Gas Prices.. falling anywhere?

$3.79 for premium by my house. Washington DC is over $4 a gal. 12 years ago when I was graduating from college gas was 89 cents a gal for regular in Georgia.

WELL FINALLY!!

Oil went under $90 / barrel AND our gas prices fell!!!!! Was 3.99 on Monday...

Today.... da da da daahhhhh. $3.98



.

Charlotte, NC is at $3.90 to $3.95 per gal for regular as of today go across the border to South Carolina (10 miles approx) it is $3.40 per gal

john, wanted to chime in on a few of your points:

3. Ethanol should not ever be an answer. While I agree with you on your performance points(granted it only applied to newer vehicles or modified fuel systems), the problem is two-fold. A. it is heavily subsidized by the govt to make it profitable to the famers, so without that it would drive ethanol prices close to double straight gas, and B. just remember that the more corn that goes to ethanol means the less goes toward food and the feed we use to grow food(ie cows/chickens). So while gas would get cheaper food costs would sore offsetting any price advantage.

4. The problem is the infastructure is designed around low volume. in order to meet the demands of a fueling stations you would have to signficantly upgrade the supply systems and lines. Though CNG is currently one of the top areas car mfgs are looking towards.

5. While hybrid technology pays dividends at the pump there have been several studies that long-term ownership costs and initial costs far exceed the regular gas engine equivalents. For the Prius in particular they were able to show that it would cost an owner a few thousand more over a 10 year period vs. the camry with all factors held constant.

Most scientists will also agree that we will not run out of petroleum in our lifetimes or that of our children or grand children. The recent discovery of oil sands and very large caches under the northern oceananic regions have forced the studies from the 90s to be re-evaluated and most of academia believe that the previous reported "extinctions" were far exagerated. Granted, we will eventually run out on some grand time scale.

My personal opinion is that the gas combustion engine still has tons of room for improvement. The fact that we have 300hp v6 engines and even 400hp v8s getting in the mid 20s is proof there is a ton of efficiency we can still squeeze out with advances in fuel delivery and computer controls. But just my 2 cents.   

ON a side note are you sure tesla is the leading hybrid group? I think you have your terms confused, tesla specializes in zero emission electrics not gas hybrids. I know they are considered one of the top 3 for zero emissions vehicles, but GEM, a sub group of diamler AG, is the leading producer and has been since 2000. Though I may be wrong, I'm pulling this from memory.

Several thoughts.
1. Gas lines are very expensive to install in areas where the geology is principally granite or hard rock, and it is subject to shifting. That may account for it being less common in some areas of the east coast.

2. There are CNG cars on the road today. The home compressor unit that compresses the gas from about 3psi delivery pressure to 1,500 Psi, and is necessary to refueling your car, has a metering device. Taxes are paid by therm, just like it is metered to your house. At a filling station it is metered just like gasoline.

3. Ethanol is not a bad fuel, but is certainly not the only answer. It increases the octane rating of gasoline dramatically, keeps the combustion process cleaner, and prevents fuel system freeze and water problems (in closed systems). The guys in my Shelby Dodge club that race very high output forced induction engines (usually running over 30psig boost) commonly use E85 due to its extremely high octane and controlled combustion temperatures. There is less energy in it so you must tune with larger injectors for it. I only boost 24 psig and drive on the street, so I can get by with 93 octane pump gas.

4 Most gas stations already have natural gas infrastructure for heat, and could easily install a compressor and receiver tank without needing a new delivery system. It could be upgraded over years as CNG vehicles are phased in.

5. Hybrid technology is good, and is improving constantly. It is not dependant on the fuel used for an energy source as it only captures wasted energy and saves your brakes.

6. As a wise man on this site once said "If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got".


Tesla stock
09/2010   $19.58
09/2012    $31.50
They are the leading provider of hybrid technology.

FORWARD. It's not just an election slogan, that's why Toyota uses it and has profited on the Prius.

I wouldn't buy stock in old energy technology any more than I would invest in photographic film or print media today.

I know what you mean about rural,you would not know it now if you drove around here now but when my Grandparents started to build this house in 47,there was no gas service here either. He started making plans for propane but by the time he had to make a decision about a furnace,a main had been placed.

Gary, I think Maine is too rural for gas to have ever taken hold, although several big lines have been run through the state in the past 10 years and there are some new developements that are using it. When I started appraising real estate in the 80's I noticed that the only areas of my city, which is the largest city in the state, (70k+-) only had gas in the old neighborhoods. It seems like from the 1950's up until recently gas was seldom installed. Neighborhoods built in the 1800's up to the 1940's mostly have gas. I've heard it was due to a strong oil lobby, but who knows? People are getting away from oil now, but I'm slow to spend a ton of money on new technology like pellets.

john b wrote: Also, the heating season should be less expensive than it has been in years. Natural gas is near recent historic lows. Why are we not running our cars on it too.

