WTF with gas prices in California

[jclalor 12]

After watching gasoline prices mirror the price of crude, I've seen the price of gas go up $1.00 a gallon in the last month, 25 cents last Friday alone. Crude oil has hovered around $50 during this same period.

I really hate oil companies... What other type of business sees their profits soar when they have labor unrest and fires?

"In Torrance, station owner Frank Scotto was forced to increase his prices by 24 cents per gallon on Thursday. He hasn't seen such a spike since he went into the gas station business in 1967, he said."



http://www.businessinsider.com/gas-prices-in-california-are-going-nuts-2015-3

[billvon 2,995]

>I really hate oil companies... What other type of business sees their profits
>soar when they have labor unrest and fires?

Pretty much any company who will be paid for their product no matter what.

Fortunately, nowadays you have a choice.

[BillyVance 34]

billvon

>I really hate oil companies... What other type of business sees their profits
>soar when they have labor unrest and fires?

Pretty much any company who will be paid for their product no matter what.

Fortunately, nowadays you have a choice.

Like drive an electric vehicle or a bicycle?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[airdvr 210]

You live in the state with the highest gas tax and you rail at the oil companies. $.63 per gallon; if the average tank size is 14 gallons that's $8.82 each time you fill up. And still your state is broke. Reason number 11 to not live in CA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[rushmc 23]

Last I heard the union strike was affecting a bunch of big refineries

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[cvfd1399 0]

Its not just there, gas went up here too with the explanation that more expensive summer formula, and planned overhauls were happening is why it got more expensive.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

airdvr

You live in the state with the highest gas tax and you rail at the oil companies. $.63 per gallon; if the average tank size is 14 gallons that's $8.82 each time you fill up. And still your state is broke. Reason number 11 to not live in CA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States

Except that the taxation has nothing to do with price volatility.

[airdvr 210]

SkyDekker

***You live in the state with the highest gas tax and you rail at the oil companies. $.63 per gallon; if the average tank size is 14 gallons that's $8.82 each time you fill up. And still your state is broke. Reason number 11 to not live in CA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States

Except that the taxation has nothing to do with price volatility.

True. But the rate of taxation must make the prices seem even more ridiculous. And, for some reason the price of a gallon of gas is always much higher in CA when compared to other states. Is CA gasoline somehow better? Combine that with the general fact that living in CA involves so many other government intrusions into your daily life I'm sure it gets frustrating.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[lawrocket 3]

California's government has set it up so that Cali is its own unique place. There are no pipelines coming into Cali so it's kind of its own universe.

Cali also has its own unique blend that is not used anywhere else. So California basically only uses its own refineries and refining capacity has been unchanged for at least the last couple of decades.

Add to that a refinery in a NorCal that has a labor union causing hassles and another refinery that had a hassle from explosion and Cali has lost between 15 and 20 percent of its refining capacity.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 2,995]

>Like drive an electric vehicle or a bicycle?

Yep. Or mass transit, or a natural gas car. (The latter still uses "oil companies" but you pay your utility company for it, and thus are largely removed from oil price fluctuations.)

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

a natural gas car.

http://www.businessinsider.com/british-engineers-create-car-that-runs-on-fart-gas-2010-8

[Channman 2]

jclalor

After watching gasoline prices mirror the price of crude, I've seen the price of gas go up $1.00 a gallon in the last month, 25 cents last Friday alone. Crude oil has hovered around $50 during this same period.

I really hate oil companies... What other type of business sees their profits soar when they have labor unrest and fires?

"In Torrance, station owner Frank Scotto was forced to increase his prices by 24 cents per gallon on Thursday. He hasn't seen such a spike since he went into the gas station business in 1967, he said."



http://www.businessinsider.com/gas-prices-in-california-are-going-nuts-2015-3

Before you go about with all the hatting, what is the amount per gallon in Taxes California is receiving. Possible, not that I've looked it up or care, but the taxes might be higher than the profit per gallon.

Also think of it as a Jobs program...look at all the people you are putting to work by paying those high dollars at the pump. People got to eat, send little Jr. to school and have a few dollars to skydive on.

Not feeling the pain here.

NOTE: if I had read a little further down, seems my question above has been answered. TAXES, TAXES, TAXES...got to embrace em.

[airdvr 210]

billvon

>Like drive an electric vehicle or a bicycle?

Yep. Or mass transit, or a natural gas car. (The latter still uses "oil companies" but you pay your utility company for it, and thus are largely removed from oil price fluctuations.)

Or just fire up that perpetual motion machine you guys are developing.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[lurch 0]

Observation: I've got a relative who used to make a lot of ignorant noise gloating about the superiority of everything Cali including the gas. (Did not and does not own a vehicle in the state).

I lived there for a year and one of the first things I noticed driving my old '83 AMC Eagle with the 4.2 I-6 was the gas mileage dropped off a cliff while I was living in that state. Went from an average around 15-17 mpg to closer to 12 or lower.

As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway. The energy content of the fuel in California was very visibly less. Cali residents are getting screwed coming and going, dutch door action. Prices are jacked and they need more of it. Lovely system they have there.
-B

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[Elisha 1]

Anyone who drives a Prius have any data on mileage for CA vs non-CA? I have 240K on my 2nd gen '07 (original hybrid battery, but anticipate finally replacing it in the near term) and STILL recently got a 50 mpg tank. My crappy long one-way commute of 41+ miles at least helps boost the mpg.

[billvon 2,995]

>As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an
>abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway.

May have been the octane. On older cars, higher octane fuels give worse gas mileage (higher octane fuels contain less energy overall.)

[billvon 2,995]

> . . . and STILL recently got a 50 mpg tank.

