$1.49 a gallon - Who cares about FE?
 

I hear ya. Best I have seen around here is 1.74

My driving habits have remained the same...

I'm so broke that (with my semi long commute) saving gas will continue to matter if gas gets below $1.

I filled up The Beast for $1.589 a few days ago... Still thinking about economy. I think I'm going to improve my WAI sometime soon, as my best IAT's now are ~ 80F (30F outside temp) I've lost 3 - 4 MPG (~20% drop)with the cold temps.

-Jay

Paid $1.54 a gallon plus 50?/gallon discount through Speedway in Kentucky - so $1.04 a gallon.

The gas stations in Charleston & Huntington, WV are in collusion to keep prices high - $1.899 and not moving anywhere.

I SPECIFICALLY heard one gas station employee say to another, "We can't lower our prices until X gas station location lowers theirs - management won't allow it." Talking to the WV Attorney General's office on Monday. You see this ALL OVER in the Huntington-Charleston corridor. One station changes prices - they all do - and in a very predictable pattern. They call each other. Right now they are colluding to keep it high. $1.899 is WAY too high when oil is around $40 a barrel, PERIOD. If KY can have $1.54 gas and their taxes are less than 15 cents a gallon less - then it should NOT be this high here.

I asked a couple more gas stations and they verified the above - they ALL do it - and will reap huge profits as a result. That's monopoly and collusion for you.

Class-action RICO suit, maybe?


Ok, maybe not.

OPEC has realized that if they "kill the host" with high gas prices, the world economy will free fall and consumption will drop dramatically.

They may have already pushed us too far, 25 billion has been allocated to fix the real problem which is vehicles that are terribly inefficient. In the process of fixing the REAL problem we will have numerous coincidental benefits, both economic and environmental.

While the availability of cheap gas may get a lot of people to assume their old bad habits, the auto industry can not afford to go back to building gas hogs and have them sitting on lots with no buyers.

There will be large vehicles in the future, but the differences between trucks and cars will fade into differences in size and versatility. Trucks will look more like todays vans, but be much more aerodynamic and the cover over the bed will be removable for hauling. It could even be confugured to be a jon boat that you use for fishing in quiet waters.

Cars will evolve aerodynamically and all vehicles will become much more similar, because the best aero shape will rule the mileage challenge to come.
With drive energies applied directly to the wheels the current massive frames in trucks will be unnecessary, since there will be no powertrain to support. In fact you only need to make a safe boxlike structure to protect the passengers, with the external configuration that maximise aerodynamics.

When this is done (and its inevitable) brand recognition will sitll exist but will be much less distinct.

The benefit will be a full sized track capability, with all wheel drive, that can be configured as a van, and get 55 MPG. Passenger cars will double that mileage depending on their size and capacity.

Truck empty weights will be about 2800 pounds, while passenger cars will be around 2000. Thats for a full sized truck, and a Camry sized car. Aero front and rear ends will also be energy absorbing. Think of a tire that wraps around the front and rear ends of your car from wheel to wheel. Impacts under 5 MPH will be of no more concern than bumper cars at the amusement park.

I should have been done after the first energy crisis, but it takes a few good whacks for us to learn.

regards
gary

I bought regular unleaded yesterday at Wally World for $1.559. Most of the stations in my area are still $1.699 up, but I was in a neighboring town so I filled up while I was there. I also have the Discover card that gives 5% rebate on the first $100. gas per month so it brings the price down another $.07 per gallon.

The lowest price I've seen so far around here for regular is $1.45.

Just as a comparison...unleaded here is currently AUSTRALIAN $1.15 / litre and 4.0 litres = ONE US Gallon.

By the way ONE AUS $ buys around US $0.66 ...and it ain't snowin' here.
Good time for a holiday to the South for you guys on the top side of the equator.

I have to agree with RIDE above...we really didn't learn a whole lot after the first oil price hike.
Maybe this time will be different...?
I certainly hope so anyway.

Pete.