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Anyone notice we're getting screwed at the pump (Original Post) kacekwl Mar 2015 OP
Our pump price has actually fallen about 15 cents/gallon in the last three weeks. MANative Mar 2015 #1
I had to pay 3.14 today and it was the cheapest gas in town. Cleita Mar 2015 #2
No, you really aren't Spider Jerusalem Mar 2015 #3
Thats due to high taxes. Travis_0004 Mar 2015 #6
And? Spider Jerusalem Mar 2015 #7
Those higher taxes go to increased social benefits like health care. Not the same scenario. djean111 Mar 2015 #26
More like a better infrastructure. ErikJ Mar 2015 #37
No kacekwl Mar 2015 #10
Taxes on fuel in most of Europe are significantly higher than the US Travis_0004 Mar 2015 #11
Those increased taxes in Europe are used for things like health care. djean111 Mar 2015 #27
I live in the NW Suburbs of Chicago and the current spike (read: excuse) Snarkoleptic Mar 2015 #22
What Snark Said ProfessorGAC Mar 2015 #41
I drove 31.5 miles today on about 36 cents worth of electricity. Up and down a mountain. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #4
Leaf-owner here PumpkinAle Mar 2015 #15
Congrats! Some workplaces are allowing charging, and US Dept of Energy is promoting it. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #17
Thanks, sadly PumpkinAle Mar 2015 #20
we have six charging stations at our office ProdigalJunkMail Mar 2015 #30
My Prius hybrid does well too. RoccoR5955 Mar 2015 #21
Yes, I didn't have a brake job until over 100,000 miles. I traded it in for the Volt at 180,000 mi. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #24
Our Prius suddenly started getting 'confused'. The panel in the dash, all four sections swapped peacebird Mar 2015 #31
President Obama Says Gas Won't Stay Cheap, Buy Fuel-Efficient ... Stellar Mar 2015 #46
No. I haven't bought gasoline recently. I don't commute by car. hunter Mar 2015 #5
Utopia indeed. kacekwl Mar 2015 #9
Some people are getting close, or they are there already. hunter Mar 2015 #13
EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge! NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #18
Are you kidding? I paid $5.85 today, and consider it a phenomenal bargain. Gregorian Mar 2015 #8
You're paying too much to go each mile. Electricity is by far a better propellant. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #34
It's for a backhoe. I drive about 500 miles per year, and would drive even less Gregorian Mar 2015 #35
I used to operate a John Deere 310 hoe. There are now hybrid diesel excavators: NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #36
I had no idea! Hybrid. I've got a JCB 214s. Gregorian Mar 2015 #49
Proud of your Dad! To it's credit, the Volt is capable of never using gasoline. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #50
Gas taxes are low in NM Warpy Mar 2015 #12
Varies between 2.95 and 3.05 PumpkinAle Mar 2015 #14
Considering that cost per barrel is so darned cheap PumpkinAle Mar 2015 #16
The prices in CT are always higher than the national average bigwillq Mar 2015 #19
So yeah, maybe people will drive less. lonestarnot Mar 2015 #23
Don't worry, prices will go up as always xfundy Mar 2015 #25
It's not as high now as it was 5 years ago. Major Hogwash Mar 2015 #28
$2.03 in southeastern VA Roland99 Mar 2015 #29
couple of stations here have dropped to under $2.00 but they're at least 10 miles away. hobbit709 Mar 2015 #32
2.29Houston elehhhhna Mar 2015 #33
I got $2.19 the other day Capt. Obvious Mar 2015 #38
I got that today in Central Indiana AwakeAtLast Mar 2015 #44
Doing ok at $2.13 in south Georgia. It was starting to move up, but then came down. aikoaiko Mar 2015 #39
that's low! shanti Mar 2015 #40
Because It's So Cool To Live There ProfessorGAC Mar 2015 #43
What do I get in Chicago at $3.19? Hassin Bin Sober Mar 2015 #51
Ripped Off! ProfessorGAC Mar 2015 #53
I think it is because of the Richmond refinery fire Egnever Mar 2015 #45
Dropped at least 10¢ in Connecticut in the last few days. Atman Mar 2015 #42
Really? Prices in CA are below $4 a gallon and sometimes even under $3 for the first time in about Starry Messenger Mar 2015 #47
We were forewarned by the President... Stellar Mar 2015 #48
I've noticed a slow but steady climb over the past month. AngryOldDem Mar 2015 #52

MANative

(4,105 posts)
1. Our pump price has actually fallen about 15 cents/gallon in the last three weeks.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:04 PM
Mar 2015

Average around $2.40 - western CT.

Cleita

(75,480 posts)
2. I had to pay 3.14 today and it was the cheapest gas in town.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:05 PM
Mar 2015

I topped my tank because I think it will get higher soon. It should last me a month if I'm frugal in my driving.

 

djean111

(14,255 posts)
27. Those increased taxes in Europe are used for things like health care.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 03:43 AM
Mar 2015

Europeans actually GET something for those increased taxes. So not a good comparison at all.

