Diesel news

[backinblue]

It's also good to remember that electric vehicles are not paying fuel taxes so it won't be long before they will be charged a tax per mile or per KW of charge or something similar. Kind of funny that the states with the highest gas taxes are the ones pushing electric even though it diminishes tax revenue.

 

[backinblue]

Regeneration is only available on direct drive heavy e bikes. Very few companies are currently building regen into their bikes. The downside to regen is a bike that is heavy and does not pedal well. I only build E bikes for friends and disabled/medical recovery folks who want one and cannot find what they want. Regen is definitely not for them.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, just that you shouldn't be so surprised that the question is being asked. Most people don't know all the details like you do.

 

[OldDan1943]

Not only the states but also the Feds tax based upon the amount fuel used.

 

[PierreR]

I don't disagree with what you are saying, just that you shouldn't be so surprised that the question is being asked. Most people don't know all the details like you do.

Point taken, wish there was a "Like" tab for posts.

 

[backinblue]

Others have asked for a "like" button, best we have is "thanks"

 

[CaptTom]

Point taken, wish there was a "Like" tab for posts.

I was going to hit "Like" for this post, but then I realized...

Yeah, being able to quickly voice agreement, without wasting another post or sending an e-mail, would be a huge benefit.

As for the price of diesel, yeah, lots of different factors to consider. I wish I'd bought my heating oil a couple of weeks earlier, before this latest round hit. Oh well. Can't time the markets.

I love that they're raising the prices on "premium" gas. The vast majority of cars (and boats) don't need it. I think it's more a prestige thing for most buyers. They like to pay more. It makes them feel good. If they want to subsidize my regular-grade fuel, I'm all for it!

 

[PierreR]

Me, I just finalized the deal on my boat a week ago and will not be down to touch and feel it as mine for another week. I wish I had bought it about 6 weeks ago but 6 weeks ago a boat was not even on my radar.
Had I bought the boat 6 weeks ago I could have filled up for $3.70 per gallon and gotten the boat much closer to home. As it is, the price of diesel is climbing and the window to move the boat north is too short to bother with now.
I still have a smile on my face and that is my usual attitude. Instead, I get to work on the boat all winter, I get to polish the fuel and clean the tanks as the tanks are only 1/3 full.

 

[backinblue]

While it's true that most cars don't "need" premium fuel, if a higher octane is recommended for a particular engine, you will give up some performance and I presume some economy by running a lower than recommended octane. If you are going to purchase a higher-end vehicle you shouldn't skimp on fuel or maintenance IMO. But my point really was about the difference in pricing to go from regular to premium gas when it never was that great a difference in the past. Just wondering if there is a good justification now than in the past.

Here's one take:

https://instamotor.com/car-maintenance/oil-change/why-premium-gas-costs-more

 

[koliver]

As for the price of diesel, yeah, lots of different factors to consider. I wish I'd bought my heating oil a couple of weeks earlier, before this latest round hit. Oh well. Can't time the markets.

I love that they're raising the prices on "premium" gas. The vast majority of cars (and boats) don't need it. I think it's more a prestige thing for most buyers. They like to pay more. It makes them feel good. If they want to subsidize my regular-grade fuel, I'm all for it!

My heating oil, which is basically the same as the diesel I buy for my boat, coasts quite a bit more than the diesel when the bill is examined closely:
22/09/08 656292 BIO HEAT 421.40 1.9590 825.52
656292 BC Carbon Tax 54.83
656292 ICE Fund Levy 3.31
656292 GST 44.03

The stated price of 1.9590 is slightly cheaper than the then current price at the fuel barge, but when you add in the carbon tax and ICE Fund levy, it boosts the home price by more than the cost of home delivery, by $ 0.1379 per litre. Then GST at both places.

As for premium gas, it is the only gas you can buy that has no ethanol, so whatever it costs, I will pay. I use it in all my small gas engines: home generator (which I have had to use three times this week), outboard (that sits with gas in it for the winter), power washer (also sits unused for months at a time) weed whacker, ride on mower (sits for the winter). cars (I have 3, so at all times there are one or two sitting unlicensed with gas in them. Ethanol "enhanced" fuels break down when left unused, so are not compatible with this usage case.
I also tried using regular gas in one of my cars at ~10% lower price and saw my average consumption according to the on board meter, and according to the cost of the next fill, go from 13.0l/100km to well over 15l/100km.
Here, the price for premium is consistently ~ 10% higher.
So the use of premium is not a matter of wanting to pay more for bragging rights. It is actually a choice to economize by using the fuel that gives the best results at the lowest cost.

 

[backinblue]

It may be different where you are, but Premium gas often does contain ethanol unless it is specifically sold as ethanol-free (for which you will pay a premium price). Many people wrongly assume that premium gas is automatically ethanol-free. That may vary by location and laws in place where you are. Also, people wrongly assume that Premium gas will provide more power and better mpg, but that is only true if the engine is designed for and requires it.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list...s doesn't provide,—nothing more, nothing less.

 

[freshalaska]

Ethanol

In Florida near Port Charlotte you can buy non ethanol regular gasoline but at a greater price at some gas stations. In the small town of Skagway Alaska all gasoline I’m told by the distributor is non ethanol.

 

[SeaDogAK]

I usually don't beat up on the oil companies, but I have to wonder if they are just charging what they can get away with.

Of course they are, like almost every other business. That’s how the market works for every commodity. How else would they set prices?

 

[SteveK]

Of course they are, like almost every other business. That’s how the market works for every commodity. How else would they set prices?

There is no price setting! It is just a coincidence that all stations have the same price posted.

