Comments on: The Science of Summer Gas Gouging

By: pprius2006

pprius2006 — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:49:05 +0000

Just before midnight, when the air temperature of 10.0°C, Karl stops and fills the 0.0600 m3 gas tank in his car. At noon the next day, when the temperature has risen to 32°C, Karl finds a puddle of gasoline (βgas = 3 x 10-4 C°-1) beneath his car.

How much gasoline spilled out of Karl's car? (assume that there was virtually no change in the volume of his tank)

By: Cameron

Cameron — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:51:24 +0000

As noted by several postings Gasoline is stored underground and is therefore cooler than ambient air temperature in the summer and warmer in the winter… pretty much has to average out. The ambient air temperature is irrelevent since the gasoline doesn’t have time to reach it on the short trip from underground tank to gas tank.

Even if it did matter it still wouldn’t be worth it. These devices that make purchasing fuel ‘fair’ for the customer is hardly that. For one thing they cost thousands of dollars which must be recouped by the gas station owner… in other words, they have to charge more.

By: Van

Van — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:24:08 +0000

It appears that if you pump gas that is colder than the standard you put more energy into your tank for the same money. Thus it would be in the interest of the retailer to correct for temperature. But if you pump gas that is warmer than the standard, you put less energy into your tank than you pay for. Thus it would not be in the interest of the retailer to correct for temperature.

By: Stan

Stan — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:54:51 +0000

If we overpay per molecule in the summer when it’s warmer than standard, we underpay in winter when it’s colder than standard. Since Canada is colder more often than it’s warmer, adjusting to the standard actually helps the oil companies more often than the consumers; it eliminates the underpayment during the cool seasons. I would bet that over an entire year many Americans actually get a net savings by not adjusting, especially in the northern parts of the country.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:45:25 +0000

All this over a situation that already corrects itself is mind blowing. Even though I get a better theoretical deal in the winter on gas my milage is much worse due to the colder temperatures so I do not see the benfit of lower gas prices. In the summer when I am getting “fleeced” for a few cents my car is much happier and goes farther on a gallon of gas so the loss is all in our attitude not in reality. I say tax the #$%! out of gas to provide money for the things we should be spending money on “redesigning the infrastructure for the kind of mass transit, bicycle, and pedestrian travel that contributes to reduced emissions and less dependence on fossil fuel.”

By: rocknerd

rocknerd — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:11:10 +0000

the gas is stored in underground tanks where temperature is pretty much constant. I have trouble believing that such a large volume of gas buried underground would fluctuate in temperature on a daily or even seasonal basis. Has anyone documented this?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:23:04 +0000

Interesting article. It just reinforces the fact that if we had more efficient cars the volume would be less.

By: Scott M.

Scott M. — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:15:47 +0000

That's why I said "Not Quite". The article is a little misleading, it makes it sound like the posted price magically drops on a hot day.

Thank goodness it doesn't! No doubt the gas companies would take advantage of that, and it would be hard to tell if the price was really going up or not. The volume adjustment is a much fairer method and is clear to both the retailer and the consumer (if he or she cares to look into it).

By: thinkerbelle

thinkerbelle — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:59:44 +0000

But volume affects price. Not of the individual measure, but of the entire tank.

Today a litre is $1.019 in White Rock, and I only pay for 53L to fill the tank. That's $54 for gas that will take me 500 miles down the road. In the US, pretending that we found a place that sold the same day at the same price (and in litres), I'd be charged $61.14 for the same tank.

It's not exactly price that's adjusted, but it sure has an impact on the pocketbook.

By: Scott M.

Scott M. — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:14:06 +0000

The pumps in Canada are set to read out what the volume of gasoline would be if it was delivered at Normal Temperature and Pressure (20C/68F, 101.325kPa/1 atmosphere).

If they actually changed the *price*, there'd be no way to tell amongst the daily swings of price and would be eaten by the gas companies.

What this means is that you take appears to take 53L in the summer, 60L in the winter. Very few people notice (or care) though. If miscalibrated though, either the retailer or consumer could be left at a disadvantage.