Gas prices - conspiracy? (Phoenix, Oro Valley: home, maintenance, car)

[Dewey59]

Interesting that about a week after several Circle K stations in Phoenix run out of gas, the prices jump about 20 cents per gallon! Here in the NW valley, we are now at 2.67. I filled Friday night in Oro Valley for 2.25. I smell a rat!

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

I saw a 21 cent per gallon increase at the 44th St&Oak Costco, so don't know what to make of it

[wit-nit]

Seasonal demand and specifications for gasoline, happens every spring...
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/...e_fluctuations
Historically, retail gasoline prices tend to gradually rise in the spring and peak in late summer when people drive more frequently. Gasoline prices are generally lower in winter months. Gasoline specifications and formulations also change seasonally. Environmental regulations require that gasoline sold in the summer be less prone to evaporate during warm weather. This requirement means that refiners must replace cheaper but more evaporative gasoline components with less evaporative but more expensive components. From 2000 through 2017, the average monthly price of U.S. retail regular-grade gasoline in August was about 36 cents per gallon higher than the average price in January.

[AzScorpion12]

There was a few refinery fires the past week which have contributed to the increase as well.

The third-biggest refinery in the U.S. suffered a fire Saturday near Houston, hours after a Los Angeles plant was partially shut by a blaze, potentially boosting gasoline prices from Texas to California.

The fires, which come at a time when gasoline inventories are in decline with a number of refineries closed for seasonal maintenance, threaten to further increase gasoline pump prices that have already risen 31 cents a gallon since early January to edge above year-ago levels.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ery-after-fire

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by Dewey59

Interesting that about a week after several Circle K stations in Phoenix run out of gas, the prices jump about 20 cents per gallon! Here in the NW valley, we are now at 2.67. I filled Friday night in Oro Valley for 2.25. I smell a rat!

I filled at that $2.25 in Oro Valley and wondered why it was so much lower than Phoenix stations...now back in Seattle paying over $3 for regular and $3.79 for premium in my car.

[yukon]

The seasonal formulas required by multiple metro areas also means portions of refineries are temporarily off-line as they switch over to production of the summer formulas. Then when they start cranking out the summer blends, the regular blend production is reduced, causing prices to increase.

It's not a conspiracy. Happens every spring. And happens to a lesser extent when the refineries go off-line to switch the areas making summer formulas back to regular blend.

[gemstone1]

Seems like an abnormally large increase according to the Dept of Energy update, but a new list is due out tomorrow (3/25).

Regards
Gemstone1

[PhoenixSomeday]

My gas question, which in 5 years of asking has never been answered (with actual fact, not random speculation), is why there are such massive differences in prices between grades. Where I'm from in CA, and everywhere I've been to in CA, it's pretty universally 10 cents between grades. Maybe the occasional 12 cents. But here in the Phoenix metro in the 5 years I've been here, I've seen premium be 50-60 cents higher than regular at probably 70-80% of stations. For the past couple of weeks, it's been damn near a dollar. I've filled up a few times over the last few weeks and while regular has been around 2.75-2.80, premium (which my car needs) has been 3.50 - 3.60. Medium is somewhere in between. What in the holy hell? I've never gotten an explanation for this (at all, let alone one that wasn't pulled out of a behind).

[gemstone1]

Originally Posted by PhoenixSomeday

My gas question, which in 5 years of asking has never been answered (with actual fact, not random speculation), is why there are such massive differences in prices between grades. Where I'm from in CA, and everywhere I've been to in CA, it's pretty universally 10 cents between grades. Maybe the occasional 12 cents. But here in the Phoenix metro in the 5 years I've been here, I've seen premium be 50-60 cents higher than regular at probably 70-80% of stations. For the past couple of weeks, it's been damn near a dollar. I've filled up a few times over the last few weeks and while regular has been around 2.75-2.80, premium (which my car needs) has been 3.50 - 3.60. Medium is somewhere in between. What in the holy hell? I've never gotten an explanation for this (at all, let alone one that wasn't pulled out of a behind).

See the Dept of Energy link above for all you ever wanted to know about fuel pricing. It plainly states the spread between regular and premium fuel prices has increased to what you have experienced.

Regards
Gemstone1

[PhoenixSomeday]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

See the Dept of Energy link above for all you ever wanted to know about fuel pricing. It plainly states the spread between regular and premium fuel prices has increased to what you have experienced.

Regards
Gemstone1

It doesn't tell me anything of the sort. I'm talking about consistently over 5 years, not just recently. I just checked the prices back home and the spread between regular and premium is still about 20 cents. Not 50-80, like here.