What are the gas prices where you are?

[dave lackey]

It has been awhile so I thought we might post our gas prices from all over to get a perspective on what's happening out there.

Gas at our cheapest station is:

Regular $3.63
Medium $3.73
Premium $ 3.93

It is much higher at stations along the Interstate and more than $4.30 for premium in Atlanta, just a half hour away.

[ronnies]

About £1.40 a LITRE for diesel here. That's about £5.60 a US Gallon. I'll leave you to work out the exchange rates.

Ronnie

[Roger Hicks]

About 1.55 euros/litre. At 3.79 litres/US gallon and $1.33/euro, that's about $7.80 per gallon.

Cheers,

R.

[dave lackey]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

About 1.55 euros/litre. At 3.79 litres/US gallon and $1.33/euro, that's about $7.80 per gallon.

Cheers,

R.

Sure makes that BMW look good, doesn't it? I miss mine.

[Roger Hicks]

Originally Posted by dave lackey

Sure makes that BMW look good, doesn't it? I miss mine.

Actually, Frances's little Seat is just about identical with the BMW, at around 43-47 mpg imperial. The bike is a little worse if you thrash it hard (38-39 mpg imperial), and a little better if you take it really easy (50+ mpg imperial).

Cheers,

R.

[dave lackey]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Actually, Frances's little Seat is just about identical with the BMW, at around 43-47 mpg imperial. The bike is a little worse if you thrash it hard (38-39 mpg imperial), and a little better if you take it really easy (50+ mpg imperial).

Cheers,

R.

I reckon that a motorcycle is about the best transportation one can get all things considered. And you get to lean in the curves whilst getting to and fro.

My bicycle is a bit limited compared to a two-wheeled, single-track, articulated joint vehicle with a motor and seating for two or more!

[sevo]

Getting close to 1.70€/l hereabouts, i.e. something like $8.50 per gallon, for both Super (medium) and Super E10 (10% methanol medium) - regular has been phased out after it wasn't cheaper any more.

[Spanik]

diesel €1.55/l
super €1.77/l

The only thing I'm happy about changing jobs is that now I do 24km/day instead of 115km/day.

[Olsen]

Here in Norway 95 octane petrol costs € 2,00/liter (NOK 15,40/liter or 9,95 $ per gallon!). In Finland, which I just have visited, the price varied between € 1,66 - 1,69.

My experience is that 'the lower petrol price in a country, the larger governmental debt this country has'. Go figure.

[Frontman]

Originally Posted by Olsen

Here in Norway 95 octane petrol costs € 2,00/liter (NOK 15,40/liter or 9,95 $ per gallon!). In Finland, which I just have visited, the price varied between € 1,66 - 1,69.

My experience is that 'the lower petrol price in a country, the larger governmental debt this country has'. Go figure.

Not quite true. Gasoline here in Japan is about $8 per gallon, but Japan's national debt vs GDP is the highest in the industrialized world, being roughly 250%.

America's national debt is lower than nearly every country in Europe, yet the cost of gasoline in America is lower than in any country in Europe. High gas prices do not mean low national debt.

One of the reasons gas has become more expensive is because oil imports to Japan have surged following the earthquake last year. Since then, Japan has not been running it's nuclear power plants since then, so the fossil-fuel plants have been working overtime.

[varjag]

The lower price of petrol, the more people complain about high fuel prices

[sepiareverb]

I don't drive much at all anymore. Last time I filled up the Mini I paid $3.79 a gallon. For all the complaining Americans do about gasoline prices we get off VERY cheap compared to much of the world.

[dave lackey]

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

I don't drive much at all anymore. Last time I filled up the Mini I paid $3.79 a gallon. For all the complaining Americans do about gasoline prices we get off VERY cheap compared to much of the world.

Yes, we do. But that said, we drive more than anyone else. In the Atlanta area alone, we travel 90 million miles per DAY...the distance to the sun. The average (by the gov't.) is 15,000/year for each driver. It is a lot more than that in the metropolitan ATL area.

And doubling our gas mileage is not going to help either. When is the last time our teenagers couldn't see "free" miles to be travelled and then never grew up?

I personally, have no problem with gas prices going up but the vast majority of Americans living on fixed incomes, etc. are going to be hurt.

Now back to the OT.

[noimmunity]

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

I don't drive much at all anymore. Last time I filled up the Mini I paid $3.79 a gallon. For all the complaining Americans do about gasoline prices we get off VERY cheap compared to much of the world.

I don't drive AT ALL!!!

The price of GAS is definitely rising

[Spanik]

My experience is that 'the lower petrol price in a country, the larger governmental debt this country has'. Go figure.