Won't help Bruce John. For some reason that maybe Bruce can explain,Easterners use oil for heat. As for natural gas for cars,I saw a Honda a few years ago at the auto show. Very nice concept,much better than a hybrid IMO. Here are two reasons why IMO is why it's going to be a long time in coming.1- It would take a long time to get refill stations up and running for cross country trips and the biggest problem- Taxes. If I fill it at home from my gas main how is the Govt going to collect the road tax? And you know the easist way to do that is-- put a gps device in each vehicle and charge per mile.You know how that will play out,just like it did at my old place of employment. Oh no guy's it's not for or to be used for discipline,it's for YOUR safety. People will be upset.

Riley wrote: $4.01 is the lowest I've seen it this week. It's amazing, 2 months before a presidential election and gas hitting $4 and QE3 is barely mentioned in the news. I love the spin that $4 is the new $3 and it will be good for us in the long run because it will make us conserve. Heating season's gojng to be expensive.

Riley wrote: $4.01 is the lowest I've seen it this week. It's amazing, 2 months before a presidential election and gas hitting $4 and QE3 is barely mentioned in the news. I love the spin that $4 is the new $3 and it will be good for us in the long run because it will make us conserve. Heating season's gojng to be expensive.

Can you not connect the dots?
This administration has pushed for alternative fuel sources and has threatened to cut of the oil industry corporate welfare. Of course the oil industry does not want that to happen. That is the explanation behind the price of crude being 30% below the record levels of $150 per barrel, yet the price is hovering at the all time high. The price will decline after the election as surely as it does after each major driving holiday regardless of who wins.. It is the free market capitalist system that we all know. Most businesses hedge their bets, you can bet the oil companies are doing it now. BTW, its not limited to the oil industry. That's what lobbying is all about. Backed up with a little persuasion its even more compelling. The extra profits earned don't hurt the bottom line either. Don't be nieve.
Also, the heating season should be less expensive than it has been in years. Natural gas is near recent historic lows. Why are we not running our cars on it too.

What???? Gas prices are high? You'd never know it by watching the news. Seems when a republican is in office high gas prices are teh leading story every night, because clearly it is the fault of the adminsitration. Now its "move along folks, no news here...nothing to see here..."

john b wrote: 8122pbrainard wrote: watrski wrote: Gas is still pretty much the cheapest thing I put in my boat.... I agree. My wife and kids in the boat are way more expensive than the fuel!! But even their cost must pale in comparison to your monogram shirts, PFDs, and tubing gear.

Thanks big time John!! You always have some interesting comments!

watrski wrote: Gas is still pretty much the cheapest thing I put in my boat....

I agree. My wife and kids in the boat are way more expensive than the fuel!!

john b wrote:     Hey Gary, how long did it take the valve company to notice that their plant management was missing?

I don't know John,but they were dead by the time they found them. How long does that take

I paid $4.18 this past weekend in Southern Maine to get the boat to the trailer. The weekend befpre it was $3.95. Gassed up the Camry on the way home in NH. Cheapest I found was $3.91. Got back to the City and the new gas station just down the street was $3.71. Arrgghhh!!! I've never seen gas prices in MA less than NH before!

oldcuda wrote: WOW 8mpg with a pickup!! I just drove a tractor trailer from Ct to Dallas and average mpg was 8.3.I had a light load of tortila chips.Average fuel price was 3.96 per gallon.The only way to survive out here is to keep your foot out of it. The fuel surcharge does not really get substantail till the price gets up about 4.60 a gallon and if you are real carefull on fuel there is money to be made.

WOW,how things have changed in the trucking industry.
In the late 70s and early 80s. I was in the trucking industry. Our overall fleet averaged between 4 and 5 MPG. 73,280 and 45X96 back in those days. We first averaged over 5mpg with the newly introduced Kenworth "anteater" and we were happy with that. One of our accounts was Jays Potato Chips and we pulled 45' possums loaded with chips. It didn't change the mileage much.
I often wondered why the light duty trucks are such pigs. I worked with a guy who drove a V10 Ford Excretion. He said he had never seen double digit mileage from it in the 70-80K miles he owned it. That included several family trips from Chicago to Florida to see the mouse. He traded it for an Escape and had enough money left over at the end of each month to buy a Mustang GT as a toy (car, not boat).
It looks like the Sprinter is pretty good for its size. I liked the fin boat story towing cross country with one.