Fuel prices

[Danfreda1]

We just got settled in for a month in Illinois and we’re watching fuel prices along the way. Tsd prices are anywhere from 4.38-5.10 from St. Louis to Springfield Illinois. We started looking on gas buddy and 2 Casey’s stores in Litchfield Illinois had it for 4.29. I called to confirm and we left with the hdt and went to the first one. Had to run debit card 2 times because station cut it off at 125. And free 2 transactions with same card it stops it. Went in prepaid 45 more dollars and got the big tank filled. Went a couple miles away and backed in to another Casey’s and did another 125 and 62 dollar transaction. All full now but the smart car is low. That was our intertainment for the morning hopefully it will stabilize or drop in the next few months. 

[TXiceman]

I can see why the stores want a $100 or $125 cut off for fuel, but with the high cost of fuel, $100 does not come near filling a tank.  The newer trucks Ford Superduty trucks have 47-gallon tanks.  And then most of the pumps will only let you run a card twice before it is not accepted.  Then you have to switch to another card.  I have a 37-gallon tank and a 40-gallon auxiliary tank, so at 50 gallons plus, I hit the pump limits.  I pity the folks with the HDT and class rigs that take 100 gallons plus.

And I do not trust taking my card in and leaving it out of my sight with a minimum wage clerk.

But with fuel cost, it really pays to shop, use any and all discounts and rebates available.  Shoot, before the fuel cost went so high, I would drop the trailer in the parking lot so that I could get the truck into a pump, fuel up and then reconnect.

 

Ken

[Danfreda1]

It was an Hdt and I think it took about 113 gallons. Just filled the smart car 91 octane 4.29 but only cost 34 bucks

[palmeris]

Fill up at 4.29 per gallon, pump cut off twice at $125.00 and not quite 60 gallons in the f450....ouch $250 

[rickeieio]

Every cloud has a silver lining......maybe the campgrounds will have some vacancies.

We still plan to take some big trips this year, but we'll park the truck and use the car or the bikes for exploring.  That said, two motorcycles use right at double what the smart consumes.  But leaning is more fun.

[trailertraveler]

We have been in Central, Fl (Ocala/Clermont areas) for 3 weeks and will be here another 5 weeks. Deisel was $3.86 last Wednesday (lowest price I could find locally). Same station $5.59 today, Topped off the tank at $4.99 at another local station that was not the cheapest last week.

Edited March 10, 2022 by trailertraveler

[NDBirdman]

Filled truck yesterday, diesel @ $4.70/gallon, $206.  I'm going to let sit awhile and drive my gas truck but, that's going crazy too.  Can't wait for warmer weather, at-least my motorcycle is inexpensive to operate.

Edited March 10, 2022 by NDBirdman

[packnrat]

hows 30 US gallons for the low price of $160.USD.

 

seen some places that are already over $8.USD a gallon.

soon to hit a store shelve near you.

[Ropeshaft]

My car ran out of gas yesterday. I’m pretty sure it’s totaled. 😜

[rickeieio]

Honestly, I believe the fuel prices we're seeing here in USA would be considered normal in some other parts of the world.  We're just whining because we've had it good for a long time.

When I got out of high school, I had to work about 20 minutes /gallon of gas.  Kids flipping burgers now do the same.

[Kirk W]

35 minutes ago, rickeieio said:

When I got out of high school, I had to work about 20 minutes /gallon of gas.  Kids flipping burgers now do the same.

Good point! I think that there are 2 things that make us get excited about the prices. First is the sudden rapid increase and to make that worse, there are signs out front of every station to remind us of how bad it is!

[rickeieio]

Another thing we tend to forget, my first few cars were lucky to get 14-15 mpg.  Now, 40 or more is pretty common.  Heck, our grandma car gets 30 mpg, and my F-150 gets 20 in everyday driving, better on the highway.

[Kirk W]

The cost of gasoline the year that you were born!

The site starts with 1940 so probably covers most if not all of us. It is interesting that it also gives the price adjusted for inflation in current dollars. What surprises me is that there are years that the actual price increases but the adjusted price declines. Must be based on the changing value of the dollar?

[Dutch_12078]

Using Kirk's link, the year I was born gas was $0.21/gallon, and the inflation adjusted price today would be $3.37.  It doesn't appear that the inflation adjustment includes the additions or increases in federal, state, and local fuel taxes, so it looks like the current price may not be far off from the calculated price.

[2gypsies]

Here's a good chart to see all past years:

https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/planes-trains-and-automobiles/average-gas-prices-through-history/

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by 2gypsies

[rickeieio]

Thanks for the link Kirk.  That site is interesting and entertaining.  It would be even better if it included yearly price fluctuations, but then you'd also need to have price by region or state.......

Anyway, while I grumble every time I fill, in reality, we're still better off than most of the world, most of the time.