 

[Larry M]

We had a friend who lived on his boat at Borden Light Marina, Fall River, MA. He traveled a lot on business and the boat was fine. One year he built a frame and heat shrunk the boat. His electric bill was much smaller and he didn’t have to deal with any snow on the decks. When the sun was out it was like a green house.

 

[tozz]

Correct, used to be about 10%, now about 25%. I usually don't beat up on the oil companies, but I have to wonder if they are just charging what they can get away with.

They also get massive production subsidies which often go overlooked. While people like to talk about consumption subsidies especially temporary ones directed at the electric and solar, on the production side the energy companies get billions in subsidies and tax incentives both federal and state.

 

[OldDan1943]

There is no price setting! It is just a coincidence that all stations have the same price posted.

What the heck, we believed it when gasoline went to over a dollar overnight by coincidence. Surely we will believe that lie again. After all, we are dumber than sack full of rocks.

 

[BruceK]

Australia has an odd phenomena, called the "fuel price cycle". Overnight prices leap 30c or so per litre. After a few days prices start gradually dropping, working down to the price before the 30c leap. And repeat. There are variations, like price leaps before holiday weekends, school hols etc, and drops after holiday events, sometimes to sell fuel as people return home.
Sometimes changes are influenced by local competition between fuel service stations, especially if they can see each others price display. "Servos" must display prices.

Diesel tends to be more stable, often left out of the process.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Electric vehicles do pay an annual road tax in almost every state. I am not certain if it is based on vehicle type, battery capacity or the original cost of the vehicle or if they just assume every vehicle travels 10,000 miles a year.

pete

 

[Duke 239]

The BTU,s in one litre of diesel is hard to replicate or model on in ease of distribution , storage and safety standard ….. Nuclear is the only alternative to coal and diesel and the sooner the greenies get there head around it the better of the world will be, could you imagine the amazing possibilities of a trawler that could be built to be fuelled once in its potential life time, the energy saved in distribution alone is insurmountable to comprehend, let alone the way it would open up a whole new world to individuals cruising the world in there own little slice of a floating utopia removed from energy dependence, it’s actually quite hard to comprehend but entirely feasible if scaled.

What? A large boat powered by its own nuclear reactor? Preposterous!

 

[Mobcat]

Not entirely preposterous Duke, in my way of thinking I would rather a reactor the size of a shopping trolley with a infinite fuel source than 5 tonnes of lithium batteries onboard as that’s what it would take for a trawler to get any type of reasonable cruising range to remove it from hydrocarbons and even with its five tonne of lithium still has to be charged at port from a power source.

 

[Mobcat]

What? A large boat powered by its own nuclear reactor? Preposterous!

As we know ships and submarines are nuclear powered it’s just all about negative scaleabllilty to first super yachts and then hopefully the leisure market, it’s really the only hope for us humans who like our modern luxurious lifestyles long term.
RR is working on factory size reactors, time and need will force the scaleable size of reactors.

https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/small-modular-reactors.aspx#/

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...ping-reactor-tiny-fit-shipping-container.html

https://crosscut.com/news/2022/09/central-wa-eyeing-nuclear-power-again-smaller-scale

 

[PierreR]

Anything you can make a dirty bomb with is not going to be available to us for sure. There is the other problem that at this time, there is no "practical" molten salt reactors in existence.

 

[Mobcat]

Well it looks like we are stuck with 5 tonnes of Lithium batteries to run our net zero future trawler!!!! somehow I think that’s not going to work either ….. Humans have a amazing way of accommodating there needs when given no other option but to step backwards.

 

[OldDan1943]

Anything you can make a dirty bomb with is not going to be available to us for sure. There is the other problem that at this time, there is no "practical" molten salt reactors in existence.

When pressurized liquid sodium salt comes in contact with sea water, one will experience a significant explosion so cross that off the list.

 

[Mobcat]

When pressurized liquid sodium salt comes in contact with sea water, one will experience a significant explosion so cross that off the list.

Seen what lithium does when it comes in contact with salt water !!!!!!! Imagine 5 tonne of it !!!!

 

[backinblue]

Electric vehicles do pay an annual road tax in almost every state. I am not certain if it is based on vehicle type, battery capacity or the original cost of the vehicle or if they just assume every vehicle travels 10,000 miles a year.

pete

Not exactly true according to this article. I have no doubt politicians will find a way eventually, but it goes against the current political agenda where they are subsidizing the purchase of EVs. This link shows that less than half the states have any fee at all and most are relativey insignificant, and I doubt there is any federal tax. In theory, fuel taxes pay for road construction and repairs, so all vehicles should share that burden.

https://www.myev.com/research/inter...-charge-extra-fees-to-own-an-electric-vehicle

 

[OldDan1943]

Back in the 60s the US had one nuclear powered commercial ship, to prove the feasibility of the concept. It failed for many reasons, including the unions and the design did not permit carrying enough cargo nor passengers.
Look up SS(N) Savannah.
Russia does have one nuclear powered ice breaker. I do not know how that is working out for them other than no union problems

 

[PierreR]

When pressurized liquid sodium salt comes in contact with sea water, one will experience a significant explosion so cross that off the list.

Thorium salt, don't know if it goes boom.

 

[KnotYet]

Seen what lithium does when it comes in contact with salt water !!!!!!! Imagine 5 tonne of it !!!!

You seem confused about the different types of batteries.
Try researching them?

Anyone reading this forum in 2022 will not be able to choose
nuclear energy as a private vessel power source, period.
The time needed to develop a safe, practical and affordable
version will exceed our remaining lifetimes.
On the other hand, battery storage tech continues to improve
and what is merely impractical now may well become feasible
in the next few decades, IMO.

 

[OldDan1943]

LOL No one wants to discuss fuel cells. Why is that?

I am always one generation behind battery tech.