Snarkoleptic

(5,995 posts)
22. I live in the NW Suburbs of Chicago and the current spike (read: excuse)
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 11:20 PM
Mar 2015

is that the Whiting (Indiana) refinery has had major issues lately.
Those living in the Chicago metro will note that there are chronic issues (seems like planned/engineered Enron-like shortages) at the various refineries in our area.

http://wgntv.com/2015/02/26/leak-at-bp-refinery-in-whiting-2nd-malfunction-this-week/

ProfessorGAC

(64,425 posts)
41. What Snark Said
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 02:43 PM
Mar 2015

They had a strike and they ran at reduced rates. Then had problems when they tried to turn up. Thing is, the Citgo and Exxon refineries which are only around 45 miles from Whiting are running above their normal rate.

So, overall supply is not affected by enough to justify the spike in price.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
4. I drove 31.5 miles today on about 36 cents worth of electricity. Up and down a mountain.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:11 PM
Mar 2015

Driving over the coastal range from Santa Cruz to San Jose, the Chevy Volt does very well.

All electric for the first 30-40 miles, even on hills where the downhill stretch is largely free of the need for power and filled with regenerative braking and coasting.

Drive the future, drive electric.

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
15. Leaf-owner here
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:51 PM
Mar 2015

and loving it. Unfortunately, can't use it as a commuter car because no where to re-charge and the commute is just a little too far. Somedays, wished we had gone for the Volt, but we do enjoy driving the Leaf at weekends

Happy quiet driving NYC_SKP.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
17. Congrats! Some workplaces are allowing charging, and US Dept of Energy is promoting it.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 10:08 PM
Mar 2015

Depending upon where you live, the employer might get carbon credits or be able to offset certain EPA things, varies by state and utility provider.

The math is simple, about a dollar a day in their utility bill.

http://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/ev-everywhere-workplace-charging-challenge

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
20. Thanks, sadly
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 10:31 PM
Mar 2015

we tried, we showed how it would be beneficial, good publicity, we would pay, everything - sadly we work for a national company, who shall remain nameless, and the general manager of this location is a dipshit who feels he has to squeeze blood out of a stone to show corporate how great he is doing.

But that's okay, we can potter around at weekends and enjoy the sights and it is great.

ProdigalJunkMail

(12,017 posts)
30. we have six charging stations at our office
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 06:50 AM
Mar 2015

and we have so many Leafs (hard to write that) in the parking lot that we look like a dealership!

sP

 

RoccoR5955

(12,471 posts)
21. My Prius hybrid does well too.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 10:53 PM
Mar 2015

I have been the owner of one of these babies since 2011, and love the gas mileage I have been getting. Better than 50 mpg. I would have gotten a Volt, but they were just too expensive at the time.
The other thing about these cars with regenerative braking is that your brakes last longer. I have 72,000 miles on my Prius, and the brakes are like still about 50% used up. That would be about 150,000 miles and ONE brake job. This is because with regenerative braking, not only does braking recharge the batteries, but it uses electricity to help brake the car. Traditional brakes only come into use at low speeds, or in a panic braking.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
24. Yes, I didn't have a brake job until over 100,000 miles. I traded it in for the Volt at 180,000 mi.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 11:35 PM
Mar 2015

I was not easy on my 2007 Package 7 Prius, I was pedal to the metal all day long and it was a great car.

I had started burning oil and then one sad day it told me it needed a new hybrid battery pack.

I found the 2012 Volt with 8200 miles for $21,500, far less than any plug-in anything out there and I love that it's all-electric most of the time and has a lot of room with the seats down, just like the old prius.

peacebird

(14,195 posts)
31. Our Prius suddenly started getting 'confused'. The panel in the dash, all four sections swapped
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 07:36 AM
Mar 2015

I could try to adjust heat & radio would come on, etc.... Dealer downloaded new software package, didn't help. Then it started having mini brownouts and refusing to start at all, finally the main battery pack needed replacing.
I loved that car, but have a subaru now. When it died my commute was 90 miles each way, over what an electric could do. When subaru dies I will get an all electric replacement, but it only has 133k on it, so that is years away.
I love how electric cars are going mainstream!

Stellar

(5,644 posts)
46. President Obama Says Gas Won't Stay Cheap, Buy Fuel-Efficient ...
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 03:13 PM
Mar 2015
Brad Tuttle @bradrtuttle Jan. 7, 2015

"Folks should enjoy" gas prices while they're low, the president said this week. But he warned it would be foolish to expect gas to stay cheap forever.

In an exclusive interview


https://autos.yahoo.com/news/obama-buy-fuel-efficient-car-gas-wont-stay-163009804.html;_ylt=A0LEViuiBRNVgLkAD3IPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTEzNGk0dWJmBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwMl8x

(Good for you)

hunter

(38,264 posts)
5. No. I haven't bought gasoline recently. I don't commute by car.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:15 PM
Mar 2015

In my utopia most people don't have to worry about the price of gasoline.