Same here. We have about 150K on an 06 and occasionally hit 50mpg average on longer trips. Average is closer to 46mpg highway, 42mpg local.

[grue 1]

lurch

Observation: I've got a relative who used to make a lot of ignorant noise gloating about the superiority of everything Cali including the gas. (Did not and does not own a vehicle in the state).

I lived there for a year and one of the first things I noticed driving my old '83 AMC Eagle with the 4.2 I-6 was the gas mileage dropped off a cliff while I was living in that state. Went from an average around 15-17 mpg to closer to 12 or lower.

As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway. The energy content of the fuel in California was very visibly less. Cali residents are getting screwed coming and going, dutch door action. Prices are jacked and they need more of it. Lovely system they have there.
-B

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to guess we have a higher ethanol content. Not only is it worse for fuel economy, it's worse for the fucking car too.

cavete terrae.

[grue 1]

billvon

> . . . and STILL recently got a 50 mpg tank.

Same here. We have about 150K on an 06 and occasionally hit 50mpg average on longer trips. Average is closer to 46mpg highway, 42mpg local.

I'm sooooooo hoping the Tesla Model 3 is everything I want it to be so I can buy one.

The Prius is pretty cool in a lot of ways but there are a few things about it that I can't overcome my feelings about so I can't bring myself to buy one.

cavete terrae.

[rushmc 23]

grue

***Observation: I've got a relative who used to make a lot of ignorant noise gloating about the superiority of everything Cali including the gas. (Did not and does not own a vehicle in the state).

I lived there for a year and one of the first things I noticed driving my old '83 AMC Eagle with the 4.2 I-6 was the gas mileage dropped off a cliff while I was living in that state. Went from an average around 15-17 mpg to closer to 12 or lower.

As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway. The energy content of the fuel in California was very visibly less. Cali residents are getting screwed coming and going, dutch door action. Prices are jacked and they need more of it. Lovely system they have there.
-B

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to guess we have a higher ethanol content. Not only is it worse for fuel economy, it's worse for the fucking car too.

Bingo
Ethanol contains less BTU's per gallon
Even at 10% gas milage is reduced

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[grue 1]

rushmc

******Observation: I've got a relative who used to make a lot of ignorant noise gloating about the superiority of everything Cali including the gas. (Did not and does not own a vehicle in the state).

I lived there for a year and one of the first things I noticed driving my old '83 AMC Eagle with the 4.2 I-6 was the gas mileage dropped off a cliff while I was living in that state. Went from an average around 15-17 mpg to closer to 12 or lower.

As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway. The energy content of the fuel in California was very visibly less. Cali residents are getting screwed coming and going, dutch door action. Prices are jacked and they need more of it. Lovely system they have there.
-B

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to guess we have a higher ethanol content. Not only is it worse for fuel economy, it's worse for the fucking car too.

Bingo
Ethanol contains less BTU's per gallon
Even at 10% gas milage is reduced

Three words:

Fucking.
Corn.
Lobby.

cavete terrae.

[rushmc 23]

grue

*********Observation: I've got a relative who used to make a lot of ignorant noise gloating about the superiority of everything Cali including the gas. (Did not and does not own a vehicle in the state).

I lived there for a year and one of the first things I noticed driving my old '83 AMC Eagle with the 4.2 I-6 was the gas mileage dropped off a cliff while I was living in that state. Went from an average around 15-17 mpg to closer to 12 or lower.

As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway. The energy content of the fuel in California was very visibly less. Cali residents are getting screwed coming and going, dutch door action. Prices are jacked and they need more of it. Lovely system they have there.
-B

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to guess we have a higher ethanol content. Not only is it worse for fuel economy, it's worse for the fucking car too.

Bingo
Ethanol contains less BTU's per gallon
Even at 10% gas milage is reduced

Three words:

Fucking.
Corn.
Lobby.

this and the enviros

I live in the middle of it
I never have liked the ethanol push

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Elisha 1]

grue

*********
...

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to guess we have a higher ethanol content. Not only is it worse for fuel economy, it's worse for the fucking car too.

Bingo
Ethanol contains less BTU's per gallon
Even at 10% gas milage is reduced

Three words:

Fucking.
Corn.
Lobby.

+1

[rushmc 23]

billvon

>As soon as I left the state and filled up in Nevada the gas mileage took an
>abrupt and dramatic jump back to the upper teens, highway.

May have been the octane. On older cars, higher octane fuels give worse gas mileage (higher octane fuels contain less energy overall.)

I think this is the case if ethanol is being used to raise the octane. Not so much the octane level itself

90 octane fuel with no ehtanol will provide better mpg thatn the same 90 octane fuel with ethanol

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[wmw999 2,451]

There's nothing inherently wrong with trying things; Brazil has actually been quite successful with ethanol (but from sugar cane). Fucking enviros are trying to look a little farther down the road than the way things are now -- sometimes they get that wrong, but learning stuff is generally good.

That said, I find it interesting that my inexpensive Honda Civic (non-hybrid) gets 40 mpg on the highway when driven reasonably conservatively (65 mph). There are tradeoffs for everything, and the world doesn't owe anyone catering to their particular situation.

If users can figure out how to use less gasoline (or water), then what we have will last longer, without having to invest in new ways to recover it. We'll have to anyway, but if we don't run out quickly, then there's more time to test options.

Look at what indiscriminate water usage and "it will last" planning has done to the Central Valley in California. The thing about 100-year droughts is that they will happen, and it's not guaranteed that it'll be 100 years until the next one. I'm sure there are farmers out there who talk about "fucking water rules keeping me from my water, too.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)