Fuel Prices Fail US Again
It seems there is no better motivator for Americans than the dollar. I was truly excited when retail gas prices hit the $4.50/gallon mark this summer. Incentives for fuel alternatives were a mainstream concern. Too bad the prices have fallen again. The US is heavily under taxed on fuel by comparison to European nations, but it looks like America has just swept that issue under the rug again.
While I still have an engine aboard my boat, I’m looking forward to filling my tank with some biodiesel made at a small local outfit. And plans for my retreat to France, where fuel costs almost what it should, are fully underway.
Outdated price data here, but…
| Rank | Country | Price/gal |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Eritrea | $9.58 |
| 2. | Norway | $8.73 |
| 3. | United Kingdom | $8.38 |
| 4. | Netherlands | $8.37 |
| 5. | Monaco | $8.31 |
| 6. | Iceland | $8.28 |
| 7. | Belgium | $8.22 |
| 8. | France | $8.07 |
| 9. | Germany | $7.86 |
| 10. | Portugal | $7.84 |
| 108. | United States | $3.45 |
Now you’re talking! Believe it or not, I’m pretty involved in the biodiesel side of things so if you have any questions just fire away. (I’m guessing if you google RichC and biodiesel you’ll see my point)
Thanks for the comment Rich. I remember you’re well versed in biodiesel. I’ll be in touch.
I used some of that biodiesel crap. Make sure that it is being filtered well, and don’t use it strait up, cut it with regular diesel, and don’t plan on using it gets cold. Starts to gel at 45. Oh yeah and it is really rough on your injector pump. Good Luck
-Todd
Todd, thanks for the info on that. I’ve heard there are some precautions you need to take to ensure smooth operation. Where did you get your biodiesel?
Benji,
We need to be driven by more than just money to change our behaviors. Perhaps we should build cars with sails on them! (I recall a middle school project where I did just that….The Wind-rider…I called it.)
But if we all become sailors then our oceans might become overcrowded too. And then…its seasteading. Check out http://seasteading.org/learn-more/intro. Your blog draws other sailors. I wonder what they think about sharing our sea with land lubbers?
Teresa
sailingsimplicity.com