After watching gas prices rise at an alarming rate, I have to speak out about it. Year after year oil companies raise the price above our comfort level. Then, they drop the price but never to the same level as before. Thus, conditioning the public to higher and higher prices. It is said that you could cook a lobster the same way. Just raise the temperature a little bit at a time. He will get used to the higher temperature and never know that he is being cooked until it is too late.
That is why I believe that hybrids, hybrid electric, all electric car, anything other than a pure gas using vehicle is the way to go. Ideally, I would like to see a car mass produced that does not use any gas at all. But, hybrids seem to be a practical solution for the time being.
Big oil companies manipulate gas prices many different ways. One way is by not repairing or replacing old worn out refineries. Therefore, creating a shortage of gasoline but not not a oil shortage. In California alone, ten refineries representing 20 per cent of the state's refining capacity were closed between 1985 and 1995.
For the year 2006, Exxon reported annual profit of $39.5 billion. This was the largest profit reported by any American company in history.
Yet, there has not been a new oil refinery built in the United States since 1976. All the remaining American refineries are running at full capacity. There is hardly anytime for the plants to shut down for routine maintenance and upkeep. Because if they do shut down, it causes a break in the production of gasoline resulting in a price rise. Either way, the oil companies win. They can save money by not repairing the refineries or earn more money from the shortages caused by refinery shutdowns.
Another way prices are manipulated, is when the temperature rises during the summer months. When the temperature of the gas rises over 60 degrees, the gas expands. However, the California pumps do not account for the bigger volume and the customers receive less gas than they should. California regulators have certified a temperature adjusted pump, but the oil companies are fighting the use of this pump.
Finally, the price at the gas pump is not following the price of crude oil. For example, the price of crude oil on april, 2006 was $65.67 per barrel. The national average during that time period averaged $2.631 while Californians paid an average $2.788 or 15.7 cents more than the rest of the United States. On April 23, 2007 the price of crude oil was $63.39, compared to the 2006 price of $65.67 per barrel. While at the pump, gasoline prices rose to a national average of $2.917 and California prices rose to $3.363 or 44.6 cents more than the national average.
My purpose of this discussion is to point out the advantages of using hybrid electric vehicles whenever possible. The price of crude oil may go up or down but the only direction for gasoline prices is up.
Nancy Val Verde writes about about hybrids among other topics. You can learn more about hybrids when you visit my blog, Hybrid Technology Reviewed at http://hybrid-technology-reviewed.blogspot.com
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