Category Archives: Fuels

What have you done since petrol prices dropped?

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Last year, just as the price of petrol was beginning to drop from highs of over $1.70 per litre, we asked how you were dealing with high petrol prices. But now, despite predictions the drop was temporary and it would only continue to rise, the price has fallen, and significantly.

In the past we’ve published blogs about ethanol in petrol, discussed using premium unleaded, fuel alternatives, the benefits of car pooling and the price of diesel, looked at Hybrid technology and asked what you thought about making Sydney’s CBD car free. The Howard Government initiated an LPG grant of $2000 for those who wished to convert their cars from petrol to gas or $1000 to put towards a brand new LPG-powered vehicle, and we asked if you took up the offer. 

All were prompted by the debate surrounding the high price of petrol.

During the period of extreme petrol prices, the Rudd Government initiated a Fuel Watch scheme to ensure road users were not being ripped off by petrol companies and service station owners.

The number of people using public transport rose to its highest rate in almost 10 years and 2008 saw motorcycles sell in record numbers, increasing by 3.2 per cent on the record set in 2007.

Then, at the end of last year, we saw petrol at its lowest price in almost a decade, falling below $1.00. On the day of writing, the lowest price of the day was 108.9 cents per litre.

So what did you do when prices were high and what have you done since they dropped?

How are you dealing with high petrol prices?

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After months of watching it go up, the price of petrol has finally fallen.

But how long will it last? By all accounts the price of petrol will go back up and keep rising, as demand outweighs supply and oil reserves grow smaller.

Months of very high prices have given motorists more than a taste of what’s to come and a lot of people are acting, some by choice and some by necessity. We want to know what you’re doing.

The number of commuters using public transport has reportedly risen to its highest level since 1999. Have you found public transport to be a cheaper option?

Are you trying to be more frugal with your petrol or have you altered your driving technique so you use less?

Have you been getting your car serviced regularly, checking your tyre pressure weekly, going easy on the air-conditioner and carrying as little weight as possible?

Maybe you’ve signed up for a new credit card that offers discounts at certain petrol stations.

Perhaps the cost of petrol has prompted you to sell the V8 for a more economical four cylinder car.

Have you decided a vehicle that runs on alternative fuel is the answer and bought a hybrid, converted to LPG or bought a new turbo diesel?

Or are you going about your business as normal and waiting to see what happens?

What are you doing to cope with high petrol prices?

Hybrid vehicle update

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In mid-2006 we looked at hybrid technology, its place in the market and where it was headed. Two years on, the theory behind hybrid vehicles hasn’t changed, but has the technology? We decided it was time for an update.

The escalating price of oil has meant car manufacturers have been forced to try and make cars more fuel efficient. Of course, while this doesn’t mean their entire focus has been on fuel efficiency and its alternatives – evidenced by the launch of the Hummer H3 in Australia, and new, thirsty Commodore and Falcon ranges – the world has adopted a ‘green’ attitude to almost everything, motor vehicles included, and hybrids, most notably Toyota’s Prius, have been widely promoted as the way of the future. With the price of petrol only going up, they may well be!

Hybrid technology

Hybrid technology has improved in recent years – not greatly, but new ideas on refinement are in development.

The third generation Toyota Prius is on the way. It will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in 2009 and has a 1.8 litre engine (larger than the current model) delivering 100bhp but with 12 per cent improved fuel consumption.

Battery technology is on the improve with researchers in Australia having created what could be called a lead-acid battery on steroids, capable of performing as well as the nickel/metal hydride systems, found in most hybrid cars, at a much lower cost. This battery combines the traditional 150 year old lead acid battery with super capacitors – electronic devices that can quickly absorb and release large bursts of energy over millions of cycles without significant degradation. As a result the battery may last up to 4 times longer than conventional lead/acid batteries and cost 25 per cent less to produce than existing hybrid battery packs. These batteries were tested in the United Kingdom earlier this year and found to be in perfect condition after 100,000 miles on a test track.

At the moment consumers can expect to pay up to $5000 for a replacement battery pack. However with this new technology a hybrid owner will pay around $1000, depending on demand volume. This in itself makes owning a hybrid vehicle a much more appealing and long-term option.

There are also great advances being made with the lithium ion battery which is lighter, stronger and more compact than the nickel metal hydride batteries currently used.

Hybrids in Australia

The number of hybrids available locally is increasing.

• Currently available are –
   o Honda Civic
   o Toyota Prius
   o Lexus RX400H
   o Lexus GS450H
   o Lexus LS600H
• Hyundai are looking at bringing a hybrid vehicle to Australia that runs partly on battery and partly on LPG. This system is up and running in Korea, with great cost savings for the consumer. (Bear in mind that excise will be placed on LPG in 2011, rising to 12.5 cents per litre by 2015.)
• Toyota recently announced it will be manufacturing a hybrid version of the Camry in Australia with support from the Federal Government.

However, even though Toyota recently reached a million Prius sales worldwide (the first and most successful mass-produced petrol/electric hybrid), only 9,300 of those were in Australia. Relatively poor sales may be because the technology is seen as eccentric, they’re not viewed as cost-effective or long waiting lists have put off potential buyers.

Do you drive a hybrid? What do you like and/or dislike about it? Do you intend to buy one in the near future and if so what and why?

Your fuel alternatives

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In his column in the June edition of the Open Road e-zine, NRMA President Alan Evans discusses the need for real fuel alternatives so Australian motorists do not have to rely so heavily on petrol.

“The time has come for Australia to reduce its dependence on the petroleum industry once and for all,” Mr Evans says.

Australian motorists are enduring one of the most dramatic jumps in petrol pricing ever seen, with petrol reaching record highs. And, with petrol prices predicted to hit 170 cents per litre within weeks, things are only going to get worse.

Most manufacturers are developing vehicles run on hybrids and, to a lesser extent, alternative fuels in response to rising oil prices and pressure to go ‘green’. Last month, the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid, the Toyota Prius, reached a million worldwide sales. Toyota has also announced it will begin production on a hybrid Camry sedan here in Australia in 2010. BMW is busy developing engines that run on alternative fuels, recently unveiling a hydrogen-powered 7-series sedan at the 2008 SAE World Congress.

But is the matter being addressed with the urgency it deserves? Real fuel alternatives are still in the developmental stages, meaning we’ll have to endure ever-increasing petrol prices for a few more years at least.

What fuel alternatives would you like to see? Will you be catching public transport more than you used to or do you have your own way of minimising your dependence on petrol?

Overcharging for petrol

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ACCC petrol commissioner Pat Walker last week revealed Coles Express service stations are the most expensive.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s survey, Coles Express had the highest petrol prices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Mr Walker said the commission had identified about 30 Coles Express sites in Sydney that were selling petrol for 155.9 cents a litre, when the average price was 143.3 cents a litre. According to News.com.au, Coles was selling petrol in Melbourne for up to 14 cents more than the city’s average.

Mr Walker advised motorists to shop around for the best price, as those who use shopper dockets may not be getting the discount they think they are.

“It is important that consumers do not automatically rely on their petrol discount voucher to necessarily deliver the lowest price,” he said.

NRMA President Alan Evans said, “The Petrol Commissioner has done well to catch and shame Coles for their over-pricing; he now needs the powers to do something about it.”

Mr Evans said that bad press alone is not enough, as oil companies have grown immune to it. He believes the Commissioner’s powers must therefore be extended so he can:

  • • Force oil companies to drop their prices when they are over-inflated;
  • • Force oil companies to artificially keep their prices down to compensate motorists who have been over-charged;
  • • Fine oil companies.

Have you noticed some service stations regularly being more expensive than others?