You hear people complaining about it everywhere: the rising cost of gasoline. Many are looking into alternatives such as E-85 ethanol and hybrid vehicles to save money at the pump. I think there are still plenty of reasons to love gasoline even if it costs more to fill your vehicle.
Even with prices the way they are, gasoline is still a good deal. Motorists should consider a number of factors before judging gasoline too harshly. It's still the optimal means for fueling our vehicles and here's why:
E-85 ethanol gasoline is available at a very limited number of gas stations mostly in the Midwest and vehicles get 30 percent worse fuel economy compared to gasoline.
Hybrid vehicles are more expensive than regular cars and take roughly seven years to recoup the initial investment. Hybrid batteries also need to be replaced after roughly 10 years of use, costing thousands of dollars.
Gas is still cheaper in the U.S. compared to any other country. In Western European countries like England and France, gas can cost more than $7 per gallon.
The U.S. Department of Energy records show that when you adjust for inflation, the price of gas is now lower than it's been for most of the twentieth century. Prices are lower now than they were 25 years ago. Yes, the price is up from the 1998 all-time low of $1.19, but they are a dollar lower than they were in the early 1980s.
Auto manufacturers are developing and building attractive cars that are very fuel efficient. The new Honda Civic gets 34 mpg and is very affordable. GM is building displacement on demand into its vehicles, which effectively shuts off half the cylinders when not needed, dramatically improving fuel economy.
In short, when looking at the alternatives, America still has it pretty good when it comes to gasoline. The technology needed for viable alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen or vegetable oil just is not far enough along yet to make them worthwhile for daily commuters. Besides, no one seems to mind paying $3 for a cup of coffee, which, by the way, which comes to $7.00 a gallon!
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO YOUR EXISTING VEHICLE TO GET THE BEST FUEL ECONOMY?
by Lauren Fix, Your Life! Automotive Editor
Vehicle gas caps - About 17 percent of the vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
Under-inflated tires - When tires aren't inflated properly it's like driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.
Dirty air filters - An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a "rich" mixture - too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents or more per gallon.
Worn spark plugs - A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced regularly.
