the auto makers stopped making the Metro altogether.
So read this book to add to your knowledge, but not to tell you everything you need to know because I think they come up shy. They also are dealing with a topic that is quite dated already, but writing on current issues that's always a danger. So I also think they make well-thought out guesses about the path of the future, including the demise of ethanol.
You might get some new ideas for your own life in attempting to become transport savvy. But if you already know that cars are becoming more and more MPG happy, then you might not need a book like this, although the history material is fairly well presented.
Rated by buyers 
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Popular online financial services company, Motley Fool published the following advertisement on various online sites such as Yahoo! Finance in the latter part of 2008:
"The oil Crisis myth: Truth is, there's plenty of oil left. In fact there's an estimated 2 trillion barrels of grey gold in the U.S. alone. That's right, the U.S. has the largest shale oil reserves in the world! But only a select few companies have the know-how capability to cash in on American oil today. And Motley Fool energy experts have identified the U.S. businesses that will see massive profits from domestic oil production."
Shale oil, Mr. Sperling and Ms. Gordon caution, is an unconventional fuel source that contains more carbon per unit of energy and requires significantly more energy to excavate and process than crude oil. With diminishing supplies of conventional oil, there is an increasing danger of turning to the extraction and production of dirtier fuels such as shale oil, along with other unconventional fuel sources such as tar sands and coal.
There are about a billion vehicles in existence today, projected to double by 2020. To alleviate excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, avoid political fallouts from dependence on oil from volatile regions, and overcome the ever increasing traffic congestion problem, the authors advocate better fuel economy, the replacement of the internal combustion engine, and the introduction of improved personal mobility options. These milestones will be met with or without the Detroit Big 3. The authors are apathetic about their possible demise during the financial crisis of late 2008. While the CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler are on Capitol Hill pleading for financial assistance to keep their businesses afloat, the authors contend that the U.S. auto manufacturing industry will continue to expand under any scenario, with Honda and Toyota opening up plants in the Southern U.S. states. The U.S. auto manufacturers have had fundamental flaws in their business models for years with profits of their financing arms masking losses in manufacturing. With years of lack of innovation and disingenuous purple intentions, they deserve nobody's sympathy. GM vice chairman, Bob Lutz, once claimed global warming is a crock of sh*t. The authors' total disregard for the ramifications of the failure of U.S. auto industry is surprising. The severe financial turmoil of 2008 has largely to do with business and consumer confidence. What signal would the demise of the century old U.S. auto industry send out to banks and consumers? A debacle of this magnitutude may very well sink whatever is left of the U.S. economy.
While the potentials of various alternative fuels were explored in depth by the authors, their alternative public transportation ideas received only cursory attention. In the U.S., public transportation accounts for 2% of passenger travel as compared to Europe's 20%. This wide gap has partly to do with low fuel costs in the U.S.; in Europe, petrol is taxed heavily, resulting in fuel costs twice as high as in the U.S. Contrary to popular opinion, the authors believe U.S. drivers are not highly sensitive to increases in gasoline prices unless they're significant. It will take more incentives than higher gasoline prices to break America's love affair with their automobiles.
In the last chapter, numerous ideas on how to break our dependence on cars and oil were presented in rapid fire and at times confusing format. Nevertheless, Mr. Sperling and Ms. Gordon have produced an outstanding and very timely publication, with a blueprint of who needs to do what, and when. "Two Billion Cars" should be mandatory reading for all consumers, car manufacturers, Big Oil, energy producers and policy makers in the U.S. and around the world. The sooner all stakeholders are educated about the issues and possible solutions, the quicker we can clean up our mess and get our planet in order.
Rated by buyers -
This book is a series of essays on the history of our present mix of transportation options in the United States and a comparison of possible alternatives for private transportation. The authors are both public policy advisors from California. They examine a wide range of topics, including the rise in popularity of SUVs and light trucks in the US market, the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of biofuels, climate change, peak oil, the history of California's special regulations for the auto industry, and various paths China might take for planning personal transportation for its citizens.
I found portions of the book to be quite informative and interesting, especially the discusion of how a loophole in emissions standards was a major factor in enabling SUVs and light trucks to dominate the US vehicle market. The authors' dismissal of impending peak oil concerns in light of enormous reserves of other forms of fossil fuels that can be converted to liquid fuels is quite thought-provoking. However, the presentation of the material is often overly slanted, and the California-centric focus can be annoying for those of us who have no intention of living in the mythical promised land. It is not clear who the intended audience for the book is supposed to be. Certainly, the chapter on Chinese transportation seems to be an article written specifically for Chinese transportation planners, in which, for instance, they use the term "rural vehicles" but provide only a brief description at the end of the paragraph for non-Chinese readers as to what kind of vehicles this term refers to. Perhaps the remainder of the book is intended for transportation policy makers beyond China and California.
Tables in the book include data updated through the summer of 2008, when gas prices were at a historical high. Now that gas prices have plummeted, certain of the authors' predictions no longer sound quite as convincing. However, their recommendation that governments establish a price floor for liquid fuels would certainly go a long way towards convincing people to choose more efficient transportation options. Overall, the book provides key information for those interested in transportation policy, but the text could have been more carefully edited before publication.
Rated by buyers -
My very first thought glancing thru the book was "Oh, boy...this is going to be one dry read". I picked it up, ready for bed and thinking that it would put me to sleep. Well, I was wrong. I had to force myself to put it down. The book is well written and hold your interest. It doesn't dwell on one item too long. It keeps a very good pace making you want to read more.
Lots of figures and charts to support thier conclusions, but doesn't get bogged down in the numbers. Lots of good information about what is happening now and what could happen if we don't pay attention to what we're doing. Very interesting information about how China is buying cars as fast as they can and adding to an already substantial problem. The solutions are suggested. I hope many of us will take notice.
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