Diesel is now at $4.39 a gallon locally here in Northwest Washington State. Slightly higher than the national average.
I used to ask the question of whether a hybrid vehicle is worth buying to save a little bit in gas savings, but with diesel over $4.00 a gallon, and unleaded gas approaching $4.00 a gallon, it certainly seems worthwhile at this point.
In a scenario where you drive 300 miles per week and you mileage is 22mpg on a non hybrid vehicle and your hybrid mileage is 45mpg, you would save about 50% on your fuel. In this example it would cost you $201 per month to fuel your non hybrid vehicle, and $98 per month to fuel your hybrid vehicle, a savings of $103 per month on fuel. Given that you financed your vehicle, you could pay $103 per month more for a hybrid vehicle, and still break even.
As gas prices continue to climb this break even point comes even faster.
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( 3 / 288 )The VW Golf TDI Hybrid has been mentioned as a concept car which is rumored to average 69 mpg on Diesel.
Volkswagen is working a concept car for Europe that can get up to 69 mpg on Diesel. This car is mentioned to be able to run fully electric, or on a diesel electric combination.
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( 3 / 299 )What is Ethanol
Ethyl alcohol, also called grain alcohol, is produced by fermenting and then distilling starch and sugar crops.
This is not a new fuel, the original Model T Ford was built to run on ethanol, and switched to run on gasoline.
Is ethanol a real solution and alternative to gasoline, or not?
Pros of Ethanol
Using ethanol produces less pollution than gasoline, specifically less carbon monoxide and other toxic air pollutants.
It's made from corn, which is a renewable resource.
E10 can be used in any car.
Can be locally produced. Which can stimulate local farm economy.
Reduces fossil fuel imports.
Cons of Ethanol
Lower energy than gasoline, this impacts the cars performance. Your mileage may drop by as much as 10%.
Corrosion, Ethanol (as is BioDiesel) is more corrosive than gasoline, and will react with the rubbers, gaskets and lines to degrade them faster than if you were using gasoline or diesel.
Availability - Few gas stations offer ethanol.
E85, cannot be used in any vehicle.
Some vehicle manufacturers void their warranties if fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol in it is used.
We have a long way to go if we want to use E85 as an alternative to gasoline, hybrids, diesel or biodiesel.
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( 3 / 240 )With the gas prices going up as they have over the last year, and most recently paying $4.19 for diesel, this has lead to some creative solutions.
I know that I can complain about the price of gas as much as the next person, but the reality is that there is nothing that I can do to impact the price of gas / diesel.
Personally over the last year there are a few things that I have done to ease the pain of the price at the pump. These are:
1. Working from home. I drive much less than I did in the past. I have a home office, and typically will go out only once or twice a week for work related travel.
2. Improving my finances. After watching the price of gas rise, I decided not to complain, but to work on improving my monthly cash flow in order to make enough money that I didn't care about the price of gas. If you are interested in how I did this, just ask me, and I can show you how to do the same.
Improving My Cashflow
3. Drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. The car my wife drives gets between 40 and 50 miles per gallon on diesel.
What I am looking for here is positive responses from you, what have you done ease the pain of the price at the pump. Positive creative solutions only please....
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( 3 / 306 )I paid $4.09 per gallon for diesel yesterday. This was the highest that I have ever paid for fuel.
Gasoline will soon follow, and the extra cost for a Hybrid car will be easier to justify.
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