Inflation and MEP replacement parts

Just plug it in !

(No knowledge of where it comes from)

Please let excuse me for being a sceptic. Working for the public transit here in Seattle as a 30 year tech, I can share here that hybrid buses are a losing proposition, mainly due to the increased maintenance needed to keep them running. The parts needed to repair them are also much more expensive compared to those of a traditional Diesel engine and transmission, all for an additional 1.5-2 miles per gallon. At the end of the day, our county executives can however boast that Seattle is a “green” city because of these hybrid buses. Two years ago our county pledged to go “all electric” in the transit department by 2030. They have already built a special base and shop for these battery powered buses. They’re already procuring the buses which have already began delivery. But here’s the catch. After spending billions of tax payers money to go in this direction they have failed to secure a commitment from the local electric company for the additional power needed to support these buses. In fact they have just discovered that there is not enough power to sustain the needs of charging these buses when they’re back at the base. They’re being told that a new, dedicated power substation is needed to charge these buses. It will take at least 5 years to build it. IMO, this is what will take place all over our country when our politicians pledge to go all electric. They will invest a bunch of our tax money only to find out that our grid will simply fail to sustain the added power requirements.

I am a Diesel supporter ( Ford 7.3, VWTDI, Kabota Diesel, Nd MEP 802). But just weekend I visited my Cousin and she had a Chevy Bolt. On the dash display it reported since last charge 70 miles use 15kw. Is this normal? At 10 cents a kw here (MD) times 15 = $1.50. My grand Cherokee at 17mpg gas consumed for 70 miles. 4.1 gallons @ 4.50 = $18.00. Is this right? Or is my math corrupt.

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reset2 said:

I am a Diesel supporter ( Ford 7.3, VWTDI, Kabota Diesel, Nd MEP 802). But just weekend I visited my Cousin and she had a Chevy Bolt. On the dash display it reported since last charge 70 miles use 15kw. Is this normal? At 10 cents a kw here (MD) times 15 = $1.50. My grand Cherokee at 17mpg gas consumed for 70 miles. 4.1 gallons @ 4.50 = $18.00. Is this right? Or is my math corrupt.

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Well... I decided to do a quick search on "Cost Per Kilowat Hour" here in North Carolina. Got the following information off their company website.

On average, Duke Energy Carolinas bills their customers a residential electricity rate of 10.52 cents per kilowatt hour. This is 21.95% below the nationwide average price of 13.47 cents, which ranks the supplier 739th lowest for average electricity rate out of 2923 suppliers in the nation.

So, I guess your math is good @reset2 - on your cousin's Chevy Volt .

While sharing info, one of the ladies that works here has a hybrid with (what I call) a sewing machine motor for backup power. It is a Kia Niro. She took a trip this weekend up in the foothills of the mountains of North Carolina. On that trip, she came in this morning telling us about getting 49.8 miles per gallon. The battery gets recharged when coasting or braking. Going up hill was a little more strenuous than here in town on flat ground.

THE REAL PROBLEM is that even though Go Brandon wants everybody have a battery powered car - there isn't enough infrastructure to charge the vehicles AND keep the lights on in your house. Colorado and points west are already having rolling brownouts as the weather warms up and the house air conditioning becomes an issue. Lake Mead on the Colorado River is down to 1049 Above Sea Level (ASL) and predictions are that lake levels will be down to 1037 ASL by September of this year. (Current lake levels are down roughly 150 feet from "full pond".)



The water from Lake Mead powers the turbines at the Hoover Dam. Only 5 of the 17 turbines @ Hoover are capable of operating at that lake level. If the lake level drops to 950 ASL, all power generation @ Hoover stops. If that happens, the loss of power will be 2,074 Megawatts (at full reservoir conditions).

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And for whatever it is worth, I am on diesel and gas. No battery powered cars or trucks for me...

I can't for the life of me figure out what the deal is with diesel prices around me. Within a 4 mile drive I can find prices for a gallon of diesel varying from $5.69 to $5.09. Literally on the exact same highway. And the best part is one day the first station I pass will be the highest, and the week after it will have the lowest price while the next one down the street has flopped in the opposite direction... Makes zero sense.

Abrant23 said:

I can't for the life of me figure out what the deal is with diesel prices around me. Within a 4 mile drive I can find prices for a gallon of diesel varying from $5.69 to $5.09. Literally on the exact same highway. And the best part is one day the first station I pass will be the highest, and the week after it will have the lowest price while the next one down the street has flopped in the opposite direction... Makes zero sense.

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Get with the times. Its a new model called Brandon economics.

jmenende said:

Get with the times. Its a new model called Brandon economics.

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Yeah, that's the knee-jerk reaction I expected, but I'm more of a details and specifics kinda guy. I understand policy has consequences, but they should be pretty close across the board since the same awful policies should effect these stations exactly the same seeing as they all get the fuel from the same pipeline depots. Is it a corporate level thing, or is each station trying to test the waters to see how much profit they can make? But if the latter, why drop from highest to lowest around in less than a week's time?

