Friday, August 12, 2005
Gas prices UP
Petroleum prices rise and gasoline costs are $2.55 a gal. in St. Louis, up from $235 this morning. Not that it bothers me. Me and my Prius are getting 50 miles a gallon. While the SUV drivers spend their cash at the pump, I prefer to spend mine on other things.
I do not feel I've sacrificed anything to drive for less. The tank holds about ten gallons, which means the fill up is a little over $20 after 490 miles. The display screen for trip information shows the driver exactly how many mpg the Prius is getting at every moment. When I step on the gas, I can see the bar graph drop and I know my gas mileage is going down. Then, I coast down hill or on a steady plane and the graph rises to 99.0 mpg averaging out around 48 mpg by the end of the day. Sweet.
If you come up behind a Prius, forget tailgating to intimidate the drive to increase speed. Won't happen. The Prius driver is involved in a game of skill to keep the bar graph maxed out at the top. SUV drivers closing in the rear bumper are considered an annoying minor hazard, easily ignored for the non-risk they pose, as in any video game. The goal is achieving the highest average for mpg and earning car icons along way. Each icon stands for 50wh of power stored in the battery. My best is two sets of three cars--stackin' up-- in just a 30 min. drive.
Middle Eastern oil, who needs it? This planet's resources are sacred. Not to mention limited. If we have to bow to the Japanese for new technology that allows us to thumb our nose at the Saud family, so be it. American car makers are figuring it out and more cars and buses will be fuel conscious every day. No one wants to burns their money on the open road. No one except a few with more testosterone than brain.
Petroleum prices rise and gasoline costs are $2.55 a gal. in St. Louis, up from $235 this morning. Not that it bothers me. Me and my Prius are getting 50 miles a gallon. While the SUV drivers spend their cash at the pump, I prefer to spend mine on other things.
I do not feel I've sacrificed anything to drive for less. The tank holds about ten gallons, which means the fill up is a little over $20 after 490 miles. The display screen for trip information shows the driver exactly how many mpg the Prius is getting at every moment. When I step on the gas, I can see the bar graph drop and I know my gas mileage is going down. Then, I coast down hill or on a steady plane and the graph rises to 99.0 mpg averaging out around 48 mpg by the end of the day. Sweet.
If you come up behind a Prius, forget tailgating to intimidate the drive to increase speed. Won't happen. The Prius driver is involved in a game of skill to keep the bar graph maxed out at the top. SUV drivers closing in the rear bumper are considered an annoying minor hazard, easily ignored for the non-risk they pose, as in any video game. The goal is achieving the highest average for mpg and earning car icons along way. Each icon stands for 50wh of power stored in the battery. My best is two sets of three cars--stackin' up-- in just a 30 min. drive.
Middle Eastern oil, who needs it? This planet's resources are sacred. Not to mention limited. If we have to bow to the Japanese for new technology that allows us to thumb our nose at the Saud family, so be it. American car makers are figuring it out and more cars and buses will be fuel conscious every day. No one wants to burns their money on the open road. No one except a few with more testosterone than brain.
