The $4.00 per gallon of gas watch is officially on in California as premium has now topped $3.60 in the state. A look at the latest prices from AAA shows 4 states -- Hawaii plus the 3 on the left coast -- with average prices for regular over $3, and the rest of the nation is expected to join them by summer.
One thing I noticed while filling up yesterday was that diesel was 14 cents cheaper here in Oregon than regular unleaded, which is the opposite of what drivers in most states see. Again, only the 3 West Coast state sell diesel cheaper than unleaded -- it must be a tax thing but I'll find out for sure. In some states (such as Wyoming), diesel is 30 cents or more than unleaded. If you live in a state and want to maximize your driving dollars, diesel is clearly the way to go. If only there were diesel cars to buy (sigh).
The Society of Automotive Engineers is making fuel economy front and center at their annual confab in Detroit this week. Appropriately enough Toyota is hosting the discussion of technologies such as automated controls of cylinders that can produce power and fuel efficient cars.
That cars must be small and wimpy to get decent fuel economy is a Detroit-inspired myth that (like some ridiculous political arguments) have penetrated popular thought. It ain't easy, but as Toyota, BMW and others have proven, we can build safe and efficient cars that are fun to drive. Hopefully we'll be seeing many more of these by the end of the decade.
Source: Detroit News
