Gas prices and hiking

[BCPete]

I pre-planned and got a Toyota Prius in December 2010.

Gotta love the Prius! I get 51 mpg with mine - and that's actual mileage, not some made up number that the car ads spot off about! I still have a Jeep to get to off-the-beaten path trailheads, but the Prius gets me everywhere else. I don't think I'll ever drive another type of vehicle after having this car for four years now - it's ruined me for gas mileage!

[Ender]

I moved to NYC right when gas prices jumped from $1 a gallon, to... well... you know how high it got. I never regretted that. Public transportation takes me directly to many trails including the AT from many different access points. So really, my hiking was never impacted by gas prices.

Now enough space to store all the gear I like to collect in a small NYC apartment... that's a different matter entirely. :P

[Wise Old Owl]

And you can always rent a car.

[Odd Man Out]

...Thoughts on the Prius battery--it's too small to provide any real traction power. You can buy one for a few hundred dollars at salvage yards, as mentioned above. The way I see it, the battery allows zero emissions at idle and powers the two motors in the constantly variable transmission. Both of those reduce emissions and improve efficiency in city driving.

It's a common myth that a hybrid's efficiency is due to better mileage in the city. They also win hands down on highway mileage. At fueleconomy.gov, you will see that in the list of family sedans, the Prius gets 48 mpg on the highway (best in the list). The best of the standard gasoline cars is the Hyundai Elantra at 40 mpg. Next in the list are several models at 35 mpg.

An explanation of the highway efficiency (and city too) is that hybrids can have a smaller engine than comparable sized gas-only vehicles. Most cars have an engine that is bigger than necessary for most driving so that you can have the power you need on those occasions when you really need it. Without that boost of power, the driver would feel the car is underpowered even though you only need it rarely (passing, hill climbing, etc...). But because most of the time (especially on the highway) you are driving with an engine that is bigger than you need, your gas efficiency is limited.

The hybrid can have a smaller engine without giving you the feel of the car being underpowered because on those occasions when you need more power, it can be provided by the electric engine. This also explains why the battery doesn't have to be very big. You only need this burst of energy for short periods of time.

It is also a mistake to think that the Prius battery doesn't provide any real traction power. You realize it only when it isn't there. On a few occasions in the last 7 years, I have depleted the charge on my battery on had to rely on the gas engine only. The performance was noticeably sluggish. But this only has happened a few times in unusual circumstances (and it only lasts a few minutes until the battery is recharged).

Finally, another reason for the boost in mpg not mentioned above is the regenerative braking, but this applies to city, not highway driving, for the most part.

[MuddyWaters]

not stopping me.
I have driven 2.5 hrs, 7.5 hrs, 12.5 hrs, and 22 hrs so far this yr (one way) to hike.

Its really a zero sum game. In the end, nothing changes, but the value of cash as it is debased.

[FarmerChef]

not stopping me.
I have driven 2.5 hrs, 7.5 hrs, 12.5 hrs, and 22 hrs so far this yr (one way) to hike.

Its really a zero sum game. In the end, nothing changes, but the value of cash as it is debased.

Right on! I have driven 5.5, 8.5 and soon 11 this year with TWO cars at a time :'(. No oil cartel gas price is going to stop my dream. Then again, the kids might have to get used to macaroni and hot dogs for awhile....:P Oh and we take turns. One of us gets to drive one car while the other half of the family has to push the other one for a couple hours. Then we switch. This doubles our fuel efficiency and helps build our trail legs faster in between hikes.

[Sly]

People can go hiking again. It's $10 cheaper to drive a couple hundred miles than it was a couple months ago.

[bamboo bob]

Gas is now 3.49 in MA and VT. This post started with CT gas at 4.00 and expected to rise. LOL. No one really has a clue about gas prices. What happened to the greedy speculators? The evil oil companies? The incompetent politicians?

[Rasty]

Gas is now 3.49 in MA and VT. This post started with CT gas at 4.00 and expected to rise. LOL. No one really has a clue about gas prices. What happened to the greedy speculators? The evil oil companies? The incompetent politicians?

