gasoline "should probably be $10" per gallon

[Two Mikes]

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06...e-10-a-gallon/

The way gas prices are headed, I think he's probably right.

Speaking at the Wired Business Conference that's currently taking place in New York, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk had some rather interesting things to say. For instance, Musk believes that gasoline "should probably be $10" per gallon. While that doesn't sound like a popular sentiment for those Americans struggling with the thought of paying just $3 per gallon, but Musk offers an environmental reason to promote higher fuel prices:

I'm not paying for the true cost of gasoline at the pump...since nobody's explicitly paying for the CO2 capacity of the oceans and atmospheres, it's getting consumed. We will pay for it down the road, but we are sort of ignoring it for now.

Naturally, Tesla Motors stands to benefit from the high cost of gasoline though the sale of its electric cars – possibly at the expense of the current crop of automakers – but Musk doesn't have all bad things to say about the Detroit-based competitors:

I think it'll probably be a healthier place... I think this will be a cathartic experience. I think GM and Ford, maybe not Chrysler, but GM and Ford will come out of this healthier... and more competitive.

Further, Musk says he'd "like to take up some of the manufacturing plants. When the mess gets sorted out I'd like to have a conversation with whoever's in charge."

And what of the current crop of environmentally-friendly automobiles? Musk's not a big fan, saying, "A Prius is not a true hybrid, really. The current Prius is like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasoline car with slightly better mileage."

[50mpg]

I predict $4 gas again this summer. Oil prices are back up from speculators and demand will increase.

[fstjetta]

They better not. The economy is in the dump and people are struggling to make ends meet. Mass transit isn't available for most people so they would be hurt the most.