Gas Running Out!

[JamesSD]

Wow

I live in San Diego and the price is hanging out around $3.09 last I saw. Amazing seeing prices higher elsewhere in the country... but I suppose people here can always cross into Mexico if it gets too awful.

 

[Xelebes]

It is reported that all of Edmonton's gas stations have sold out their regular gasoline. They only sell supreme gasoline, hence the 14 cent hike in price I reported yesterday. All the regular gas produced in Edmonton's refineries I believe would have been shipped down south to help alleviate the shortages there.

 

[The_Darkness]

It is reported that all of Edmonton's gas stations have sold out their regular gasoline. They only sell supreme gasoline, hence the 14 cent hike in price I reported yesterday. All the regular gas produced in Edmonton's refineries I believe would have been shipped down south to help alleviate the shortages there.

Sorry man.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Current price in Massachusetts, $3.25 a gallon for regular at the Mutual station up the street. But I haven't yet seen any shortages here... yet.

 

[The_Darkness]

Current price in Massachusetts, $3.25 a gallon for regular at the Mutual station up the street. But I haven't yet seen any shortages here... yet.

We're not going to run out over night, kids....I'd say we have a couple of weeks before the bad things really start to happen, and by then the other refineries will be back up and running and there should be little if any shortages in supply.

If people don't panic and start filling up every other trip away from home....if they do that then we're in trouble.

 

[Xelebes]

Sorry man.

Thankfully I don't drive. The bus routes are quite convenient enough for me and I have a convenient phobia of driving motored vehicles.

 

[The_Darkness]

Thankfully I don't drive. The bus routes are quite convenient enough for me and I have a convenient phobia of driving motored vehicles.

Rather....convenient then. If I was afraid of driving my life would have been drastically different than how it's turned out....

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I live in San Diego and the price is hanging out around $3.09 last I saw. Amazing seeing prices higher elsewhere in the country... but I suppose people here can always cross into Mexico if it gets too awful.

Yeah, and it's odd how we don't even use any oil from the gulf as our environmental laws require them to be refined in California. It's not like it's a price gouging to make someone rich off a national tragedy or something.

Oh, wait.

 

[LadyJeanne]

Yeah, and it's odd how we don't even use any oil from the gulf as our environmental laws require them to be refined in California. It's not like it's a price gouging to make someone rich off a national tragedy or something.

Oh, wait.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Why wouldn't they??? Oil company throws a few million or better at the company in question and they suddenly don't have any recollection of the invention existing.

Eitherway, the engines may indeed be ficitonal, but at least the ones I was hearing about were relatively plausible...not the 200 mpg carbuerator of the 1930's.

Still, there's a vast discrepancy in fuel economy between European models and US models of cars. We get shitty mileage over here, and the smaller cars of Europe tend to get better mileage. That's not a myth or legend of any sort. So why don't we have those better mileaged cars here in the states?

Many times its a performance chip that regulates the engines (at least in cars that have computers) and these regulate interal engine component performance, emision controls, etc. Base chips are what most consumers get and they have a govenor in the engine that kicks it off at about 100 mph or so and regulates horsepower and fuel economy. Performance chips (which are expensive and generally not "street legal") have no govenor programed into them, generally provide a generous boost -- often more than 10% -- to the car's horsepower, and they can increase gas mileage.

Why aren't all cars chipped to have better mileage? We usually don't need the extra ponies under the hood (unless you want to pull a 12 ton camper with your Toyota Celica) and the govenor has nothing to do with the fuel economy from a mechanical stand point.

I hate screaming Conspiracy! but there's something amiss here, and the consumer's getting the raw end of the deal.

An auto company that could come up with am 80 mpg engine would make a hell of a lot more than just a "few million dollars", especially these days. It just makes no economic sence to give away a patent like that.

European cars get better mileage because they're smaller and lighter and have smaller engines, that's all. My little Toyota pickup gets around 27 mpg. My son's Ford Explorer gets 13-15. American cars get shitty mileage because they're huge and heavy and have fat engines.

