3D printers and electric vehicles can help to reduce oil consumption – to a greater degree than has been predicted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), according to Thina Margrethe Saltvedt, a Norwegian analyst for Swedish financial services group Nordea. According to Saltvedt, 3D printing could reduce oil consumption by increasing the local production of goods, reducing the need for a fuel-demanding import and export system. With more businesses able to fabricate items on location using 3D printers, the world could see a reduction in energy consumption across land, sea, and air. Saltvedt is actually arguing against the IEA, a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that acts as an energy policy adviser to members states and other countries, recently predicted the continued growth of global oil consumption due to increased demand for aircraft, shipping, trucks, and petrochemical products.
http://inside3dprinting.com/news/3d-printing-could-help-to-reduce-global-oil-consumption/41630/