Abrant23 said:

Yeah, that's the knee-jerk reaction I expected, but I'm more of a details and specifics kinda guy. I understand policy has consequences, but they should be pretty close across the board since the same awful policies should effect these stations exactly the same seeing as they all get the fuel from the same pipeline depots. Is it a corporate level thing, or is each station trying to test the waters to see how much profit they can make? But if the latter, why drop from highest to lowest around in less than a week's time?

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Here in PR the local consumer protection agency regulates the profit margin on fuel and has stations posting fuel delivery dates. This causes up and down pricing based on when the gas station got its fuel in relation to market prices. Its an anti gouging measure.

Elijah95 said:

5.15/gal here for diesel, but it’s what “81 million” wanted. These parts are getting rough on cost nowadays


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The "81 million" should be led in shackles to the town's square and then tared and feathered one at a time, With Biden, Schumer & Pelosi being first in line.........

(Probably inappropriate comment, but what the heck, for the fun off it)

peapvp said:

The "81 million" should be led in shackles to the town's square and then tared and feathered one at a time, With Biden, Schumer & Pelosi being first in line.........

(Probably inappropriate comment, but what the heck, for the fun off it)

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I volunteer to operate the electric chainfall to dip them in the tar (being frugal) or to cover them in feathers. Either job... Would be happy to help with that project!

Don't forget to include our Boarder Czar!

jmenende said:

Here in PR the local consumer protection agency regulates the profit margin on fuel and has stations posting fuel delivery dates. This causes up and down pricing based on when the gas station got its fuel in relation to market prices. Its an anti gouging measure.

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Most gas stations get at least one delivery a day, at the 'contract' rate, which is set one to two weeks ahead of delivery. A 5000 gallon tanker will be enough to fill about 250 20 gallon (average fillup) customers. Depending on the number of pumps they have will determine how fast it is pumped out. They can also get 'spot' deliveries when demand goes up. During the previous administration the spot price was 10-15 cents a gallon higher than the contract price, currently the spot price is at least 50 cents and going higher than the contract price, which is also rising. That is part of why you see fluctuations - each shop/brand gets their purchase price slightly different because of when their 'contract' is signed, and which refinery, and then when they sell more than expected and have to get 'spot' shipments, they pass that higher price on to their customers. It's called micro economics (vs Macro economics). I got a Bachelors Degree in Economics in 1969, and an MBA in Finance in 1973. You guys have your strengths in other subjects, mine's in the dismal science of economics.

As for different brands of gasoline, what goes into the tanker truck is strictly by grade, but they do add about a gallon of the special mix in first (for Exxon, Shell, BP, etc) for each thousand gallons of gasoline.

I also saw in one of my daily intel reports the following yesterday, for what it's worth:

"Assuming some of the supply constraints are eliminated, domestically produced oil may be able to come down in price, therefore reducing the price of transportation and easing some of the pressures currently crushing the supply chain.

JPMorgan estimates Q2 prices to average $122, driven wholly from June price increases to a predicted $136. Continuing its estimation of prices without Chinese relief, Q3 price targets sit at $118, and Q4 at $105."

Elijah95 said:

5.15/gal here for diesel, but it’s what “81 million” wanted. These parts are getting rough on cost nowadays


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Who are these 81 million?

We the consumers are just plain screwed. In the 1970’s when unleaded fuel was introduced, we paid more for it than regular leaded fuel. The lead was always added into the fuel, so why was unleaded fuel more expensive? Diesel fuel is a product which is produced much further down the refinement scale than gasoline. Naturally, we used to pay less for diesel fuel than gasoline. Why do we now pay more for diesel fuel than gasoline? When “multi-weight” engine oils were developed, the additives they used (to give the oils a lower viscosity when cold and a higher viscosity when hot) were synthetic. And they still are. Some “conventional” oils are now called “blends” because of this. Does this mean that “full synthetic” oils have no conventional base oils at all? Those people today who believe in nothing but full synthetic oils are paying dearly for them. Are you sure that you’re getting what you think you are? I believe in regular maintenance, and not allowing my engines to run low on coolant, causing an overheating condition. Just some more of my skepticism as a sucker consumer.

loosegravel said:

We the consumers are just plain screwed. In the 1970’s when unleaded fuel was introduced, we paid more for it than regular leaded fuel. The lead was always added into the fuel, so why was unleaded fuel more expensive? Diesel fuel is a product which is produced much further down the refinement scale than gasoline. Naturally, we used to pay less for diesel fuel than gasoline. Why do we now pay more for diesel fuel than gasoline? When “multi-weight” engine oils were developed, the additives they used (to give the oils a lower viscosity when cold and a higher viscosity when hot) were synthetic. And they still are. Some “conventional” oils are now called “blends” because of this. Does this mean that “full synthetic” oils have no conventional base oils at all? Those people today who believe in nothing but full synthetic oils are paying dearly for them. Are you sure that you’re getting what you think you are? I believe in regular maintenance, and not allowing my engines to run low on coolant, causing an overheating condition. Just some more of my skepticism as a sucker consumer.

