$5 Gas around the corner...

[CraigRT]

I have been paying between $4.50 - $4.75 per gallon (buck 20 or more per liter) for quite some time now. It sucks, especially when you drive a lot like I do.

 

[tboo]

Damn. Almost over $4.00 a gallon by me now. Its going to suck this coming summer.

 

[Fritzo]

Looks like the adjusted forecast this morning is peaking around $4.25 or so. Obama is also looking into releasing some of our reserves...which IMO is stupid since we were selling surplus gas on the world market just a couple of months ago. This isn't a supply problem as much as a speculation problem.

 

[khon]

Yeah gas prices are going up, and guess what, they will continue to go up.

It has been known for decades that this would happen, surely it cannot come as a surprise to anyone ?

 

[Bateluer]

How high will gas need to get before ATOT says 'Screw it, I'm buying a bicycle!'

 

[Red Storm]

How high will gas need to get before ATOT says 'Screw it, I'm buying a bicycle!'

VW TDI for me.

 

[Squisher]

Paid $4.29 for premium yesterday. I didn't think I could fit $50 worth of gas in my Camaro.

 

[ImpulsE69]

The problem is prices aren't related to supply and demand. They are artificially inflated by creating a demand, and of course speculators driving the prices up. Get ready for a further economic crash while the oil companies and their paid representatives reap massive profits. We cannot take $5.00/gallon gas for very long (at least not in the US). 2008 will look like the golden years if it happens.

 

[Saint Nick]

$4.02 in Omaha, NE! World is ending. Excuse me while I zip around town on my 100mpg shitty moped.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

The Nissan Leaf can be had for $28-30k if you take tax credits into account. But it's still a bit more expensive than the similarly sized Prius ($24-29k) and it lacks some of the convenience you get with a hybrid... such as being able to drive more than ~70 miles without having to plug it in for hours to get it juiced back up.

If the only barrier is cost then the base Mitsubishi iMiEV can be had for $18K after tax credits and with a higher trim level for $20K. Add $1K for the 240V home charging station. In terms of hybrids, the base Prius C can be had for $19K and the Two trim can be had for $20K.

So, as far as very fuel/energy efficient cars go, they're not that expensive anymore.

For people mentioning higher maintenance costs for EVs: you're flat-out wrong. They barely have any mechanical parts. Oil needs to be changed, but only every decade. Batteries need to be changed, but only every 8 years to a decade. Since ICE vehicles have more mechanical parts there's a LOT more than can go wrong.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Electric cars are stupid. We need the turbo diesels that Europe gets.

A small commuter car with a turbo diesel could easily get 60 mpg. Our useless gasoline engines that spin loud and slow get half that on a good day.

1 - the uk gallon is 4.546 liters, the us gallon is 3.785 liters.
2- the eu test cycle produces different (but still inaccurate) results from the us test cycle.

turbos are not the answer. a turbo increases the volumetric efficiency of an engine, but the only reason you observe any benefit is because you're using the greater airflow to burn more fuel.

what would have a massive impact would be diesel-powered electric drive, just like locomotives have been for ages.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Electric cars are stupid. We need the turbo diesels that Europe gets.

A small commuter car with a turbo diesel could easily get 60 mpg. Our useless gasoline engines that spin loud and slow get half that on a good day.

Good luck getting those passed through emissions.

Also, good luck offsetting the cost when Diesel is more expensive than Regular (87 octane) gas is. Current Diesel cars in the US cost roughly the same as an EV.

And a UK gallon is not the same as a US gallon.

 

[lozina]

I offset the damage a little bit by investing free money into gold. Gold and oil have a pretty good price correlation. So as the price of oil goes higher, gold typically goes higher as well so then I can sell it later and any profit goes to offsetting the higher gas prices

 

[drebo]

We've leveled out about $4.19 here. There are some more expensive stations, but why would you go to them when you can get cheaper down the road a mile?

It's actually gone down a bit in the last couple days.

 

[NutBucket]

How high will gas need to get before ATOT says 'Screw it, I'm buying a bicycle!'

A bicycle for a 25 mile commute wouldn't work well...taking public transit would at least double my commute time. It would have to be pretty damned expensive to get me out of my car.

 

[NutBucket]

Paid $4.29 for premium yesterday. I didn't think I could fit $50 worth of gas in my Camaro.

LOL! I regularly fill over $50 into a WRX with these prices. Do you only pump 9 gallons at a time?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

LOL! I regularly fill over $50 into a WRX with these prices. Do you only pump 9 gallons at a time?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

/fondly remembers 2008.

 

[OverVolt]

No, $6 gas is around the corner and then financial collapse.

 

[airdata]

How high will gas need to get before ATOT says 'Screw it, I'm buying a bicycle!'

I haven't come up w\ a number yet...

Probably when it costs $50 to fill up my honda civic. I'm only 3-4 miles from the office.

 

[khon]

We cannot take $5.00/gallon gas for very long (at least not in the US). 2008 will look like the golden years if it happens.

You may be right, but honestly that's a massive failure on your part.

Most of Europe has seen gas prices well above $5 for a long time now (~9$ right now in the Netherlands), and guess what, it has had little to no impact on the economy. Also it has been known for a very long time now that gas prices would increase, so it's not like people didn't see this coming.

If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot cope with something that is both predicted and inevitable, then obviously you're doing something wrong.

 

[OverVolt]

You may be right, but honestly that's a massive failure on your part.

Most of Europe has seen gas prices well above $5 for a long time now, and guess what, it has had little to no impact on the economy. Also it has been known for a very long time now that gas prices would increase, so it's not like people didn't see this coming.

If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot cope with something that is both predicted and inevitable, then obviously you're doing something wrong.

That is a bit wrong. Their society is much more socialistic. Mass transit is far more viable in the UK, you don't need a car in the UK like you need a car in the USA with our big open terrain, highways, and 30mile commutes. Most of the cost is actually taxes, they pay a similar rate for oil as we do here in the USA. It is to dissuade large cars and it is successful, Euro cars are tiny and mass transit use is high.

The USA is too large and open to do the same thing. We are highly vulnerable to high gas prices. I don't know why we took the low gas taxes and went ahead and bought SUVs to compound the vulnerability but we did it anyway.

 

[khon]

That is a bit wrong. Their society is much more socialistic. Mass transit is far more viable in the UK, you don't need a car in the UK like you need a car in the USA with our big open terrain, highways, and 30mile commutes. Most of the cost is actually taxes, they pay a similar rate for oil as we do here in the USA. It is to dissuade large cars and it is successful, Euro cars are tiny and mass transit use is high.

The USA is too large and open to do the same thing. We are highly vulnerable to high gas prices. I don't know why we took the low gas taxes and went ahead and bought SUVs to compound the vulnerability but we did it anyway.

I know there are differences between the US and Europe, but ultimately we both have to buy gas from the same global market, and if the US cannot afford to pay the global price, then the US has a big problem.

You can explain all you want why it might be more difficult for the US, but what does it matter when its not optional anyway ? The price is going up, and you have to pay.

 

[7window]

You may be right, but honestly that's a massive failure on your part.

Most of Europe has seen gas prices well above $5 for a long time now (~9$ right now in the Netherlands), and guess what, it has had little to no impact on the economy. Also it has been known for a very long time now that gas prices would increase, so it's not like people didn't see this coming.

If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot cope with something that is both predicted and inevitable, then obviously you're doing something wrong.

Don't bring Europe in this or cOmpare us to them unless you want us to be like them.

 

[OverVolt]

Don't bring Europe in this or cOmpare us to them unless you want us to be like HAL9000.

Fixed