[Kirk W]

Related to the fuel prices are also the taxes applied to them. The federal government collects 18.3ȼ on each gallon of gasoline sold and another 24.4ȼ one each gallon of diesel fuel. In addition every state has taxes also applied. In TX there is 20ȼ per gallon of state tax on both gasoline and diesel. The highest of the states is PA where it is 58.6ȼ on gasoline and 74.1ȼ on diesel. Second is CA where gas is 53.3ȼ and diesel 68ȼ. For your state, visit Fuel Taxes by State.

Edited March 10, 2022 by Kirk W
correct typo

[rynosback]

31 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Related to the fuel prices are also the taxes applied to them. The federal government collects 18.3ȼ on each gallon of gasoline sold and another 44.4ȼ one each gallon of diesel fuel. In addition every state has taxes also applied. In TX there is 20ȼ per gallon of state tax on both gasoline and diesel. The highest of the states is PA where it is 58.6ȼ on gasoline and 74.1ȼ on diesel. Second is CA where gas is 53.3ȼ and diesel 68ȼ. For your state, visit Fuel Taxes by State.

I think a bunch of states raised their taxes up a little this year. Covid has robbed them from a ton of income. 
Thanks for the link.

Edited March 10, 2022 by rynosback

[rickeieio]

4 hours ago, rynosback said:

I think a bunch of states raised their taxes up a little this year. Covid has robbed them from a ton of income. 
Thanks for the link.

Fuel efficient cars has been a big part of declining "road taxes".  Many states are now putting an additional license fee on electric and hybrid vehicles.

[Star Dreamer]

On 3/9/2022 at 12:14 PM, Danfreda1 said:

We just got settled in for a month in Illinois and we’re watching fuel prices along the way. Tsd prices are anywhere from 4.38-5.10 from St. Louis to Springfield Illinois. We started looking on gas buddy and 2 Casey’s stores in Litchfield Illinois had it for 4.29. I called to confirm and we left with the hdt and went to the first one. Had to run debit card 2 times because station cut it off at 125. And free 2 transactions with same card it stops it. Went in prepaid 45 more dollars and got the big tank filled. Went a couple miles away and backed in to another Casey’s and did another 125 and 62 dollar transaction. All full now but the smart car is low. That was our intertainment for the morning hopefully it will stabilize or drop in the next few months. 

This is why I typically will just use the TSD card even if it costs more. If I have to drive more that 5 miles out of my way, I would probably use more fuel than what the savings would be. I like the high speed dual nozzles at a truck pump and the fact that TSD does not limit you to a dollar amount, just a max of 950 gallons in one day.

[rynosback]

2 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Fuel efficient cars has been a big part of declining "road taxes".  Many states are now putting an additional license fee on electric and hybrid vehicles.

I have read where some states have started to charge a yearly fee with registration of EVs. As they don’t pay gas tax which is designed to maintain  roads and bridges. And that makes sense as they are heavier vehicles compared to there ICE competitors. 

[Danfreda1]

1 hour ago, Star Dreamer said:

This is why I typically will just use the TSD card even if it costs more. If I have to drive more that 5 miles out of my way, I would probably use more fuel than what the savings would be. I like the high speed dual nozzles at a truck pump and the fact that TSD does not limit you to a dollar amount, just a max of 950 gallons in one day.

We were close to the stations had nothing else to do that morning. The nearest tsd was about 40 miles away and .70 higher, if we were hooked up no way I would try the Casey’s 

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, rynosback said:

I have read where some states have started to charge a yearly fee with registration of EVs.

After searching around on the internet I found several articles about this, but none that were dated since January 2022. The most current seems to be from the National Conference of State Legislatures and is dated October 2021.

Special Fees on Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Quote

Thirty states have laws requiring a special registration fee for plug-in electric vehicles. Of those, 14 states also assess a fee on plug-in hybrid vehicles. These fees are typically in addition to traditional motor vehicle registration fees.

Ten states—Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming—enacted laws in 2019 amending or adding new fees for plug-in electric and some plug-in hybrid vehicles, more than any previous year. As of November 2020, 28 states have laws requiring a special registration fee for plug-in electric vehicles. Of those, 14 states also assess a separate, slightly lower fee on plug-in hybrid vehicles.

 

[rickeieio]

While I don't profess to be up on all the latest vehicles, I've never heard of a "plug-in hybrid".  Don't hybrids have an engine to charge the batteries?

Ohio has two additional fees, one for true plug-ins, and a lesser fee for hybrids.

[Bill Joyce]

7 minutes ago, rickeieio said:

While I don't profess to be up on all the latest vehicles, I've never heard of a "plug-in hybrid".  Don't hybrids have an engine to charge the batteries?

Ohio has two additional fees, one for true plug-ins, and a lesser fee for hybrids.

Normal hybrids charge the battery when braking or slowing down.  They do not have that large of a battery bank and the electric motorhome only has limited horsepower,  so any trip of road speed uses both electricity and gas.  Plug-in hybrids have larger electric batteries and often a larger electric motor so they can run 20 to 40 miles electric only.