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  #1  
Old 03-04-2005, 09:43 PM
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Fill up / Gas prices are going up by 24 cents a gallon

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2005-03-03-gas-usat_x.htm

The place where I get diesel went up 14 cents a gallon two days ago!!
(they are charging the same for gas)

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  #2  
Old 03-04-2005, 10:01 PM
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You know, on a personal note, I know you guys are used to me ranting about biodiesel, so I'll tell you a slightly embarassing little story.

I read the above article just now, and when I turned to tell my girlfriend about it she grinned, and said, "Yeeesss?" I started to tell her about the article, and she just had this huge smile on her face, and said, "continue..." and then I finally said something to the effect of, "Yay, biodiesel" and she said, "AH HA!!! I read that same article this morning, and when I read it I thought to myself, 'Sam is gonna read the article then make a comment about biodiesel'." And she was right.. So you aren't the only ones who hear it from me all the time.

peace,
Sam
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  #3  
Old 03-04-2005, 10:34 PM
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Bring it on.

I have over 250 gallons of WVO stockpiled.
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  #4  
Old 03-04-2005, 10:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by R Leo
I have over 250 gallons of WVO stockpiled.
i've only got 25. but its a start!!



btw my wife paid 2.46 for b20!! d2 45c.
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the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


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  #5  
Old 03-05-2005, 12:00 AM
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Spread the word Sam. Personally I can’t wait until fuel gets to the $5.00 a gallon range. It’s completely insane that in the age of computers we are still burning fossil fuels. The only reason for this is it’s cheaper to do this (with low fuel prices) than it is to change technology. Even as much as I hate the damage it does to the economy and how the wrong people get rich off of oil, these high gas prices are going to lead us to the right direction.

FYI seven out of the ten largest companies in the world either sell oil or cars. You think this has anything to do with it?
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  #6  
Old 03-05-2005, 12:20 AM
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Sam and others you might like this video I made a while back for a school project. Some of the stuff on nuclear power has to do with my local area, but with 210 nuclear power plants on mainland US I am sure we can all relate.

matt's video

SORRY TO THOSE WITH DIAL-UP IT WONT WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER
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  #7  
Old 03-05-2005, 11:20 AM
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I was paying $2.18 and that wasn't to bad, yesterday it was up to $2.22. I will fill up today even though I still have 1/2 a tank, before it hits $2.50. Spending $50 a week on fuel is going to be lots of fun.

$3 a gallon is my breaking point, I will get a grease car kit when it hits $3 a gallon. Not to mention drive a 30mpg+ gas car such as a Honda Civic in the winter.
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  #8  
Old 03-05-2005, 01:58 PM
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If that article is true, we'll be paying $3.00 for diesel since the stations around here are already at $2.75.
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  #9  
Old 03-05-2005, 02:04 PM
ForcedInduction
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It's going to be here very soon! Diesel went from $1.96 to $2.19 here!
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  #10  
Old 03-05-2005, 02:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brabus
Spread the word Sam. Personally I can’t wait until fuel gets to the $5.00 a gallon range. It’s completely insane that in the age of computers we are still burning fossil fuels. The only reason for this is it’s cheaper to do this (with low fuel prices) than it is to change technology. Even as much as I hate the damage it does to the economy and how the wrong people get rich off of oil, these high gas prices are going to lead us to the right direction. Diesel has enough issues with it that I wouldn't have considered a diesel unless MB had one AND my wife needed to make a lot of out of town trips.

FYI seven out of the ten largest companies in the world either sell oil or cars. You think this has anything to do with it?
Today, BD is over 3.50 a gal. How is that any better? Sure, it is easy to say "change technology". How to do it is totally different. Look at Germany where the fuel prices are so high and diesel is lower. Yet with all that, they are only at 40% for passenger vehicles. Even there, diesel is not the answer to every question. Now, with diesel the way it is over here, how would you implement it short of outlawing everything that uses fossil fuels and having something that is practical and economical in place.

I wouldn't worry about the right direction. If it goes to $5 a gal this summer, we will probably have an economic collapse. Now, if it slowly goes up, I wouldn't worry about it. Back in 91, I got gas for about $1 a gal. In 98 it was closer to $1.50. That with all the squealing. However, I don't know about you but I was paid $5 more in 98 than 91 too. When you get a raise, do you scream about it too? IOW, it falls under "What's your's is mine and what's mine is mine." doesn't it? You expect to get paid more each year or you look for a diffrernt job. However when the seller expects to get more, it is a crime onto humanity itself, right? Nice double standard. I expect to make more money this year than the last and more next year than this year. So does the worker involved in the gasoline chain. As such, costs go up and we pay more. What's your point? Would you accept the same pay as you did 20 years ago? I wouldn't. Why should they?

And before you say it, I don't work for any oil company nor do I have any affiliations with them other than as a consumer.
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  #11  
Old 03-05-2005, 03:04 PM
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I agree with you for the most part. Now that we have a government who is not putting pressure on OPEC to keep fuel prices down they are adjusting it to the market (or a raise). The truth is gas is worth $3.00 a gallon because that is what annalist say consumers will pay. In the free market that is what it ends up costing, but the educated consumer is going to reject this and you will see more diesels converted to vegetable oil/biodiesl and gasoline powered cars converted to natural gas.

