Gas Hogs

[blueeowyn]

Gas prices are really out of control. Last summer the highest we paid was only a little higher than the current prices and prices usually rise in the summer because of demand. As the commercials say a lot of the cost of gas is the cost of the crude oil to make the gas (though the other 30% is a combination of % of sale profit for the company, local owners, shipping, and everyone's favorite taxes of assorted types). Now the % of sale price is a problem (as opposed to the taxes which are $x/gal ... and where the 2.999 comes from).

Why is crude high? Let's see:

• US Dollar in the toilet
  
• Instability in the Middle East
  
• Increased demand from other areas (China and India are often cited but they aren't the only ones
  
• Limited production by OPEC (probably to keep the price up, give themselves power, increase the lack of stability, and probably a host of other reasons)
  
• Decreased production elsewhere (damage from storms; the replacement of the Alaskan pipeline; etc.)
  
• Increased demand in the US
  

Most of these things are beyond the control of your average person. However, the demand in the U.S. can be affected by people. How much extra gas is burned every year by the vehicles that are not particularly fuel efficient? I did some quick calculations and it is pretty staggering. I assumed 2000 miles/year/car. This is probably low for the area where I live (DC). I am assuming 400,000 cars in the DC area (probably a severe underestimation but it is based on the number of people in DC, the % that commute out of DC; the number of workers in DC, the % that commute in as solo drivers, and the % that commute in as carpools (assuming 2.5 people/car).

DC is 1 City; take the millions of Gallons for DC and multiply it by say 30 to cover the cities that are larger than DC (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html)

MPG	Gal/ Year/ Car	Cost ($3.50/gal)	DC Gal/ Year
15	133	$467	53 million
20	100	$350	40 million
25	80	$280	32 million
30	67	$233	27 million
35	57	$200	23 million
40	50	$175	20 million
45	44	$156	18 million
50	40	$140	16 million

So, let's say the average person drives a 25 mpg SUV. That works out to 960 million gallons of gas annually for these cities. If each changed to a 30 mpg car, they would save 160 MILLION gallons of gas PER YEAR.

If we look at 3000 miles/year and 600000 cars; the difference between 25 mpg and 30 mpg becomes 1260 MILLION gallons (2160 if you go to 35mpg).

Comments

[katrinb.livejournal.com]

Makes sense to me. I also suspect the oil supply has peaked. Which makes me want a diesel even more - when the oil runs out, at least a diesel car has other options. Not ideal options, but options.
Definitely not getting anything under 30 mpg, anyway, that's for sure.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

In my book <30 mpg is criminal with a VERY few exceptions. The truck that the farm has to pull the horse trailer gets lousy mileage and large trucks tend to have problems with fuel efficiency (though in order to pull the 6 horse trailer with 3 tons of horses + supplies they need power). In their case, it makes sense. In the case of another person I know; they have a large tool box and live out in the middle of the country. So, they have a 3/4 ton pick-me-up truck that they commute ~2.5 hours a day. The toolbox would fit in a station wagon, an SUV, or heck, it would fit in the trunk of my car. No need to have a gas hog for what it is used for as a commuting vehicle. It is owned simply for the 'I want a truck and I'm going to get a truck'.

[katrinb.livejournal.com]

And for me, it's not even a commuting vehicle - it's a "haul Robbie home from daycare on days when it's not safe or possible to walk, and haul Robbie to and from Mom's on alternate Fridays, and general errand-running and grocery-shopping" vehicle. So an SUV makes even less sense. I would like a four-door vehicle, because two-doors are a PITA when it comes to inserting and removing child from carseat, but it doesn't need to be big at all.
My commuting vehicle is a great big hulking bus and train combo, which probably gets <30 mpg, but on the other hand hauls a heck of a lot of people to and from work, and would run whether I rode it or not.