If the consumer's getting screwed, then they've got no one to blame but themselves. If you want good mileage, then buy a Prius or some little Nissan. But these people who want to drive an Escalade or an Excursion and still go from 0 to 60 in five seconds are going to pay at the pump for hauling all that iron around. They really should have known what they were getting into when they bought the beast.

 

[moonlight elf]

Thankfully I don't drive. The bus routes are quite convenient enough for me and I have a convenient phobia of driving motored vehicles.

Yeah, I have a convenient phobia of driving too but I haven't managed to avoid it. The gas prices are getting hight enough that I'm not going to be able to afford to drive. I'm investing in a bike. That should get to Universtity, work, and internship without making me broke.

 

[Xelebes]

Yeah, I have a convenient phobia of driving too but I haven't managed to avoid it. The gas prices are getting hight enough that I'm not going to be able to afford to drive. I'm investing in a bike. That should get to Universtity, work, and internship without making me broke.

What you mean you haven't managed to avoid it? If you really have a phobia, you wouldn't have succumbed to it like I have.

 

[moonlight elf]

What you mean you haven't managed to avoid it? If you really have a phobia, you wouldn't have succumbed to it like I have.

My phobia was basically triggered by an reck I was in as a child, haven't liked cars since.
It is not too bad of a phobia now. Go back two years and I wouldn't even sit behind the wheels of a car. I've been "working" on it since then and made progress. I don't get all freaked out anymore but I still feel nervous at times.

 

[Xelebes]

My phobia was basically triggered by an reck I was in as a child, haven't liked cars since.
It is not too bad of a phobia now. Go back two years and I wouldn't even sit behind the wheels of a car. I've been "working" on it since then and made progress. I don't get all freaked out anymore but I still feel nervous at times.

I have no idea where my phobia stems from and that is my problem. However after a while to realise ways to get around this by making sure my jobs are close to bus routes and the sort. I tried having bikes but no matter how many locks I put on my bike in my garage, they keep getting stolen so bikes are not an option to me, despite the fact that I'd love them for me to use them.

 

[moonlight elf]

I have no idea where my phobia stems from and that is my problem. However after a while to realise ways to get around this by making sure my jobs are close to bus routes and the sort. I tried having bikes but no matter how many locks I put on my bike in my garage, they keep getting stolen so bikes are not an option to me, despite the fact that I'd love them for me to use them.

LOL....I was pretty good at avoiding it all through high school and even the first year of college. Then my life got busy enough that I couldn't wait on the bus or couldn't make it on time to class or work. I realized that even if I found ways to not drive through college I would have to eventually and even if I didn't I should not be dependent on my fear.

So, I went out and drove. It scared the living daylights out of me that first time. But I'm a stubborn girl and I don't give up when I make up my mind.

No one uses bikes here. Not sure why but I haven't seem many people with bikes on the roads. Funny, being a college town I thought that bikes would be popular. If I do invest in a bike I am fairly sure that it will not get stolen.

 

[Xelebes]

Well, I guess Edmonton's transit system is pretty good compared to other cities in North America, however it doesn't rank that well in Canada. But it does the job well enough for me.

 

[TheEarl]

An auto company that could come up with am 80 mpg engine would make a hell of a lot more than just a "few million dollars", especially these days. It just makes no economic sence to give away a patent like that.

European cars get better mileage because they're smaller and lighter and have smaller engines, that's all. My little Toyota pickup gets around 27 mpg. My son's Ford Explorer gets 13-15. American cars get shitty mileage because they're huge and heavy and have fat engines.

If the consumer's getting screwed, then they've got no one to blame but themselves. If you want good mileage, then buy a Prius or some little Nissan. But these people who want to drive an Escalade or an Excursion and still go from 0 to 60 in five seconds are going to pay at the pump for hauling all that iron around. They really should have known what they were getting into when they bought the beast.

