Petrol Prices here in Australia at present

[Liz]

Wow! That's incredible. I think it's about $3 or $3.50 here - I did hear on the news that it's $6 in some places in Georgia.

Aaaacccccckkkkkkkkkkkk - with a holiday weekend coming up.

Liz

Well, Peter, we came a long way overnight!! It is now $5.87 for regular unleaded!!!!!!!!

[another view]

Yikes! That hurts!

Peter, I'm sure you heard about the hurricane earlier this week and it damaged many offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. A lot of our oil comes from here, so it's a huge effect on supply. That's driving prices up, but fortunately for me Diesel is still $2.59/gal as of yesterday. Not sure about today though...

[Michael Fanelli]

Yikes! That hurts!

Peter, I'm sure you heard about the hurricane earlier this week and it damaged many offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. A lot of our oil comes from here, so it's a huge effect on supply. That's driving prices up, but fortunately for me Diesel is still $2.59/gal as of yesterday. Not sure about today though...

What I don't understand is how the prices went up within hours of Katrina making landfall. Certainly, the gasoline, already paid for, was in the gas station's tanks. They didn't have a chance to pay more for it yet, they just decided to cheat their customers.

[another view]

And it won't come down that quickly after the refining capacity comes back on line, either...

I stand corrected: Gas 3.29, Diesel 2.91. Pretty happy about that 50mpg Diesel right now...

[Peter_AUS]

Yep I know about the Hurricane hitting etc. Thing is, we produce about 80% of our needs, but the price is tied into the world price so we suffer just like everyone else does when things go wrong. Hurricanes, wars, need to buy that new Lear Jet (for Saudi Prince), etc.

It is expected to get up to around around $5.40US a gallon here within the next few months, maybe even higher. As the economies are hit the Aussie $$ is going down as well, which impacts on everything as well around the world, Oil prices, Petrol Prices, Food Prices, etc as well. Just never seems to stop. But the rich never seem to feel the pinch do they.

Hope it gets better over there for everyone in the South. I head that Fats Domino is missing in New Orleans, what a shame that is, but then, wouldn't be the first musician to be lost in a Disaster would he.

Lets hope the predictions of deaths isn't anywhere near the level they are prediciting.

Remain safe and well everyone.

[adina]

I keep trying to convice my hubby that we need to move back to the city to save money. Housing would be probably double, but we'd probably be able to get by on one car. I've been specifically not going anywhere so that I didn't have to drive.

adina ($38 to fill up my tank)

[Outdoorsman]

Well, it's $3.11 for regular here right now, just bought a few gallons for the weekend, before the prices go off the Richter. Someone predicted that we'll see $4+ by tomorrow, and it'll only go up from there. Ouch! My wallet-- it hurts!
I get around 30 mpg, but I'm thinking it's not enough. I'll take that 55 mpg hybrid right about now...

[adina]

We've hit $3.26 here, but it was $3.19 in Milwaukee this morning.

adina

[Franglais]

Evian Water 9 ox $1.49 = $21.19 per gallon. $21.19 for WATER -- and the buyers don't even know the source. (Evian spelled backwards is naive.)

In Paris right now a US gallon of gas is about $5.79. This is fairly typical for Europe. Most of the money goes on taxes. The government is trying to encourage people to be economical because:

1. We have to import the stuf
2. There is not an infinite supply and in maybe 30 years it will all be gone

Prices worldwide just increased by about 20% because China's gas usage is rocketing. Personally I use public transport as much as possible and I have a small, reasonably economical car (like in the picture but minus the stripes)

BTW Evian is in the French Alps near Geneva but even I had to look it up to be sure.

Charles

[SmartWombat]

Hm, conversions will be ineteresting.

US Gallon 3.785 l
UK Gallon 4.546 l

1 € = £0.680
1 $US = £0.543
1 $AUS = £0.415
1 $CDN = £0.456

$6.64 per US gallon

[Franglais]

Hm, conversions will be ineteresting.

