Torben

Out here in Langford gas just went up to CAD $1.29/l for 87 octane (~USD $4.81/Gal).

One nice thing is that the climate here in the southwest is relatively warm so the furnace doesn't come into play so much, and the whole family kinda likes it a bit chilly (compared to most other folks) so that helps too. But then again the house is old, so heating it at all is inefficient. I was raised in the north and when I was growing up the cost of heating was gas for the chainsaw and food for the wood chopper (me), but these days the insurance companies charge an insane amount for log houses with wood heat. Winters are expensive up there now.

As far as corn fuel goes, I'm of two minds. I'm for biodiesel because it can allow people to break from from the OPEC addiction. At least in Canada, we need *something* to break the price link to the American and international oil markets. We produce enough of the stuff ourselves. I don't like the idea of corn as a fuel crop--for one thing, there are crops with higher energy yields available.

One thing I don't really worry too much about is the idea of a potential food crop being wasted as fuel when it could be food: for many years you have been able to drive through farmland after harvest (in Canada and the US) and see huge mounds of food crops lying on the ground, rotting because the price was poor or the market was down or whatever. It couldn't be sold. None was used to feed anyone, because no-one would pay to ship and process it. From a business standpoint, why would they?

Ah well. Good thing I have lots of hobbies besides driving. Sad thing is that most of them are either expensive or potentially harmful to the environment or both.


Torben

[Edit: To clarify on the food thing: the above applies only to US and Canadian crops; others such as the soy fuel crop in the Amazon basin are a different ball game entirely.]

RODALCO

For diesel we have to pay road user charges as well which I forgot to mention. It is about 3 cents (2.4 US cents) per km for vehicles under 3500 kG which makes it about equal in costs to a petrol vehicle.
The annual car registration is higher too.

We used to have CNG (compressed natural gas) which is amost completely fased out. It was cheaper than petrol 15 years ago, and as Nigel said the boot was almost completely wasted by a very heavy gas cylinder.

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HiTech

I pay $ 0
I siphon mine from other vehicles. Don't park near me!

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audioguru

In Venezuela gasoline is twenty-something cents per liter and in Saudi Arabia or one of those Arab countries it is $.03 per liter. Three Cents!!!

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Pommie

But, you still wouldn't live there, would you?

Mike.

killivolt

what do they pay for water ? (Saudi Arabia)

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audioguru

They don't have water. It is a desert. They are not allowed to drink alcohol so they drink gasoline instead. Hee, hee.

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killivolt

.03 cents

No wonder they have so much trouble over there. It's the water. (I mean Gasoline.)

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Bob Scott

So it would appear that UK gas prices are out of step, about double what everyone else pays. About £1.10 or $2.20 per litre.

Then there are the people in huge SUVs thinking that if they get into an accident, the OTHER vehicle might have injuries but they won't get a scratch. And if the world is running out of petroleum, they are going to make sure that they get their fair share.

killivolt

That's why I figured that the wear and tear on my vehicle including gas price per gal. Would effect my home purchase not the other way around (my wife is 1 mile from work + I am 1 mile from mine. If you figure the speed at which a car looses value versus a home I can't see it any other way.

(Value of a car + deprecation) or home value and it's deprecation. Basically I'll pay more for a home that is nearby my work. Rather than less and farther away.

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Nigel Goodwin

Basically because it's almost all tax, the UK actually has the most efficient petrol distribution system, and lowest cost, in all of Europe - but then the government stick LOADS of tax on it, then they add 17.5% tax on the tax they charge us as well!.

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picbits

And thats after we've been taxed at up to 40% on our wages .......

Nigel Goodwin

If you're getting taxed at 40% you're earning too much!

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picbits

I got a tax rebate last year - I'm earning that little at the moment lmao.

Its not that hard these days to hit the £36k mark - especially if you are a teacher

audioguru

In Britain, most of the gasoline tax is payed by car and truck owners.
In Canada where gasoline is fairly cheap with much less tax, more tax is payed by everybody even if they do not own a car or truck.

Which is the fairest?

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