Fuel saving devices that really work — mechanisms like fuel catalysts — may not be as critical for protecting the world’s oil reserves as once thought. While fuels saving devices still have tremendous value for individual consumers, companies, and corporations — because they can reduce fuel costs by up to 20% — the value of fuel saving technology is now in the reduction of emissions.

In less than five years, the pendulum leveraging the oil and gas industry — supply — swung from one extreme to the other. In the early 2010s, the question concerning producers and consumers alike was when will we run out of oil?

Crude oil prices soared to more than $100 per barrel and as consumers paid dearly for their fuel, speculators and scientists alike began gathering information about just how much crude was left, and how long we could maintain our current rate of consumption.

Then, something completely unexpected occurred. The supply threat disappeared, completely.

Technology Reverses Supply Threat

According to a November 2015 article in the Telegraph, BP Oil has reported that concerns about oil supplies are no longer an issue. Even long term, BP expect the supply to remain steady, “The world is no longer at risk of running out of oil or gas, with existing technology capable of unlocking so much that global reserves would almost double by 2050 despite booming consumption, BP has said.”

While Good News for Consumers, Environment Could Suffer

While low gas prices and an assurance that there will be sufficient supply in the future is good news for consumers, emissions and petroleum-related pollution do not bode well for the environment.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration released its final calculations for the year 2016 with respect to the number of miles Americans drove on public roads, highways, and interstates: a staggering 3.2 trillion miles.

In fact, in less than a quarter of a century, the number of miles Americans drive per year has increased by a trillion miles. Americans are driving more than 30% more miles per year than they were before the turn of the century.

While Supplies Abundant, Reduction of Fuel Consumption Critical to Environment

Oddly, the greatest value of fuel saving devices for trucks and heavy equipment may not be as a means of saving our oil reserves. Instead, devices like fuel catalysts may be more important as a means of lowering emissions and keeping pollution in check.