I think the difference is not in the size of cars between Europe and the USA, but in the fact that one of the questions we ask when we buy a car is "How many mpg does it get?" If the answer's not to our liking, then we look at another car. In the USA, because you've had cheaper petrol, you don't care quite so much about economy. So car companies looking to sell in England and Europe must develop economic cars. Those wanting to sell in the USA know they don't have to, and therefore go for the cheaper and less efficient parts.

I think this crisis will probably shake up the car-buying public enough to result in a shift in the market.


Re: British public transportation. Ogg's got most of it - the government made a right arse-up of privatisation of the railway. However, a lot of the problems are that most of the rail networks date back to the very beginning. They're designed for steam and all the infrastructure is fucked from old age. No-one wants to update it, cause that would cost money; they just replace things as they break.

In France, gigantic government projects were set up to build TGV lines. We don't have anything like that here; it's far cheaper to muddle along with what we have.

It's in cases like this that I say "God bless Richard Branson." He owns a chunk of the railway market and is doing a fuckinggood job, simply because he's acting like a government should on a public transport. He's buying surplus stock, he's upgrading everything, he's lobbying for new high-speed lines. He's got the money to afford to take a short-term dunking and the sheer arrogance to be confident that it will pay off big-time over the long-term. So glad I live on a Virgin Railways line atm.

The Earl

 

[LadyJeanne]

I think this crisis will probably shake up the car-buying public enough to result in a shift in the market.

Nuh-uh. Won't happen. It's physics - car vs. SUV in a crash - guess who loses?

I drive a small car and love it, but I tell ya, I've driven SUVs and pick-up trucks, and I would go right back to an SUV if I had kids no matter how much gas it guzzled. Our roads and freeways are full of those giant things, and I would absolutely not want my kids to be in a little car because they will get smushed by the big ones. Until a majority of those Excursions and Esplanades and Yukons and what-not are off the road, every mom is going to keep her big monster on the road.

 

[Just-Legal]

It has always been my understanding that your public transportation system was the way to go. I realize now I was mistaken. I don't even have that option, so with my car payment, insurance and gasoline costs, I'd love to have the option of public transportation. It'd also be great for our daughter who needs to get to school but is without her license for a few more months and relies on our time and money to get to Uni.

As for why it seems such an assault, all I can say is that it's been very rapid and without much explanation. I have heard of a little thing called inflation, but I don't ever recall seeing it move so rapidly in only one area...that area being something this country (as well as others) is entirely dependant upon. Yes, your prices are extremely high, but I'm curious how quickly the price doubled. I thought back to when I began driving about 12 years ago and there has been almost a 300% increase in that time. I never expect to pay the same price at the pump from one year to the next. What I do expect, however, is not to see a .30 cent jump every day for three days straight. That's a little hard to stomach.

I never intended to get into an argument over who was worse off because it's obvious you're paying more for fuel than we are. I still contend, though, that on average the people in this country do much more driving than those in other places. My car is less than four years old and has 80,000 miles on it, for example.

Either way, vella and I have already begun researching something more economical, i.e. hybrids, electrics, hydrogens, etc. when we look to trade her current car in for something newer next year or so. Alternatives to fossil fuels seem to be gaining popularity and while I know there won't be any push from the gvmt until every last penny has been squeezed from the very last drop of oil on this planet, I can still dream.

~lucky

Lucky - my dad can beat you on that milage. His last car was two years old with 120,000 miles on the clock. All him. He was quite proud, but then the bastard gets petrol/gas on expenses.

 

[Just-Legal]

It's in cases like this that I say "God bless Richard Branson." He owns a chunk of the railway market and is doing a fuckinggood job, simply because he's acting like a government should on a public transport. He's buying surplus stock, he's upgrading everything, he's lobbying for new high-speed lines. He's got the money to afford to take a short-term dunking and the sheer arrogance to be confident that it will pay off big-time over the long-term. So glad I live on a Virgin Railways line atm.

The Earl

Even though they don't run on time? EVER?

