Gas shortage UK

[John Larkin]

I've done it by accident.

[Commander Kinsey]

Give him a break, he's an American.

[Commander Kinsey]

Why would you avoid athletic activity?

[Frank]

US vehicles on average are bigger and SUV's predominate and there may even be more pickup trucks than sedans.

I also noted that price differential between diesel and gasoline is less in UK and since diesels cost more they do not predominate in US as in UK.

[Commander Kinsey]

I meant for the same horsepower, you have larger engines over there.

I assume you mean in the US diesel is more expensive? I assume this is a tax thing. In the UK our government taxes diesel slightly more, but not by much. I'm guessing the real cost of the two is pretty much the same.

A diesel engine might cost more, but it lasts twice as long.

[Commander Kinsey]

Why have you deleted your own reasoning?

[Commander Kinsey]

I'm of an age where O/A level was just changing into standard/higher grade. I have some of each.

[Commander Kinsey]

Can you take skis on a train?

[Commander Kinsey]

That'll never stand up in court.

[rbowman]

Part of it is ULSD (ultra low sulfur diesel) that was mandated in 2006. Not only is it more expensive to produce but it has lower energy density.

The Federal excise tax is 24.3 cents / gallon for diesel, 18.3 for gasoline. Each state adds their own taxes.

Retooling refineries to produce ULSD is expensive so it is more profitable to export dirty diesel so the rest of the world can go on enriching the atmosphere with sulfur compounds.

And finally, a 100 year old law to protect the non-existent US maritime industry makes bulk shipping between US ports costly. That's also why US LNG producers love shipping LNG to anyplace but the US.

Supposedly the higher diesel tax is to offset the road damage caused by heavy trucks. Judging from the state of the roads the money evaporates before it hits the pavement.

I have some friends who are contractors and elected to replace their work trucks with diesels just before the prices inverted. They weren't very pleased.

Long story short -- diesel costs more in the US because the US government by the people is for f****ng the people.

[Max Demian]

Why would you not? It's "school work". (When I was in primary school they never had any equipment like swings &c. Just bare asphalt.)

[Frank]

Your taxes are much higher and tend to level cost.

Last time passing gas station, gasoline was $3.81/gal. and diesel was about $5.50/gal.

[Commander Kinsey]

Big girl's blouse.

Same here until half way through when they got a climbing frame. But we found stuff to climb on and vandalise and sneak into.

[Commander Kinsey]

Odd, I thought the UK government taxed diesel more due to pollution concerns.

Here it's £1.60/litre petrol, £1.70 a litre diesel. = $7.14/US gallon petrol, £7.59/US gallon diesel.

So what are you moaning about? Your fuel is as cheap as water!

[Frank]

I knew your prices and much higher taxes.

Large price difference here may be to lower diesel usage.

I am not looking forward to winter as I heat with oil which is essentially diesel.

[Max Demian]

When unleaded petrol came in they subsidised it so it was the same price as leaded to encourage people to switch (if their vehicles allowed). So leaded and diesel were both taxed more than unleaded.

This is before diesel became such a Bad Think; when the govt. wanted us all to switch as diesel is more economical.

[Commander Kinsey]

It's not sufficiently more eepensive to stop me using it, since diesel engines are vastly more efficient and last longer.

[rbowman]

Last longer than what? That argument worked better 40 or 50 years ago when a gasoline engine was tired by 50,000 miles.

[Commander Kinsey]

They're still double. I get 130K miles form a petrol engine, and 260K miles from a diesel engine.

[Commander Kinsey]

In the UK they've capped energy prices after the covid/Russia farces. But they didn't cap heating oil....