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Tetraethyl lead boosted the octane rating, removing it meant they had to refine the gas more to get the octane rating back up. Diesel, to remove 'excess' sulfur, has to be refined twice, first to make it diesel, second to reduce the sulfur to below 15 ppm. Synthetic oils are generally made from natural gas, not crude oil. So you are correct - they have no 'conventional' oil in them! I'm glad you are a skeptic! Now you are a little better informed skeptic, and no longer a 'sheeple'.

I remember when there were gas wars between competing stations. They would have a local price war and it drove prices down, waaay down. I remember it below 35 cents per gallon. Diesel was less than that. I then recall we thought the petroleum industry was manipulating prices when it headed up to 50 cents per gallon! My neighbor said, "They just want to get it up to a buck a gallon". I remember being appalled that gas could get to $1/gal!

Now I look back and only wish fuel would get back below $3/gal. We are now over $6/gal out here...

If the future is headed towards mainstream EV's, does that mean the demand for fossil fuels will eventually fall off due to a significant drop in fossil fuel consumption and prices will begin to trend downward?

Edit: I wonder if some of the pricing we are now seeing is a money grab by fossil fuel industry before demand cools off significantly? Even with the Ukraine war dynamics at play affecting the petroleum industry, its a bit difficult for me to understand the somewhat sudden 100% fuel price increase ($3 to $6) in the matter of a couple months.

Chainbreaker said:

If the future is headed towards mainstream EV's, does that mean the demand for fossil fuels will eventually fall off due to a significant drop in fossil fuel consumption and prices will begin to trend downward?

Edit: I wonder if some of the pricing we are now seeing is a money grab by fossil fuel industry before demand cools off significantly? Even with the Ukraine war dynamics at play affecting the petroleum industry, its a bit difficult for me to understand the somewhat sudden 100% fuel price increase ($3 to $6) in the matter of a couple months.

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The future of mainly EV's is a government mandate that catered to the climate activists. The money grab is coming from the foreign crude suppliers who see the writing on the wall and want to get as much as they can , while they can! There has not been any new oil refinery built in the USA in over 20 years and there are no plans to build any new ones, but the demand for the products of refineries has almost doubled in that time. Why so - easy, the oil companies know how hard it is to get regulatory approval, how long it takes to build one, and how long it takes to break even on any new construction. New construction will never pay for itself even if prices double what they are now. To build one would bankrupt the company that built it. And crude oil and natural gas are used for so much more than gasoline and diesel! If it's plastic, it's made from oil or gas, period! Rubber is made from oil (synthetic rubber replaced natural rubber during WWII after Japan took over Indonesia). I feel we are beating a dead horse here.

SCSG-G4 said:

The future of mainly EV's is a government mandate that catered to the climate activists.

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Yep & the lifetime price of fuel doubling in a matter of a couple of months is now fueling (pun) the market for EV's. Our die-hard big SUV & Truck neighbor mentioned he is working the #'s to see if buying a low-end EV as his run-about for in town errands etc. makes sense. Really can't see this burly guy driving a Prius but I guess times are a changing.

SCSG-G4 said:

The money grab is coming from the foreign crude suppliers who see the writing on the wall and want to get as much as they can , while they can!

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So if foreign crude is where the majority of the price mark-up is occurring our regulators need to loosen up a bit and allow additional domestic sourcing... aka drill-baby-drill!

SCSG-G4 said:

I feel we are beating a dead horse here.

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Were keeping all our horses well fed & healthy, especially since we just might need em to make a run into town once the corner gas station runs dry or fuel prices go stratospheric.

Chainbreaker said:

Were keeping all our horses well fed & healthy, especially since we just might need em to make a run into town once the corner gas station runs dry or fuel prices go stratospheric.

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Please do that! Both on horseback and them pulling wagons and stagecoaches is probably in our future.

SCSG-G4 said:

Please do that! Both on horseback and them pulling wagons and stagecoaches is probably in our future.

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Chainbreaker said:

Yep & the lifetime price of fuel doubling in a matter of a couple of months is now fueling (pun) the market for EV's. Our die-hard big SUV & Truck neighbor mentioned he is working the #'s to see if buying a low-end EV as his run-about for in town errands etc. makes sense. Really can't see this burly guy driving a Prius but I guess times are a changing.



So if foreign crude is where the majority of the price mark-up is occurring our regulators need to loosen up a bit and allow additional domestic sourcing... aka drill-baby-drill!



Were keeping all our horses well fed & healthy, especially since we just might need em to make a run into town once the corner gas station runs dry or fuel prices go stratospheric.

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Whats the carbon footprint on them horses. Likely to get cancelled along with the cows.