June 20, 2007
Get it while it's cold
It must have been shortly after I got my driver's license that I learned that filling up in the cold of the morning would save you money (with the additional benefit of not losing all the vapors from a hot tank when you uncapped to fill). Still valid, it seems:
As the temperature rises, liquid gasoline expands and the amount of energy in each gallon drops. Since gas is priced at a 60-degree standard and gas pumps don’t adjust for any temperature changes, motorists often get less bang for their buck in warmer weather.Full story here.Consumer watchdog groups warn that the temperature hike could end up costing consumers between 3 and 9 cents a gallon at the pump.
Posted by David on June 20, 2007 11:31 PM
When you add in the effect, strangely overlooked, that you would get more gasoline than you paid for whenever the temperature is less than 60F, does it matter? If you further recognise that the gasoline is stored underground so it presumably doesn't really pass through the pump at ambient temperature, then you might conclude that this is a fuss about nothing. As for evaporation losses after the gasoline leaves the pump, that's yet another reason to swap to diesel-engined cars.
Posted by: on June 21, 2007 6:54 AM
The article notes that in places where the temperature is often below 60F, gas station owners have installed temperature-compensating pumps. I expect underground tanks would remain cooler, but in some places perhaps not so cool as all that. In Florida, I spent time in a number of places where the "cold" water taps never ran very cool at all, suggesting that it was still pretty warm below the surface there.
Posted by: David on June 21, 2007 6:49 PM
Fair enough. I still expect that it's a fuss about nothing: retailing gasoline is notorious for existing on very thin margins.
Posted by: dearieme on June 22, 2007 1:50 PM
cronaca.com