Gas On The Rise

In this great country of ours we depend on gasoline a great deal more than we think. I remember growing up and my Parent’s owned a gas station. There were so many years that we were busy except for the gas crisis in the 1980’s. People were lined up around the corner to fill up their cars before our station ran out of our supply. Do you think this could happen again? Maybe so with the way we take it for granted. Gas prices have increased for many reasons, but as the engines on large vehicles grow in size, so does the demand for gasoline. Therefore, car companies are trying to make more efficient vehicles.

The world we live in depends on our gas supply every day. We drive our cars to and from work and also to run errands for our home. The demand for gas has risen a great deal over the years and, in turn, affected the prices as well. A majority of the cars on the road have larger engines which also pose as a contributing factor in consuming a lot of our gas supply. If we would just be more cautious about what kind of car we purchase then we would not have to worry about the high prices of gas. In other words, buy more fuel efficient vehicles, not the gas guzzlers that seem to be so popular in today’s day and age. Another contributor a higher gas demand is owners not keeping their cars in shape. General maintenance is a tune-up, oil change and making sure the filters are clean. Believe it or not this does help us uses less gas by keeping up with all your proper maintenance. This is something car owner’s neglect at times and it will cost more money in the long run just to keep your car on the road.

Did you know that the price of gas in states within America is different due to their proximity of supply? Caruso (2005) stated, “Areas farthest from the Gulf Coast (the source of nearly half of the gasoline produced in the United States and, thus, a major supplier to the rest of the country), tend to have higher prices” (Ð'¶ 16). So, this creates a bigger problem for people who live farther away from the Gulf Coast. We have always known about prices rising when the seasons change, but, I do not think anyone realized prices were different depending on where you lived. This is one amazing piece of information for Americans. Apparently it costs money to move the gasoline; this cost is added into the price.

Car companies have always come out with new car styles every year. Now, most companies are working on perfecting more fuel efficient and environmentally safe vehicles. The first one was a hybrid. It is a car that runs on gas and electric, not the kind that is plugged in. The hybrid car has features such as, small fuel efficient gas engines with the combination of an electric motor that is assisted while accelerating. The electric is generated by batteries that recharge while you drive so this decrease the amount of gas you would normally use. The cars are made of lightweight materials which cost less than a regular vehicles composition. We hope that will assist in making the prices of these types of cars more affordable. The federal government also gives small taxes breaks to the hybrid car owner, which is because it is helpful for our environment. This type of vehicle produces fewer toxins into our air and will hopefully reduce the greenhouse effect in our world. Once they become less expensive then I think car owner’s will want to look into an investment such as a hybrid.

Another kind of fuel efficient car in the making is a hydrogen car. An article called Think Hydrogen stated, “Fuel cell cars and buses that run on Hydrogen are already being evaluated on city streets. Every automotive manufacturer has developed working models.” (Ð'¶ 8). Since hydrogen can be made by many different sources, such as; landfill waste, wastewater sludge, livestock waste, wind and sun it can help our environment a great deal. Many car companies have hydrogen fuel celled vehicles but it seems like Honda has worked towards making it more available everyone in Southern California by 2008. This will be the wave