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The OP has a flawed premise. Presidents have little effect on gas prices. We saw gas prices go up under Trump, as much as I attack Trump, never did attack on gas prices. Mind you gas prices were higher under Trump's first summer than they are now in Biden's first weeks.
There's always a price spike when a refinery switches from winter to summer gasoline blends. It happens up here typically in April, but the switch's timing may be determined by local climate.
Winter blends have anti-icing additives. Summer blends have anti-vapor lock additives. One is more expensive than the other to produce, and it's always expensive to change the refinery's blending from one to the other.
The spike usually lasts for less than a month before the prices drop back to normal.
Nationally since Thanksgiving when it was about $2.12 its gone to $2.45. In both states I live that is about the amount that gas has gone up. The OP is wrong. Prices have not gone up over a dollar. If you look at the gas buddy chart and put in your part of Ohio you can see. I did Cincinnati and its up $1.87 to $2.30 since Thanksgiving.
Here we go again with improper use of political language. Should I have to remind anyone?
Also, fuel is expensive across much of the West. While politics and legislation do play some role in that - California, for instance, has its own fuel quality and blend requirements necessitating that virtually all of California’s gasoline has to be refined in-state - it’s also true that there’s really not much interconnection between much of the West’s fuel supply and that of the rest of the nation. Availability of gasoline has always been tighter than much of the US, so fuel has always been fairly expensive out there.
As of yesterday, AAA reports that the national average for regular octane was 2.469/g. As of today, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have prices above that average. Other states such as Florida, AK, PA, NJ and NY also are above that average, as (of course) is Hawaii.
This article gives a good overview of why gasoline in California is expensive:
Arizona typically has higher fuel prices as does New York. For some reason I've always lived in states with higher gas prices. AZ's is still less than NY's gas, but wages in AZ are typically lower than that of NY's. In a way, it evens out. Property taxes are much different though... I'll get into my own observations of AZ gas prices a bit latter in a different quoted post reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by banjomike
There's always a price spike when a refinery switches from winter to summer gasoline blends. It happens up here typically in April, but the switch's timing may be determined by local climate.
Winter blends have anti-icing additives. Summer blends have anti-vapor lock additives. One is more expensive than the other to produce, and it's always expensive to change the refinery's blending from one to the other.
The spike usually lasts for less than a month before the prices drop back to normal.
Yes, but last year I do not really recall this phenomenon either time. Last year, gas prices dropped due to the OPEC-Russo gasoline price war initially. This hurt the stock market, more so than the COVID shutdowns since the futures market was trashed by this price war. Also supply of gas was up dramatically as demand went down. Even as states reopened, demand didn't cause a sharp rise in price. If anything, it was gradual. Even the switch month from summer to winter blend wasn't as sharp. I guess the supply was still high and it kept up with the higher car travel for Thanksgiving. By Christmas, however I did notice gas was going back up.
Nationally since Thanksgiving when it was about $2.12 its gone to $2.45. In both states I live that is about the amount that gas has gone up. The OP is wrong. Prices have not gone up over a dollar. If you look at the gas buddy chart and put in your part of Ohio you can see. I did Cincinnati and its up $1.87 to $2.30 since Thanksgiving.
Gas prices have shot up in AZ over the last few months. When a new Costco opened in fall it was about 1.80 a gallon of regular 87 octane gasoline, now that is 2.18ish for the same grade gas. Other gas stations (not tied to membership) went from 2.05-2.19 to 2.44-2.59. The difference in pricing is since Costco's (and Sam's Club, but I'm not a Sam's member) include some of the gas prices in the yearly membership (plus they only have regular and diesel, not premium and 93 octane gasoline (I forget the exact name for that.) Also I know some places charge more for using credit rather than cash (which I try to avoid those.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC
I heard something similar to that in about 1980.
I also heard that the world was going to burn up in ten years... about twenty years ago.
I think this time is more serious to go with electric cars. The electric cars are getting more and more reliable and better performing. In the 80's and 90's as the early tests of electric automobiles for consumption were prototyped, a lot of apprehension came from people who have been set in their ways (just within a company like GM) or the oil companies. In the late 2000's when the Prius was introduced, it was laughed about by the general public for a lack of performance of high speeds. Mind you, GM was working on various gasoline saving methods as well like a recharging fuel cell that would work when you are at a standstill with your foot on the break (I don't know how far it went.) But now after Tesla has shown electric cars work, GM is working on making more cars, including a new Corvette electric. Whether it goes like past dalliances in electric, remains to be seen. But I am hopeful.
I think this time is more serious to go with electric cars. The electric cars are getting more and more reliable and better performing. In the 80's and 90's as the early tests of electric automobiles for consumption were prototyped, a lot of apprehension came from people who have been set in their ways (just within a company like GM) or the oil companies. In the late 2000's when the Prius was introduced, it was laughed about by the general public for a lack of performance of high speeds. Mind you, GM was working on various gasoline saving methods as well like a recharging fuel cell that would work when you are at a standstill with your foot on the break (I don't know how far it went.) But now after Tesla has shown electric cars work, GM is working on making more cars, including a new Corvette electric. Whether it goes like past dalliances in electric, remains to be seen. But I am hopeful.
And they also cost about five times the price of a gas economy car. I bought a new car three years ago. It gets 50 plus MPG on the highway (if I drive it reasonably). I haven't had to do anything to it besides changing the oil. Very dependable. Does everything I need it to do. It cost me around $14,000. It takes me less than two minutes to fill it with gas when the tank is running low. I spend maybe $15 dollars every two weeks. Can your electric match that for the price?
If not, you are simply excluding a portion of the population from being able to afford and drive a vehicle. Of course, in saying that, I'm not so stupid that I don't know THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU (general you) ARE TRYING TO DO. But in writing it, perhaps someone who reads this will not have thought of that. This push toward electric is not just about the environment, it's about making the technology out of reach for more people. Excluding. Cutting a portion of the population out of personal transportation. At some point we will have the elites riding around in huge electric limos and the serfs riding electric scooters through that snowstorm.
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