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American drivers are doing something we have not done in the last FIFTY SEVEN years except for seven other times – consume less fuel. When we are talking about a decrease in gas consumption it is in the range of half a percentage point. That may not sound like much, but it would be the first time since 1991 that there’s been a decline in annual gas consumption. And it would be only the eighth year since 1951 in which demand for gas has declined. It is clear and obvious that the perfect storm of deflation, including the bursting bubbles in housing, etc and the rise in gas prices due to an increase in foreign consumption has gotten the attention of the average American driver. According to AAA, the national average on Monday for a gallon of gas was $3.50 a gallon, or 64 cents higher than a year ago. Diesel was $4.20 per gallon, or $1.27 higher than a year ago. What is in question is at what price per gallon will American drivers demonstrate a stronger decrease in demand. Some say that it would happen when the price of gas stays above $3 for some period of months. But right here in Southern California I am seeing gas prices above $4 so we may very soon hit that critical mass point. Verne Covell of Smithville counts himself as one who’s had enough. Now retired, Covell bought a pickup and travel trailer when he retired in 2000. Long trips with his wife to places like Canada were common. This year, however, there will be at most a trip to south Missouri. The trailer may even stay in storage for the entire year because of gas prices.“We’re getting on and you don’t know how long you have,” he said. “But this year we decided it just got too expensive.” Mainly because of the December drop, the Federal Highway Administration said it was estimating that miles traveled for all of 2007 were down 0.4 percent. There is already a shift in demand from gas guzzline SUVs towards higher MPG vehicles. The government today plans to release a proposal to raise gas efficiency standards for new cars and trucks, putting the nation’s fleet on track to reach 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The nation’s fleet of new passenger cars is currently required to meet a 27.5 mpg average, while sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans have a target of 22.5 mpg. Congressional Democratic leaders are expecting that, in today’s dollars, these new gas economy standards will save the average driver somewhere around $1000/year. Meanwhile, other drivers are turning to public transportation. The increase in the use nationwide of busses,etc last year was 4% and this year it is already 9%. A decline in gas demand could help give some relief from high prices. Although prices are surging as the traditional summer driving season approaches, some market followers expect prices to ease back later this summer. So the question is a very simple one. Do people need to ride the bus and bicycles or simply sit at home and watch television or plot the revolution on the internet or do other things on the internet instead of living their lives in the real world? Or is there something else that they can do to offset rising gas costs? There sure is and it is called Water4Gas
Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com
Consumer advocate, songwriter, entrepreneur and activist, GARKO, advises that presently you cannot buy a car that runs on water but that the ones coming on the market in the next five years are planning to charge too much for the conversion. But he can show you how to use water instead of gasoline which is the best engine modification to save gas For a list of current fuel prices in your neighborhood email garko@startlingdiscoveries.info
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