Jump predicted

[windy252]

I have been tipped off by a co-worker who has a relative in the industry that gas prices may be having quite a jump soon up to $3.50-$4.00 on 04-14-06. I hope this is the correct forum.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Why?

[bigscott]

2. why?

[benburch]

3. Yes, this is the place.

I hope he is wrong.

I have NEVER been so glad to own my 2002 Prius.

[acmejack]

6. Ben did you PM will pitt?

He is looking for you!

[benburch]

10. Yep! nt

[Coastie for Truth]

12. Lucky!

Do you remember a fews years back when one of the "Big Three" was filing frivolous law suits (patent infringement) on the special alloys used for the electric motors and generators used in hybrids, and on metal hydride batteries.

Detroit never pumped real development money into electric cars or hybrid electric cars. They pumped it all into frivolous law suits.

Gasoline prices are going through the roof because we waste a gallon of gasoline to go 16 miles -- when the Japanese can go 55 miles on that same gallon.

Gasoline prices are going through the roof because we let the auto manufacturers lobby local governments to tear up trolley/light rail tracks in the post-WW2 era. That was when one of the Big Three lobbied the City of San Francisco to tear up the cable car system and replace it with diesel buses.

I think we are reaping the dubious benefits of aggressive lobbying by the North American Automobile Manufacturers Association and the American Petroleum Institute.

I have a Prius too. ;)

[benburch]

13. Great Cars!

Mine is over 50K miles and zero problems except I replaced the tires at around 40K.

[benburch]

14. One more problem...

That little door under the drink holder NEVER stays closed. So I put a drop of glue on it.

[Coastie for Truth]

16. We have one idiosyncratic problem

my wife is an 85 pound weakling with severe arthritis and osteoporosis - and she finds the Scion "Mini School Bus" (the one that looks like a shoe box) much easier to get in and out of.

[benburch]

18. I can see that.

You know, there might be some assistive devices that could be gotten to help with that.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. That would suck. did they say why? nt

[windy252]

9. They didn't say why.

I don't know.

[hatrack]

5. Universally? In a specific city or region?

OTOH, we won't have long to wait to see if this is true.

[windy252]

11. I don't know if it's universal.

All I know is he made a prediction about around St. Louis, MO which has gas around $2.67 now.

[Systematic Chaos]

7. Now I know why our transit system...

...doesn't print the cost of the pass on the front the way they used to. Now, the price of the pass is stamped on when you first insert it into the fare machine to activate it. Guess if this is true it won't be long before the cost of a monthly pass goes from $40 to $60. :(

[ramapo]

8. Invasion date?

Perhaps that's when we make the world safer by invading Iran. Maybe a freak hurricane in the gulf? Or maybe we get invaded by intelligent beings from another planet.

We're closing in on $3/gal for premium in North Jersey.

[Warpy]

15. I've heard a brief spike, then a lowering, then a slow climb back up

around *of course* Memorial Day. High prices through most of the summer. Higher prices in September depending on hurricanes, or a slight lowering if none.

[aden_nak]

17. "Summer Driving Season"

The summer months are the real cash season in terms of gasoline sales, since travelling by car for vacations is (in theory) cheaper and less of a hassle than flying on a plane. It's very common (even back during the $0.90/gallon days) for prices to inch up before the summer months to capitalize on the vaction season. They spike up very high in spring, settle back down, and then inch up high again so it doesn't seem unprescedented.

[Dogmudgeon]

19. Much price grumbling from the insiders

This doesn't make me feel too good. They may know something that we don't know.

I'd put my chips on a pending announcment that ARAMCO may soon have to abandon the Ghawar oil field, the largest ever found and still the largest in the world. It has only been producing oil by means of "water cut" -- pumping vast amounts of seawater into it to force the oil through the pipes. This process works to achieve a quick return on the light oil, but otherwise destroys the field. PEMEX's Cantarell field (currently #2) is also close to its usable finish due to the same problem.

However, at this point in the history of petroleum production, it could be any one of a hundred or more little "gotchas!" ready to appear.

I did notice that the prices on my neighborhood gas station rose $0.20 since yesterday, but a holiday is coming up.

--p!

[phantom power]

20. Boy, won't it be something the day Ghawar goes bust.

[Dogmudgeon]

21. I will be like a plumbing failure at the Beans-n-Kraut Festival

And behold, a mighty stink shall be raised.

Only with the death of al-Ghawar, it will be much worse.

--p!

[bananas]

22. Looks like he was wrong. nt