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I have four kids (three of which have to be in booster/child safety seats by law). I can't drive anything small. I fill up at the beginning of the week, and by the end of the week, I'm on empty. Where I live, if you don't have a car, you're screwed. Right now, it takes $50 to fill up the tank on one of the vehicles. It takes that same amount to fill up the other one. We have to use two because hubby's work schedule doesn't match up with the kids' school schedule, so we haven't been able to conserve fuel by using one vehicle. That's about $400 a month we are spending just on gas. That's one full paycheck. If it gets much worse, I'll have to pull the kids out of school and homeschool them.

Thank goodness we own both of them outright. If we had to pay a car payment on top of the fuel prices, we'd be sunk.

 

[Xelebes]

Right now there is sanctioning happening at the ggas stations. They have set the limit at 75 L (~20 gallons) a fill-up. Prices are varying in and around 1.130 to 114.9 a Litre in my area.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Nuh-uh. Won't happen. It's physics - car vs. SUV in a crash - guess who loses?

But physics is also working in the small cars favor. A Mazda3 for example, weighs in at about 2700 lbs and a Hummer H2 tips the scale at whopping 6400 lbs.

At 60mph a Mazda 3 takes 169 feet to come to a complete stop, the H2 takes 214. So when some guy pulls out from a cross street 175 feet in front of you in the Mazda you stop with about 5 feet to spare where in the H2 you stop 40 feet past him, or thru him, or over him... whatever the case may be.

Also the Mazda pulls a 0.87 lateral g's on the skidpad where the H2 manages only 0.67. So if you yank the wheel in the Mazda, the car steers around the other guy where the H2 breaks traction and skids sideways into him. Or better yet the H2's higher center of gravity cause it to roll over with the sudden shift in direction. Granted the H2 is very wide and not prone to rolling but other SUVs are very prone to it such as the Land Rover Discovery which is notoriously top heavy.

Personally I put my faith in avoiding the accident altogether rather than just surviving it.

BTW, Hummer H2: 10 mpg city, Mazda3: 28 mpg city.

 

[LadyJeanne]

But physics is also working in the small cars favor. A Mazda3 for example, weighs in at about 2700 lbs and a Hummer H2 tips the scale at whopping 6400 lbs.

At 60mph a Mazda 3 takes 169 feet to come to a complete stop, the H2 takes 214. So when some guy pulls out from a cross street 175 feet in front of you in the Mazda you stop with about 5 feet to spare where in the H2 you stop 40 feet past him, or thru him, or over him... whatever the case may be.

Also the Mazda pulls a 0.87 lateral g's on the skidpad where the H2 manages only 0.67. So if you yank the wheel in the Mazda, the car steers around the other guy where the H2 breaks traction and skids sideways into him. Or better yet the H2's higher center of gravity cause it to roll over with the sudden shift in direction. Granted the H2 is very wide and not prone to rolling but other SUVs are very prone to it such as the Land Rover Discovery which is notoriously top heavy.

Personally I put my faith in avoiding the accident altogether rather than just surviving it.

BTW, Hummer H2: 10 mpg city, Mazda3: 28 mpg city.

I'm sure you're right about maneuverability and stopping distance. However, if I'm waiting behind a girl in an SUV at the Starbucks drive-thru, and she gets fed up at having to wait and rockets into reverse without even glancing in her rearview mirror, I'd rather be in an SUV than my VW.

 

[SlickTony]

In Jacksonville, FL, it is currently between $3.09 and $3.29--the lower price being for regular unleaded and the higher for the high-octane stuff.

Yesterday the cheapest I saw it (after I'd bought gas for $2.99) was from $2.95 to $3.15. You see it one price in the morning, and a higher price when you're on your way back from work.

No shortages--yet. Usually I wait until I'm running on fumes to gas up, but now I'm afraid to. I'd start taking the bus to save gas if I could, but my son goes to school in Jacksonville Beach, so I and my husband both have to go there--me to take him in the morning, my husband to pick him up.