Why Fuel Prices Go Up?

Numerous forces can influence the price of gas at the pump, but fuel costs are only one part in the vast web of global economics. Gas prices have an impact on other parts of the economy as well. There are immediate effects of rising prices - that feeling of stunned disbelief as the numbers climb and climb while you fill your tank. There are secondary effects as well. You might decide against a long road trip because the gas would cost too much. When it comes time to buy a car, you might decide against a gas-guzzling SUV and find something with better mileage instead. Price increases generally occur when the world crude-oil market tightens and lowers inventories. Also, growing demand can sometimes outpace refinery capacity. Gas prices also vary from state to state for several reasons. Taxes are probably the biggest factor in the different prices around the country. Additionally, competition among local gas stations can drive prices down. Distance from the oil refineries can also affect prices -- stations closer to the Gulf of Mexico, where many oil refineries are located, have lower gas prices due to lower transportation costs. There are also some regional factors that can affect prices. World events, wars and weather can also raise prices. Anything that affects any part of the process, from the moment the oil is drilled, through refining and distribution to your car will result in a change in price. Military conflicts in parts of the world with lots of oil supplies can make it difficult for oil companies to drill and ship crude oil. Hurricanes have damaged offshore drilling platforms, coastal refineries and shipping ports that receive oil tankers. If a tanker itself is lost or damaged, or leaks its oil into the ocean, that will put a dent in the market as well. In some regions of the country, gasoline is required to meet higher environmental standards in order to reduce the amount of smog created by burning gasoline. Producing this cleaner-burning gasoline can cause problems in refining, distribution and storage, which increases the cost of gas.

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What Will We Drive When There Will Be No Fossil Fuels Left?

Filled up your car at the pump lately? Did it pinch? Sure it did, with oil prices rising like the summer temperature there’s no respite. There is not much that our government can do about it, there is one reality facing us all in the face, oil reserves around the world are depleting and the day is not far when oil will cost $5, $10 maybe $100 a gallon!. The ultimate truth is that we will have no oil in the times to come and we need to develop alternative fuels now and begin using them too. Governments are trying their hand at promoting electric hybrid cars, compressed natural gas cars etc but the scale is not large. Every alternative fuel has some advantages and some limitations it’s the balance of these which makes it a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Cars that run on electric power do not emit any harmful emissions but they are less powerful and need frequent recharges. Cars that run on compressed natural gas also suffer from a drop in power and can carry only 100kms worth of gas since gas is hard to carry around and the tank is heavy and expensive. Hydrogen technology seems the best bet but it needs to have the necessary infrastructure (filling stations, installation points etc) and also needs to be made safe for public use. Developed countries must pool their resources and develop fuels for tomorrow rather than wasting resources on going to space and fighting wars. For if we have no fuel how will we fill up the space shuttle and the jet planes that fight wars? Bicycling is also a good alternative, we should learn from Amsterdam which has as many cycles as residents. Or we could go back to th days of old and ride on horses and ponies, well that would be quite a sight. Imagine having a parking lot for horses and people in their business suits riding on thoroughbred horses to work! Life without petrol and diesel is going to be future reality and how fast we develop alternative fuels is what will determine what we ride tomorrow, cars or ponies.

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Internet the World’s Biggest Auto Marketplace

The next time you need to sell or buy a used car you don’t need to rush to dealers and spend precious time negotiating the best deal. The internet has come to the rescue once again. Following the success of various classifieds sites including job sites, dating sites, real estate site etc auto classifieds sites are the next big thing. Online used cars & bike classifieds are a big draw for buyers and sellers because of the many features they offer which conventional newspaper classifieds lack. Features of Online Auto Classifieds: 1. Full page color ads 2. Multiple photos of your vehicle 3. Country wide ad listing for long periods up to three months 4. Personal account & response management system 5. Privacy options (manage responses via online mailbox only) These features are available to users of most auto classifieds websites such as Indimoto.com. Users can search according to various parameters such as city, make, model, year etc and get the exact match they are looking for much easier than browsing through pages and pages of newspaper classifieds. US based sites such as Edmunds.com have gone a step further and conduct their own research on used cars to ascertain the desirability and pricing of various models in the used car market. An Indian auto classifieds site Indimoto.com has gone a step further and introduced separate sections for cars, bikes and commercial vehicles. Indimoto.com is also India’s first carpool site where users can search and post carpool ads. Its not just individual users who are using these sites, car dealers are finding it very beneficial to sell their vehicle inventory online considering the many features on offer. For people who do not know or use the internet dealers can help in selling their vehicle via these auto classifieds sites. You must be wondering about how much it costs to post an ad on such sites. Certain sites are paid sites while sites such as Indimoto.com are completely free to use. Financially it makes a lot of sense to use auto portals since buyers and sellers never need to pay any commission or brokerage for deals done via the site. The site gets buyers in touch with the sellers directly. So the next time you need to buy or sell a used car or bike look no further that the internet.

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Don’t Crash The Car, Well Even If You Do The Car Will Save You

Have you been drinking and driving? Or perhaps chatting on your mobile while driving? If you are a little careless while you drive and are prone to having a bump here and there you are better off getting your hands on a new set of wheels with active safety technologies. Car manufacturers such as Mercedes are incorporating space age technology into their cars to save lives or rather save us from crashing our buggies when we are simply too careless with our own lives. This might sound science fiction to you but these are some of the technologies Mercedes’s latest S Class has:

Auto cruise control warns you if you are getting too close to the car in front and if you don’t react it applies brakes on its own to maintain a safe driving distance.

Traction control sense when you steer too sharply or lose traction in the wet and cuts engine power and limits the power individually to each wheel to bring you back on track.
Anti Lock Braking System, this has been around for quite some time now. ABS helps in achieving best possible braking performance, it prevent jamming of the wheel which results in skids and loss of vehicle control. The computer senses when the wheels are about to lock and releases the brakes momentarily and then applies them again.

Airbags, as many as 8 airbags protect you in the unlikely event of a crash. Airbags exist for all passengers and are inflated in milliseconds when the care ‘senses’ a crash. Airbags can protect the occupant even at 100mph crashes.

Space Age Safety Technology
Now this is the most impressive of them all, the Mercedes S Class sense when the car is going to meet with a crash using it 360 degree radar and braces for impact. It rolls up windows if they are down, inflates the seat cushions to protect occupants and lowers the steering to save the driver from chest injuries and lowers pedals to prevent foot injuries.

Now that’s some technology, all to save our lives when we loose control. Maybe if Diana was riding this S Class she would have been amongst us. So lets not crash it, for if you do the car will save you but repairing the high tech car will burn your pockets for technology doesn’t come cheap. The fully loaded Mercedes S500 with all the safety features retails at over $1,25,000!

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