Gasoline price

Sensitivity of life-cycle cost analysis to gasoline prices. 

Hydrogen energy is an important long-range solution to our dependence on oil. A sudden rise in gasoline prices occurs when even one refinery shuts down since we have not built a new refinery in over 30 years and we are becoming more dependent than ever on foreign oil. 

Diesels are less than 1% of car and light truck sales in the U.S. But, they are more popular in Europe with its high gasoline prices. Their fuel taxes help to promote diesels and the emissions standards are less strict. Diesels are in almost 40% of the cars in Europe. By 2001 they were in most of the new cars sold in many European countries. 

Issues of greenhouse-gas emissions and local air pollution, coupled with the increase in oil and gasoline prices, are triggering renewed interest in electric vehicles as a means to reduce emissions, improve the fuel economy of the present automobiles and reduce depletion of oil resources (CERA, 2008a 2008b Deutsche Bank, 2008). 

For comparison, the average gasoline price in 2006 was 14.5 ct/kWh with and 4.1 ct/kWh without taxes (in Germany (MWV, 2006)). The price of hydrogen from surplus wind electricity is thus more than double the price of gasoline (assuming that... 

The above rough economics suggest a significant advantage for the enzymatic process, about 10% in capital costs and 6% in product "cost", or, since it includes an allowance for adequate return on investment, price. The price per gallon would make this ethanol competitive with industrial alcohol today, but it is too expensive to be considered for motor fuel at present gasoline prices. 

This would represent a very good price for industrial ethanol. It is still too high for gasoline, even taking into account expected gasoline prices as now projected for the next decade, unless unforseen shortages impose special advantages for this type of motor fuel. 

Lippe, D. (2007) Gasoline price spike shifts ethylene feeds. Oil Gas Journal, 105, 56. 

The United States consumes one fifth of the world s oil and possesses only 3% of its oil reserves. She also has the world s lowest gasoline prices, the least... 

This process offers a possible source of gasoline from coal at a cost not significantly above possible future Middle East gasoline prices. It is seen princi-... 

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