We’re Finally Number One...
....and I don’t like it.
The Detroit Free Press had an article last week that stated that we had the highest gas prices in the country. At an average of $3.53/gallon, Michigan beat out Illinois ($3.52), California ($3.42) and Hawaii ($3.40).
That’s right. We had higher gas prices than a state with the most draconian emissions regulations, and a state that ships its gasoline on outrigger canoes. I don’t know why the prices are so high in Illinois. It’s probably because of the same factors that affect Michigan, or the gridlock they call Chicago that keeps the gas from being delivered.
“Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil.”
--Jean Paul Getty
I got my Honda Civic back from Germany in November 2004. I log all of my gas fill-ups, since I am an engineer with a compulsion to record data. I fill up with premium about every four or five days (excluding weekends), generally at the same gas station in town.
Here are the gas prices of my fill-ups since then.
As the chart shows, the gas prices today are higher than they have ever been, including the time of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So what does this all mean? Well, based on my commute to work, every $0.10 increase in gas prices add $52/year to my gas cost. That’s equivalent to thirteen grande frappuccinos (caramel).
Since I’ve been back to the U.S., however, the cost of gas has gone up $1.62/gallon. That’s over $831/year, for my car. It would go up to $1936/year when I include my wife’s car. That’s a lot of frappuccinos. That’s double what I pay for insurance.
And that’s enough to make any driver cranky.