Also, when the supply and demand curve adjusts those unwilling to pay the new $3.00 price do not fall off of the face of the earth or move to Canada. They simply adjust their spending habits. These spending habits increase the demand for alternative goods, thus creating a market and demand for newer non-fossil fuel powered technology.
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  #12  
Old 03-05-2005, 03:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brabus
In the free market that is what it ends up costing, but the educated consumer is going to reject this and you will see more diesels converted to vegetable oil/biodiesl and gasoline powered cars converted to natural gas.
Before you worry about what spices go best with the meat and what the other dishes should be and what wine you should serve, perhaps it would be better if you actually got the game. IOW, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Like I said, even with high gasoline taxes in europe they are still over 60% gasoline. What makes you think that it will be that easy to convert people over here to diesel when diesel automobiles are almost a dirty word? Yes, on a diesel forum we tend to think that if everyone went diesel the world would be a better place. Fact of the matter is that not everyone will go to diesel.

If europe with their high gas taxes can only muster about 40%, what do you think it will tke for us to get to that level? Neither gas nor diesel is THE answer. They are answers but not THE answer. It all depends on what you intend to do. If all I was doing was comuting to and from work, I wouldn't even bother with a diesel. As a beginning, I have to carry disposable gloves in the car for fueling up, it is harder to find a diesel station as opposed to a gas station, foams a lot when filling up, needs to glow befire ignition, lower gel point and has a strong smell that lingers on. At this time, because my wife does a lot of out of town driving and I want her in a 3000# or so car, (her previous gas model got 25 mpg and this one got 31 mpg) it became profitable for me to get one. However, if all I did was short distance city driving, I wouldn't have gone diesel.

That said, going biodiesel at over $3.50 a gal today is a hard sell. What makes you think that they will sell it for less when gas prices go up? If gas went to $5 a gal, you bet I'll sell B100 for over $5 because there will be someone that wants to save the world. Now, that is commercial B100. I won't even mention what it would take to convert people to homebrew. As I understand it, 50 cents per gal goes to the federal and state, etc, etc so you are actually paying $2 a gal (at $2.50 a gal) for gas.
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  #13  
Old 03-05-2005, 03:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aklim
What makes you think that it will be that easy to convert people over here to diesel when diesel automobiles are almost a dirty word?
You may have misread what I wrote. I never claimed that people are going to switch to diesel. All I am saying is that higher prices cause some people to be “priced out” or unwilling to pay the $3.00 a gallon.

This will drive an increase in alternative goods.

"Necessity is the mother of invention"
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  #14  
Old 03-05-2005, 04:37 PM
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If biodiesel were cheaper than regular diesel, your two business strategies would be to raise the price of biodiesel to just over regular diesel and capitalize on the people who want to save the world, or you could set the price at just under diesel, and capitalize on the people who want to save the world and everyone else. Even with the lower margin you'd make it all back and more on volume.

Trust me, biodiesel producers are working to lower costs, its only in their best interest.

Europe may be at about 40% diesel now, but over 50% of the cars sold there in 2004 were diesel, and 56% of Mercedes sold there were diesel. Change is slow because people aren't usually going to throw away a 'perfectly good' gas car, even if diesel is a better choice for them, but when choosing a new one, they are more likely to choose diesel. The change is happening now.

The cost of commodities always increases along with inflation, but as commodities become more scarce, or demand exceeds supply, the price change is going to be more than just following inflation. Every country has certain energy costs, and they get a certain intensity out of it (energy intensity being the amount of energy required to generate 1$ of wealth). However, energy costs are increasing faster than energy intensity is increasing. Hence, more money is being spent to generate the same amount of product. That is not sustainable, from an economic standpoint.

Eventually petroleum will not be feasable, and other sources will be looked to, biodiesel is probably one of them. There are some people who feel that now is the time to look to those things, as opposed to later, when conversion could be more expensive than it is now.

Our fuel prices are going up, and will probably continue to do so, but we still aren't at all time highs. However, once we hit 3$ a gallon (2005 dollars) that would be an all time high price record (adjusted dollars).

Everytime the cost goes up, people gripe, and then it comes down and they forget about it, then back up and they gripe, and back down and they forget about it. But the trend has been generally upward for a while, and there is nothing to suggest it won't be generally upward for years to come.

peace,
sam
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2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

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  #15  
Old 03-05-2005, 04:38 PM
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This is going to hit those of us in the marine industry hard. I bet gas is $3-$3.50 a gallon this summer. That means my grandfathers boat for example will cost, $750-$875 to fill up. On a trip we can burn through 2-4 tanks.

The powerboat industry is going to be hit hard, some people don't care and can afford it but a large % can't. I guess sailboats will become the in thing, and diesel boats will have even higher resale.

It is going to cost people $30k in fuel to bring a boat from CT to FL!

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