I fear Belgium doesn't follow your experience. And not in a good way...

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by Spanik

I fear Belgium doesn't follow your experience. And not in a good way...

... and your gas price is...?

[Spanik]

diesel €1.55/l
super €1.76/l
debt €32400/inhabitant
govenmental debt rising at €507/second

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by Spanik

diesel €1.55/l
super €1.76/l
debt €32400/inhabitant
governmental debt rising at €507/second

Which confirms my statement. Your petrol prices are all too low. € 1,55/litre is all too low compared to those nations with tidy economy. Belgian petrol prices are even lower than Finland and Sweden.

That's why you have a governmental debt slightly less than 100% of GDP (Which is hefty!). It is that simple. Increase petrol prices by € 0,20/litre and the Belgian governmental budget would go in balance, you Belgians would have to use the bicycle more often (get healthier) - and use the cars less (poor Germans...). This will lead to less wear and tear on your road system and even less pollution, - just as a bonus. After all: We are talking of or Belgium. Not the wast plains of the Mid West. How long time will it take to bicycle from one end of Belgium to the other..?

[seakayaker1]

. . . . . right now it is running between $ 3.85 and $ 4.15 per gallon.

[kdemas]

In SF $4.67 for Premium.

[dave lackey]

Well, ours went up another step-up to $3.98-$4.29 for premium in the area south of Atlanta but it is much higher in town. Odd that premium is almost always exactly $.30 more per gallon than regular...

[jonmanjiro]

Almost $6 in Florida according to this article:

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/02/22...-gas-stations/

[dave lackey]

Originally Posted by jonmanjiro

Almost $6 in Florida according to this article:

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/02/22...-gas-stations/

An insider's viewpoint:

I am now retired from teaching at THE university here in Atlanta. My specialties included urban and regional planning, real estate development courses, environmental studies and urban economics. In the days before Katrina, a memorable discussion ensued about the price of gas and conservation.

We, the class and I, researched and concluded that gas at $3-$4/gal in the U.S. was going to be the norm for awhile. Conservation would not really become a major issue for Americans unless gas doubled in cost overnight. And even then, only a minor decrease in gas usage would be expected because of several unique factors, including attitude in general, infrastructure, demographics, local laws and policies concerning land use, and geographical locations of current housing and employment centers.

7 years later, I stick to the same conclusion with a modification.

Yesterday, after weeks of being stuck at home while taking care of medical issues, my wife and I ventured to Warm Springs, Ga., and the Little White House made famous by former president FDR. The amount of traffic travelling at speeds of 80-95 mph was astounding. HUGE SUVs, pickup trucks and all getting upwards of 10mpg. Foolish Americans. Caravans of recreational vehicles and million dollar RV buses. Extravagant Americans.

The modification is this:
1. Americans will not significantly change their driving habits until gas reaches $8.00/gal or more. (IMO, we Americans think it is our god-given right to drive whatever, whenever, as much and as fast as we want as long as we have a credit card in our pocket that has not been maxed out. Quite arrogant, actually, in my opinion, and please note that I stated "we" as I am part of the problem.)
2. Introducing cars that get double the present-day gas mileage will only allow drivers to "justify" in their foolish minds that they can drive like they do now and even more because the car now gets 35mpg.
3. Any savings in gas conservation (by any means) will disappear with the increasing amount of new drivers added to the roads everyday.
4. Peak oil production will occur soon if not already. Then prices will rise.
5. Average speeds being driven will increase gradually until a significant disaster occurs either nationally or to a national figure at which time, the safety police will suddenly appear with new laws and regulations aimed at protecting drivers, not cutting gasoline consumption.
6. The politicians today are using the "high gas prices" as a tool because as they say, "the high gas prices are hurting Americans, they are suffering". Pure BS in my opinion.

This is 2012. As in any forecast/prediction, etc. it will be wrong. Which way will be determined in the coming future. I await the outcome.

[jonmanjiro]

Yup. Ever heard of Jevons paradox, Dave?

[dave lackey]

Ah, yes... In our part of the world, we call it the Pogo viewpoint..."We have met the enemy and he is us".

From Wikipedia:

The scary thing about it is that there is a good chance that it is too late for this country to do much about infrastructure (mass transit, alternatives) and growth patterns. It is a supremely complex problem yet so few people understand that if we all drove 50mpg vehicles in this country, we would have really achieved very little. We would just drive twice as much!

Fewer still, understand the complexity of solutions and the time and commitment it will take for a real energy policy.

So, bring on the $5/gal gas, it isn't so bad. Just adds $32 to my overall transportation cost to Pensacola to meet with RFF friends! See? I really am part of the problem.

Thanks for the link, Jon!