Fuel shortages & prices

[Uomo Senza Nome]

I drive an EV and charge it for free at work.  What's this gas thing you're all taking about?

Don't even get me started about the three sea shells. 

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I drive an EV and charge it for free at work.  What's this gas thing you're all taking about?

Well, usually it involves Taco Bell.

[tirls]

I drive an EV and charge it for free at work.  What's this gas thing you're all taking about?

I don't have a driver's license, not sure what all the faff is about.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

So "2026 ZOMG FUEL ARM-AN-GETTIN-IT" is starting to have a come apart in real time. 

I had to drive on the interstate about 800 miles round trip this week for a professional conference. Literally every stop I made on the side of the interstate had one or more gas stations out of gas. Some stations were out of regular, the cheap ones were out of everything. Some had a few pumps closed, every station seemed effected.

Traffic was heavy as is normal this time of the year but not abnormally high. A few internet searches later and it seems that the larger cities in California (LA/ San Fran for sure) are starting to run out of gas as well as South Florida and numerous interstate stations. Gas supplies appeared normal around smaller sized cities and towns and farther from high traffic areas. Friday should be a replenishment day for fuel supplies but it was the same today on the return trip. 

I would expect California to run out of gas since they drove their refiners out of the state. However; I find it odd that stations on the interstate are running dry. One would think they would be the priority. 

My advice? 

Reduce travel
Keep tank at least half full
Make only essential trips
Prioritize the use of the most fuel efficient vehicle you own
Walk and bicycle when possible
Prepare.

I have a feeling things are going to get more bumpy before they get better.

[Moab]

After miscalculating gas prices here in the Phillipines. I realize now it is around $5.22 per gallon. Way more than I thought. Luckily distances are far shorter when you live on islands. Lol. But still. That's a lot for themlocal population that typically makes $300 per monrh.

[Crimson_Phoenix]

I moved within 1.5 mi of my office in 2024 and don't regret it. No more 30-45 minute commutes, no more plying Fury Road to get home when I'm burned out, etc. I fill up once a month now. Still considering picking up a bicycle though.

[MacWa77ace]

no more plying Fury Road to get home when I'm burned out, etc.

I have a hundred mile round trip commute. But I play a more Gran Turismo style while listening to electronic trance music mixes and counting all the people that are on the highway driving for the first time ever, all the while trying to set a new personal best in MPG efficiency by watching my instant mpg graph, and possibly set a transit time personal best, all that to kill the time and not others.   

Sebastian Bohm

One way personal bests
43 min
42.6 mpg

Tank personal best
40.5 mpg

I have not seen a station out of gas here during this, and prices have been dropping the last 2 weeks and are now at ~$3.79 for regular. [down from ~$4.50ish]

[MacWa77ace]

HA! Set a new personal best for time back to back. Didn't do to bad on the MPG either.

I take one route home and a different route to work each day due to traffic patterns.

My home trip was 42 min last night down from a previous 43 min record. And my work trip which is ~4 miles farther was 45 minutes.

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The summers are great down here for traffic, no school, no snowbirds, 50% less traffic.

[Crimson_Phoenix]

Gas is back up to $5.30/gal in my AO. Every dealership I've talked to always talks me down, but is it worth considering a plugin hybrid for my next daily driver?

[majorhavoc]

I have a full-on EV as my sole source of transportation (well, I also have my motorcycle but here in Maine that means only about half the year.) It definitely is a lifestyle adjustment. And yes I freely acknowledge the irony/questionable wisdom of relying on an EV from a prepping perspective. But I love it and struggle at times not to get too smug about being unaffected by world events of the past few months (at least as far as personal transportation costs are concerned).

Having said that, I think a plug in hybrid makes so much sense right now, especially for anyone with lingering anxiety about range and/or charging infrastructure. The Toyota RAV4 plug in hybrid is practical, reliable and with a 40 mile range on battery power alone, can essentially be run as a full on EV for 90% of most people's driving needs (YMMV). For that last 10% and really long trips, it functions as a reasonably economical gasoline powered compact SUV.  I have 2 friends with plug in hybrid RAV4s and they absolutely love them.

[Anianna]

I'd like a hybrid.  As it stands now, we have one EV and one gasoline vehicle.  I just had to get the tires replaced on the gas vehicle because we drive it so infrequently that the tires had dry rotted.  It pretty much only gets out once a year for maintenance/inspection.  I need to take it out more to better keep up with its maintenance and keep the battery from fully discharging.  

The EV is Mr. Anianna's car.  When he first got it, he was hesitant to take it on long trips, but he got over that pretty quickly and it has become second nature just like it is with a gas vehicle for normal, everyday use (with the exception that most people can't just refuel their vehicle at home like you can an EV).  

The main problem I have with the EV is the tech Mr. Anianna wanted it for and that's the self-driving.  The sensors necessary for that function are integral to the vehicle, so fixing anything is really expensive.  Replacing the windshield on our gas vehicle was a couple hundred bucks.  Replacing the windshield on the EV was $1400.  

At the same time, I have a problem with the newer tech in gas vehicles, too.  I would say gas is the better option for repairability, but that is starting to only apply to older models as newer cars are coming out with tech to lock you out of your own maintenance.  You can literally effectively brick your own car on some models by doing your own maintenance or taking it to your mechanic instead of the dealership and that's just stupid, imo.  

On some, there isn't even a way for the owner to just open the hood anymore.  It's sealed and requires a device only dealerships are permitted to use to open.  That's ridiculous.  Not to mention the monitoring tech that can completely remove your control of the vehicle if it thinks you're not paying attention, which has already shown to be a problem for short people because the car thinks they just aren't sitting upright.  The entire auto industry is becoming a problem regardless of fuel type.  

[DarkAxel]

My area is too rural for a full-on EV. There's a few in town with Teslas, but I never see them out in the county. Lots of hybrids, though. They seem to need to have their batteries serviced more often than the ones driving around Lexington, though. I'm told it has something to do with the energy recovery systems, but I'm no expert. 



Gas prices had been hovering between $3.60 to $3.70 per gallon, but they went up 20 cents per gallon today. After my discount from my Food City card I paid $3.77 per gallon for mid-grade gas when I filled up this afternoon. My family got a new car a few months ago, and running it on cheap gas can actually damage the engine. I didn't think about that when we got it, though.