Slower economy. Less diesel trucks on the road. More oil available to turn into gasoline. The truckers are not known for taking joyrides so it's turned into gas because if the price drops we will drive more.

[Jeff]

Gas is now 3.49 in MA and VT. This post started with CT gas at 4.00 and expected to rise. LOL. No one really has a clue about gas prices. What happened to the greedy speculators? The evil oil companies? The incompetent politicians?

Sadly, $3.49 indeed sounds like a bargin in Vermont.

[MuddyWaters]

$3 where I am, $4 in Colorado last week.

[Wise Old Owl]

Slower economy. Less diesel trucks on the road. More oil available to turn into gasoline. The truckers are not known for taking joyrides so it's turned into gas because if the price drops we will drive more.

Interesting take... my guess was I noticed it was easier to hit the highway at "rush" hour - less cars on the road - due to so much unemployment. Less cars - less demand - lower price. Then two refinery's shut down locally as gas is refined overseas, tankers are pulling up and off loading fuel not oil..Its far more complicated then even I can comprehend.

[Rasty]

Slower economy. Less diesel trucks on the road. More oil available to turn into gasoline. The truckers are not known for taking joyrides so it's turned into gas because if the price drops we will drive more.

Interesting take... my guess was I noticed it was easier to hit the highway at "rush" hour - less cars on the road - due to so much unemployment. Less cars - less demand - lower price. Then two refinery's shut down locally as gas is refined overseas, tankers are pulling up and off loading fuel not oil..Its far more complicated then even I can comprehend.

Also true WOO. Diesel is really really important, everything you and I have was moved with diesel. Less U.S. based fishing boats operating because of foreign fish farming or moratoriums (Grouper, snapper,etc.) make the small-scale fisherman unable to afford to spend $3k to fill the tank. Every business that shut down was getting a delivery of some kind from a truck. The unemployed are not spending money on anything except food. Its all connected. The gas price is down right now, so Americans will drive more which will cause the price to go back up after a few months.

[atraildreamer]

I notice a 3-4mpg difference when I drive 65mph vs 75mph on the highway. That adds up over a week and can be the difference in affording a drive to the trail head.

Lower your speed,(55 mph seems to be the best speed)...save big bucks...use the $$$ for your hike!

[coach lou]

Lower your speed,(55 mph seems to be the best speed)...save big bucks...use the $$$ for your hike!

Yea, that green blur was my hot rod Subaru that flew by you on I-95. It does get pretty good mileage when I drive like a human being.

[Jeff]

Lower your speed,(55 mph seems to be the best speed)...save big bucks...use the $$$ for your hike!

If you are old enough to remember the 1970's...due to the OPEC oil embargo all the interstate highways had reduced the speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve fuel. There was some grumbling, but today I'm not sure a politician would survive such an order.

[rocketsocks]

If you are old enough to remember the 1970's...due to the OPEC oil embargo all the interstate highways had reduced the speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve fuel. There was some grumbling, but today I'm not sure a politician would survive such an order.

Ah yes, odd and even days, long lines, only a certain amount of gas could be purchased, and when the gas stations ran out, that's it...your walking.Car pooling, public transportation, and yes walking became popular, perhaps it will again.

[Wise Old Owl]

If you are old enough to remember the 1970's...due to the OPEC oil embargo all the interstate highways had reduced the speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve fuel. There was some grumbling, but today I'm not sure a politician would survive such an order.

You raise an interesting point - what I remember was this was done to solve gas lines and high demand, And push a safety factor that has been completely forgotton. Cars were lighter and less safe then but guzzlers. Today the car is heavier with all the safety features in each class by itself. The Engines are pushing the the limits of power and sipping fuel, and with each increase in price - nobody mentioned slowing down this time. Oh and the death rate ? never changes - a dismal 6000 people per year in the USA die every year ... I don't know the injury rate is - it has remained unchanged for years. So what happened why didn't they lower the speeds? I would love to know.

[Pumba]

$3 where I am, $4 in Colorado last week.

$2.96 last week in NC near Burlington.

[Pumba]

$3 where I am, $4 in Colorado last week.

$2.96 last week in NC near Burlington.