If they commute to work in a car, it's an electric or plug-in hybrid. Their employer's parking lot is covered with solar panels, and their car is recharged compliments of their employer while they work.


hunter

(38,264 posts)
13. Some people are getting close, or they are there already.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:36 PM
Mar 2015

It will happen.

When my wife and I met we were Los Angeles commuters, in the kind of traffic it would frequently take more than an hour to drive twenty miles.

By some planning, and much greater good fortune, we've been able to avoid the commuter lifestyle since the mid 'eighties.

Someday I may have a solar powered electric car, but for now it doesn't seem to matter much. Our medical expenses take a much bigger chunk out of our budget.

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
8. Are you kidding? I paid $5.85 today, and consider it a phenomenal bargain.
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:19 PM
Mar 2015

When you factor in war, and the fact that the work it does for us is absolutely astounding, $50 per gallon is cheap. I know I'll get flamed for this, but most people just don't have a god damned clue what they're getting for the money.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
34. You're paying too much to go each mile. Electricity is by far a better propellant.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 09:50 AM
Mar 2015

The externalized costs for your gallon of liquid fuel are paid by others.

You are correct that a great deal of work and energy go into each gallon, but it's a shame that while the energy content is high, the efficiency of the burn is very low.

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
35. It's for a backhoe. I drive about 500 miles per year, and would drive even less
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 12:39 PM
Mar 2015

if there were fewer cars. I'd be on my bike for everything.

I hate the automobile and what it has done to society, even with all it has contributed.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
36. I used to operate a John Deere 310 hoe. There are now hybrid diesel excavators:
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 01:54 PM
Mar 2015
http://enr.construction.com/products/equipment/2013/0422-caterpillar8217s-new-hybrid-excavator-offers-savingsat-a-small-price.asp

Think of all the time your backhoe sits idling, doing no useful work.

Actually, diesel hybrids are decades old, just haven't moved to the construction industry until recently.

Diesel locomotives are hybrid-electrics. Very sensible way to go!

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
49. I had no idea! Hybrid. I've got a JCB 214s.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 04:11 PM
Mar 2015

What five gallons of diesel will accomplish is just amazing. I condemn all of the frivolous use of fuel.

Yeah, I've not been able to shut the thing off because I'm on a distant part of my property, and I don't dare get stuck out there. But I'm painfully aware of the 1/3 or more gallons per hour it must use to just idle.

I was raised in a very energy conscious home. Like very few. It's both a blessing and a curse. I can hardly watch what I see going on around me.

By the way, my 91 year old dad is so proud of his Chevy Volt. I think I read here that you have one. I still cringe when I think of having all of that internal combustion claptrap in that car. But it's a hell of a good piece of engineering.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
50. Proud of your Dad! To it's credit, the Volt is capable of never using gasoline.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 06:08 PM
Mar 2015

The motor is there just to extend range but I absolutely love the days that it's all electric all day long.

And unlike other gas hybrids, this one will do 75+ without that ICU coming on.



Warpy

(110,913 posts)
12. Gas taxes are low in NM
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 09:23 PM
Mar 2015

and demand over the winter was way down. They're trying to get rid of all the gasohol before the weather warms up in a few weeks so pump price is $2.06 to $2.08 while I was out today. I should point out I live in the cheap part of town.

 

bigwillq

(72,790 posts)
19. The prices in CT are always higher than the national average
Tue Mar 24, 2015, 10:10 PM
Mar 2015

Saw a break a few weeks ago but UP, UP, UP the price goes again.

Major Hogwash

(17,656 posts)
28. It's not as high now as it was 5 years ago.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 04:07 AM
Mar 2015

I don't think supply has dropped enough to cause it to hit $3 bucks a gallon yet, at least here.

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
32. couple of stations here have dropped to under $2.00 but they're at least 10 miles away.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 07:40 AM
Mar 2015

the nearest to me is $2.07 cash price.

Capt. Obvious

(9,002 posts)
38. I got $2.19 the other day
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 02:01 PM
Mar 2015

even though I could have filled up for $2.11 but that station was too out of the way.

ProfessorGAC

(64,425 posts)
53. Ripped Off!
Thu Mar 26, 2015, 08:52 AM
Mar 2015

I live about 55 miles south of the city and we're not paying that, but it did shoot up a lot. Went up 30 cents in one day.

Atman

(31,464 posts)
42. Dropped at least 10¢ in Connecticut in the last few days.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 02:45 PM
Mar 2015

We usually have among the highest gas prices in the nation, but they're dropping. What's going on in Illinois?

Starry Messenger

(32,342 posts)
47. Really? Prices in CA are below $4 a gallon and sometimes even under $3 for the first time in about
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 03:17 PM
Mar 2015

10 years.

AngryOldDem

(14,061 posts)
52. I've noticed a slow but steady climb over the past month.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 07:30 PM
Mar 2015

Here in the north Indy suburbs gas is running around $2.22-$2.23 a gallon. Not too bothered about it.

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