The economics of petroleum . is of 25 Per Cent Conversion Factor Passenger, Cars Trucks Tractors 1925193019351940 • 80 96 112 120 120216312360 16 284052 216340464532 86413601856 2128 While the figures shown are admittedly excessive and to beconsiderably discounted, especially in regard to trucks, they never-theless point to a future motor-fuel demand of stupendous propor-tions. With an unmined reserve of crude petroleum appraised at6 billion barrels, having an estimated gasoHne content of only 1billion barrels, the gasoline demand as shown would exhaust theentire domestic reserve by 1926, and
The economics of petroleum . is of 25 Per Cent Conversion Factor Passenger, Cars Trucks Tractors 1925193019351940 • 80 96 112 120 120216312360 16 284052 216340464532 86413601856 2128 While the figures shown are admittedly excessive and to beconsiderably discounted, especially in regard to trucks, they never-theless point to a future motor-fuel demand of stupendous propor-tions. With an unmined reserve of crude petroleum appraised at6 billion barrels, having an estimated gasoHne content of only 1billion barrels, the gasoline demand as shown would exhaust theentire domestic reserve by 1926, and projected further would callfor an annual share in the worlds outijut of crude petroleum runningupward of million barrels by 1930 and exceeding 2 ))illionbarrels by 1940. It is evident that if such a demand, even halved,is to be met by gasoline on the basis of present engine types andperformance, the oil industry must expand to proportions vastly THE DEMAND FOR MOTOR-FUEL 287 00 10 ?* CM O 0) ffl 01 01 CM 01 CM - -. *C\IO00(O*OIO 0310CM 0) OJ S310IH3A UOXOIAI dO SNOmiW I- 288 THE MOTOR-FUEL PROBLEM greater than its present dimensions and find new oil sources of suffi-cient magnitude and accessibility to support this expansion. Thealternative, aside from a curtailment of the demand, is a change infuel and engine in the direction of extracting a much greater motor-fuel service from a much smaller volume of raw material. Adaptability of the Internal Combustion Engine.—The automo-tive engine has developed and become standardized in its mainfeatures on the basis of cheap and volatile gasoline. Its improve-ment has for the most part followed the direction of convenienceand performance, with secondaiy consideration to fuel trend has been sustained to the present time by the existenceof a highly stimulated oil production, providing, until lately, gasolinecapacity in excess of gasoline demand. So long as this conditionobtained, there was no need apparent for the a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookpublisheretcet, bookyear1921