US Gallon 3.785 l
UK Gallon 4.546 l

1 ? = ?0.680
1 $US = ?0.543
1 $AUS = ?0.415
1 $CDN = ?0.456

$6.64 per US gallon

You mean 4 star petrol is 95 pence/litre in the UK? Oh dear.

At Christmas - if I get time to come over - I have a lot of people to see spread all over and a car is the only way to do it in the time.

Charles

[mwhitacre]

To add to Penny's comparison about gas to other liquids. Be glad you don't fill up on printer ink (the new black gold). US$8,000 a gallon!

http://www.ebusinessforum.com/index....out=rich_story

[another view]

Looks like 87 octane has dropped to about $2.50/gal US but Diesel (like I use) is on the way up. I was happy to get $3.29, but have seen it at $3.65 locally. I guess Diesel is made in the same refineries as home heating oil. Every year about this time there's a "fake shortage" as the plants are relying on the (presumably massive) stockpiles of Diesel while they make heating oil. If it wasn't for the 50mpg from this car I'd be walking...

[Peter_AUS]

Update from here using current conversion of $1US = $1.32Aus Petrol Unleaded normal grade is $3.97US a US Gallon or $1.0425 a Litre, you all work it out. LPG is $0.44925US a Litre or $1.70US a Gallon which really doesn't reflect the true per gallon price here as our Gallon is different than your being higher.

High Octane ULP is $.36US a Gallon.

Diesel is $4.10 a Gallon.

Even thought the world price of Oil is near $60US a Barrel, it hasn't dropped here in several weeks.

Seems someone is profitering here and around other parts of the world too.

[masdog]

Home heating oil is diesel, I believe, or very close to it.

With the continued rising cost of Diesel fuel, I wonder how long it will be before people start clamoring for biodiesel, an organic based fuel that runs in diesel engines.

[another view]

Home heating oil is diesel, I believe, or very close to it. With the continued rising cost of Diesel fuel, I wonder how long it will be before people start clamoring for biodiesel, an organic based fuel that runs in diesel engines.

I think it's at least made in the same refineries, so it's pretty similar. I'm not gonna chance it with my car though... BioDiesel can be a good alternative, but not in the cold. Also, my car has a Bosch injector pump, and they warn against the use of BioD even in small percentages when mixed with petroleum based Diesel fuel. I don't want to chance ruining the injector pump because it's a very expensive repair - it would take millions of miles of driving to pay that bill!

[SmartWombat]

LPG = Liquid Propane Gas
if that's not a contradiction

[Peter_AUS]

I think LPG as far as I knew is Liquid Petroleum Gas.

[Peter_AUS]

They are approving the use blending of fuels here in Australia not diesal fuel, just normal ULP with Ethonol 5-10% here in Australia, has already started and I think it might have been being used unknowingly here for years.

Ethonol has dramatic effects on cars running and ommissions (at least that is the story they are giving), but also has drastic effects on car parts maily rubber seals etc.

The bad thing to this is, the Government has not made it compulsory to advertise that the petrol actually is blended fuel, so the poor average driver won't know until something goes wrong with the car.

I have Dual Fuel system in my Tarago (Toyota People Mover), with ULP/LPG and also have a small addative that is used when on LPG which mists to help coat the valves in the head like Petrol does to ensure they don't burn out due to lack of the necessary addative.

This is a very Hot subject down here, but unfortunately for us, the Opposition lost control of the Senate and now the Government is pushing everything it wants through Parliament without proper discussion or debate. Currently Industrial Reforms have been tabled and they look likely to pass through to be enacted as Law within weeks, sad days for employees. They also introduced new Counter Terrorists laws as well, which they have given 24 hrs to read and debate then it will pass into Law by Xmas here. Another hot issue as well.

