Something of Significance
Please let this serve as only a simple reminder.
We Americans are smart. We read the paper every day. We watch “Headline News.” We keep informed. We are all aware of the pending oil supply and demand pinch that is looming.
I was reading through some various sites trying to remind (and update) myself on how China is progressing on their mission to consume more of the globe’s oil.
They are moving quickly. Here are some facts:
- In 2009, China overtook the U.S. for the title of “World’s Largest Car Market.”
- In 2010, China sold more than 18 million new vehicles (a 32 percent increase over 2009).
- In 2010, China had 85 million vehicles on the road.
- In the year 2015, China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers predicts that the annual automobile sales will reach 25 million.
- By 2020, The Ministry of Information and Technology in China predicts 200 million vehicles on the road.
So in less than 10 years, based on China’s automotive growth alone, there will be demand for an additional 115 million vehicles.
China’s domestic sources of oil supply are not enough to support their growing demand. Today, it is estimated that they import about 60 percent of their oil needs. I’m no expert on this topic, but I can look at some basic facts and come to the conclusion that growth patterns, in China alone, are going to require that we find and utilize domestic sources of fuel for internal combustion engines.
Check out these numbers:
Country Population Vehicles
China 1.3 billion 85 million
Unites States 310 million 254 million
In the U.S., we have about 0.82 cars per citizen. That’s almost a 1 to 1 people to car ratio.
Right now, in China they have 0.07 cars per citizen. That’s about a 1 in 15 people to car ratio.
China’s economy is growing. If their automotive adoption ever were to equal that of the U.S., they’d have more than one billion (1,000,000,000) automobiles registered.
In a very short period of time – 10 years – there will simply be too many cars and too many people trying to draw from too few of global oil reserves.
Through the fleets of North America, we start the transition process. We must increase U.S. energy security by drawing on domestic sources of energy like natural gas and propane autogas.
