Remember everyone....we are comming to the "end" of summer....and if you all dont know....(some may not) there are two seasonal grades of galoline produced...there is the summer grade and winter grade...EVERY year you will see a pattern of prices falling as summer winds down....and then RAMP back up once the switch has been made.same with winter grade...mark my words around april of next year (08) the prices will FALL again.(from this high we are about to see)....the AVERAGE joe has know idea about this and is only concerned with the fact that prices have gone down and now jumped back up....right now they (gas owners) are recieving the benifits of the switch...it will drop a little bit more and then level out for a few weeks...then the prices will jump back to 3+ dollars as winter comes into full play......



RIGHT OHHHHHH, BUDDY.....but hopefully we can stay on par with it...you know stay a few pennies above or below....that will be the best i feel we can hope for....remember a few post back.....well i may have my sit down with a diesel manufacturing guru...i am hoping to find out before the end of the month.

NCA

 

Supply and demand (with a little discount for quantity). Theoretically speaking, you would think diesel should cost less (oil for the furnace as well, and even kerosene) than gasoline. True to a point because diesel is less refined than gasoline (costs Exxon less to make diesel than gasoline). However, the real driver is the amount of gasoline/diesel/fuel oil/kerosene sold. Back in the 1960's, the percentage of diesel to total fuel sold was actually higher (diesel locomotives, diesel trucks, etc.). True, you didn't have any diesel pickups, but you had far less cars on the road also and there were very few all-electric railroads. And, the U.S. didn't import oil at that point. Diesel was always less than gasoline.

Now, the number of gallons of gasoline sold is so much higher than diesel (fewer diesel-electric locomotives, MORE cars, and a smidge of diesel trucks) that the oil companies have put there energies into the most profitable and highest sales market - gasoline. I have to wonder if the U.S. even refines diesel anymore or just purchases it from overseas? Like any other vendor, you stock and price your biggest sellers to be most competitive. Think of how many gas pumps there are to a single diesel pump in the average gas station. If we ever get to a 50/50 ratio, than the price per gallon of each will likely be very close.

The encouraging part is that the gasoline hybrids are not selling and Honda and others are stopping production because of the high cost of the vehicles, because the vehicles are not living up to their advertised fuel economy, and the limited lifespan of the engine/battery components. Further, diesel autos are now becoming very clean, cheaper to build than the hybrids, and with a significant known marketing value (diesels are associated with long-life) - hence you now have Jeeps, VWs (again), Mercedes etc. with diesels that are clean burning and don't put out the high volumes of particulate matter that they used to. Honda, BMW, Nissan are all planning on introducing diesel cars in the U.S. as early as this year. The following URL is actually a decent summary of the impact of diesels in the U.S. http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/01/autos/diesels/


I only have to look at the exhaust from my truck to see the differnce between my old diesel Volvo and Olds. A lot less particulates. What I think you are seeing is at least one company (Chrysler) realizing that they can sell fuel efficient, less polluting diesels and have them be more marketable than the hybrids. Half the cars sold in Europe today are diesel powered while only 3.5% in the U.S. are diesel. If for no other reason, the impact of Daimler on Chrysler in expanding the role of the diesel in the U.S. was a positive move. I hope the new owners understand this because GM and Ford are clueless. If they don't, we'll probably be buyin our next Cummins in a Nissan! More diesel vehicles on the road will eventually lead to lower costs per gallon (at least theoretically ).

 

I think some stations are keeping diesel artificially high to offset some of the drops in the gasoline prices. I see a lot of stations in my area with diesel only pennies more than regular. Other stations are as much as $.20 more than regular, and their regular is competively priced. And then there are other stations that could give a rats-behind and are still charging $2.80 for regular and $2.89 for diesel. Average seems to be in the high $2.50's to low $2.60's for regular and about $2.70's for diesel.

 

Diesel at the truck stop this morning was $2.83 and gas is around $2.64'ish.

 

$2.89 in cave creek, AZ for Diesel. Regular was $2.51 I believe.

 

prices have droped for me......

2.95 for diesel!!!!!!!!!!!

NCA

 

It was down to $2.81 today before I left for work, but I'm sure they'll hike it up by this afternoon. Around here diesel is up and down and up and down- day to day

 

Still $2.83 in Annandale, Va

 

Been hovering around $2.75 at Wallyworld.

 

It's amazing that gasoline has dropped almost 50 cents a gallon while diesel hasn't moved a penny.

 

As of Friday morning two stations in my little town had 2.75 diesel.

I remember seeing 2.63 somewhere... but I don't know where

 

STill $3.09 here and unleaded is at $2.78

 

I THINK it was 2.75 when I filled up this morning, but I didn't pay close attention.

 

2.47 unleaded
2.63 diesel

 

2.68 at the two truckstops a little north of Goodrich, TX and 2.74 at a new Valero in Goodrich.