I don't think Australia is ever going to be the same with these new laws passed as the whole structure of Industrial Revolution that we know and have worked under for the past 100 years is going out the door, and with it I think will be all the checks and balances that the Trade Union Movement have been able to enforce.

It would appear from the retorheic that we are heading down the paths of the USA, where people will have to go on to enforceable contracts that take away their rights and privlages without recourse.

A very very sad time in the History of Australia.

[JSPhoto]

Pleasant surprise on the news tonight.... one gas station not far from me has dropped it's price to $1.97!!!!!! Well under anyone else around and under the national average of $2.45. In the past two weeks gas has dropped from $2.85 to $2.33 around here, then suddenly this one station drops below $2 WOW!

JS

[mdmc]

They are approving the use blending of fuels here in Australia not.

http://www.matr.net/article-13313.html
I don't know anything about this exept that the fact that Willie Nelsons buss is powered by alternative fuel was in the paper sometime this past summer.
I hope the link is pertinant to this post.
Mark.

[JSPhoto]

Here in Indiana they recently (August or September) announced the countries first "Bio Town" where they are building a biofuel plant and all diesel fuel will be biofuel made from soybeans and pig waist. They are hoping that this will do two things, one get rid of the pig waste that is polluting rivers and streams throughout the state and give farmers a new market for their soybeans.
In addition Indiana is opening new gas stations using the new alternative fuel E85, 85% ethanol, 15% gas. At present many stations are carrying E15 now which is 15% ethanol and 85% gas.

Next year, the IRL (Indy Racing League) has plans to run all races on E85 ethanol, including the Indy 500.

They already run a car sponsored by the Ethanol industry which could be booming here before too long. Attached is a shot of the Ethanol car from this past years Indy 500 practice.

JS

[Peter_AUS]

Bio Fuels are fine if the engine is built to specs of it's use, but where engines are say like my wife's car a Dawoo which is 8 years old and mine which is 12 years old now and petrol/lpg dual fuel. I have to be concerned that the seals etc will deteriorate with the use of Ethanol in the Fuel. Checking the Dawoo and Toyota sites both recommend NOT TO USE "Ethonal Blended Fuel" in them. But if the oil companies don't have to declare that the fuels are blended then how does the honest consumer even know, until the damage is done, which can be very expensive.

I did a head gasket in my Tarago, it cost $2,500 to repair (high yes I know but if you know Tarago's, the engine is under the floor of the driver and passenger seat). Having Dual Fuel probably made it even a bit hard to work on with the extra conversion parts that were add to the car.

Also finding Honest Mechanics is very very hard as well, not like it was 20 years ago when you knew you could trust the dealers to do the work and local mechanics as well. These days it is pretty pot luck to find one. I'm still looking.

[JSPhoto]

Peter,

The 15% ethanol shouldn't hurt any engine, it won't run it hotter at that amount, 20% maybe. The manufacturers like Chrusler have been making alternative fuel vehicles here since the late 90's...try to buy one used though!
As for the biofuel deisel fuel, that they do not need to do much if anything to run it.

JS

[SmartWombat]

You mean 4 star petrol is 95 pence/litre in the UK? Oh dear.

At least it's pretty stable.

Stay away from motorway services if you can.
Major supermarkets like Tesco, Morrison and Sainsbury's have petrol stations.
They are cheaper than motorway services where you're held captive and have no alternative.
I know Tesco at least have maps in their filling station kiosks showing there their stores are which have filing stations.
You can probably find it on the WorldWideWait as well.

We came back from Germany after the latest hurricane hit the USA and prices soared to 106p per litre at Dover port, just on the exit. But since our petrol gauge had read "0" since we turned off the A16 for Calais we decided ot just pay it

Now it's back down to 96p at our local Tesco - and that's for the super 99 ocatane not the usual 95 unleaded, that's below 90p.



You've made me think, this is about the 3rd year we haven't been to Paris.
Were going to the German Christmas markets instead (again).