Gas Facts / What the Heck??

[Leann]

I was reading a 1976 copy of Readers Digest today. I found out:

The '76 Honda Civic Hatchback got 43 mpg Hwy / 32 City and could run on un-leaded
the automatic got 33 / 25. That's about what my automatic '94 Tracer gets.

The Volare Station Wagon (about the size of a T-Rex carrying a Giant Squid who is carrying the Titanic) got 30 / 18, that's actually better than my Astro Van! The weights of these 2 vehicles are pretty similar I'd guess.

That was 32 years ago.....why are we not further along in a car's ability to get better gas mileage in 32 years???? technlogy has been snow-balling in so many areas.....
And if gasoline is so expensive, why do other oil products not rise in price also. I can still buy a quart of motor oil for under $2 and the prices haven't changed much over the years... Since I know a little about the refining process, I know there is no reason for this.
It really bugs me that these gas companies play this game while posting 4 Billion Dollar profits......Something ain't right. I guess they know many of us are dependent on our vehicles and have to get around. I've cut back a lot on my driving, but I doubt it's hitting their pockets. It just really struck me when I read that, we've made little to no progress. That Civic 5spd is not far behind the HyBrids 32 years later. Ugh!!!

[mom24stinkers]

It's because of the EPA standards. That's also the reason why the Smart Car gets 40 mpg in the US and 70+ mpg in Europe and Canada.

[foggierbard9]

I was watching this show and a guy invented a carburator that allowed the car to go 1200 miles on a tank of gas. The govt took his invention and will not allow it to be manufactured. The govt makes more on a gallon of gas through taxes than the gas companies make on the same gallon of gas.

[CTCMC]

IIt really bugs me that these gas companies play this game while posting 4 Billion Dollar profits......Something ain't right. I guess they know many of us are dependent on our vehicles and have to get around. I've cut back a lot on my driving, but I doubt it's hitting their pockets. Ugh!!!

Gas companies aren't playing any game. They've been begging for the government to open up some of our massive oil reserves for drilling.

Nancy Pelosi is vehemently, vehemently opposed to new drilling. While she is Speaker of the House, no proposals to increase supply are going to come out of Congress, she has decreed.
During the previous administration, Congress authorized alot of new oil production, but, as you know, Bill Clinton vetoed it.

Between limited supply, and oil speculators gambling that the US will continue to limit our domestic supply, prices will rise.

Supply and Demand 101.

[CTCMC]

I was watching this show and a guy invented a carburator that allowed the car to go 1200 miles on a tank of gas. The govt took his invention and will not allow it to be manufactured. The govt makes more on a gallon of gas through taxes than the gas companies make on the same gallon of gas.

Just for the record, in my state, tax on a gallon of gas is 67 cents. Exxon (best case) makes about 10 cents total on a gallon of gas. About 3 cents at the pump and about 7 cents from its various drilling and refining steps.

I fail to see how Big Oil is the bigger villain here.

[Jiji]

I fail to see how Big Oil is the bigger villain here.

Because they are the easy target. They are operating on the same profit percentage, but due to more people being on the road, it looks like they are being greedy.

Nancy Pelosi - what a joke. I'm sure there's some spotted fox who lives within 10,000 of all of our oil reserves that she's trying to protect.

I said this in another gas price thread - the car manufacturers could adapt and make almost any kind of car they want to, but if the infrastructure to fuel those cars is not in place, what good will it do? I agree with the pp who brought to light the fact that the govt. depends on the tax dollars from gas.

[thickbluebug]

OP I understand your point. I just don't understand why we are in this shape either.

I just watched a show on alternative fuels. Why is brazil so far ahead of us in regards to ethanol? They grow sugar cane for their ethanol cars and are no longer dependent on foreign oil. I don't understand why we don't push sugar cane. It has to better than corn, since that crop was already in a shortage.
It seems that would be a win win for us. We could stop the corn craziness and still have sugar and ethanol as bi products.

The corn craziness - on the same show a gm executive was touting how corn is our answer and the problem is that big gas companies are not putting in the pumps. GM says they have cars ready to go that run on e85, but the gas companies only have installed 1% of pumps to use it.
I don't think corn is the answer, but maybe it is a short time fix.

Biodiesel - What about the people making it out of fast food oil and turning it into biodiesel? Why can't big industry make it cheaper than the little man that has a car smelling like tacos and egg rolls?


Maybe that new show about a green city will prove stuff can be done. Maybe they already growing sugar cane for their cars or recycling cooking oil for biodiesel.

[CTCMC]

OP I understand your point. I just don't understand why we are in this shape either.

I just doesn't seem like any great mystery to me.

Developing nations, especially China and India, have greatly increased their demand for petroleum products. The US politicians have steadfastly refused to increase our domestic products. Much more demand. No increase in supply. Prices go up.

Of course, there are additonal factors that play in. Katrina took alot of refining offline. Oil speculators believe US politicians will continue to prohibit new drilling and cause a price rise. Unrest in the OPEC nations. Etc. Etc.

But bottom line is pretty simple.

[darkwing932]

I think its a combination of things. Lower MPG due to the EPA requirements. People driving more rather than using public transportation. (I should add here that I understand that to a point. DH works 10 minutes from home and no public transportation is available to him.) The government not wanting to loose all the money they gain in taxes. The states not wanting to loose that tax money either.

I watched some show on one of the news networks where they were talking about the government helping by passing laws to phase out our current vechiels and make people get smart cars. But I wonder about the feasability of mandating smart type cars. I know I would not be able to give up my mini van and get a smart car. First I woun't be able to aford it and second how would I take my family anywhere?

As for my personal situation, I've done the math. It would still cost us more to make payments, (and up our insurance coverage), on a newer vehicle than what we pay out in gas costs each month. So we can either have the monthly cost of gas for our Astro or have the monthy cost of a new car, higher insurance, and the cost of gas, for a newer car.

[derketchup]

So, the problem lies solely with Nancy Pelosi? If we develop more efficient cars, better public transportation, and alternative fuels, the need to drill for oil will not be as severe.

Gas companies aren't playing any game. They've been begging for the government to open up some of our massive oil reserves for drilling.

Nancy Pelosi is vehemently, vehemently opposed to new drilling. While she is Speaker of the House, no proposals to increase supply are going to come out of Congress, she has decreed.
During the previous administration, Congress authorized alot of new oil production, but, as you know, Bill Clinton vetoed it.

Between limited supply, and oil speculators gambling that the US will continue to limit our domestic supply, prices will rise.

Supply and Demand 101.