ABC: Motorists: We're Being Cheated with "Hot Fuel"

[deminks]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/12/motorists_were_.html

A group of motorists and truck drivers say Americans are being cheated out of billions of dollars by gas stations selling "hot fuel," gasoline that expands under high temperatures but provides no greater bang for the buck.

The allegation is contained in a lawsuit filed against 17 oil and gas companies operating stations in seven of the country's warmest states, including Florida, Arizona, Texas and California.

The current standard, agreed to by regulators and the industry, is that each gallon of gasoline should be sold at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If gasoline heats above this temperature, it expands by volume but not by energy content, meaning consumers would be getting less energy per gallon. An investigation by the Kansas City Star estimated that hot fuel costs consumers $2.3 billion a year.

Without commenting on the lawsuit, John Bisney of the American Petroleum Institute said the current system is fair because "motorists get a gallon regardless of the temperature outside." Bisney said it would also be prohibitively expensive for the industry to install temperature adjusted fuel pumps. It would cost up to $12 thousand to retrofit older pumps, he said.

[evlbstrd]

1. It would cost up to $12 thousand to retrofit older pumps, he said.

Waah. How about we just replace you guys?

[cornermouse]

2. I've been wondering how they were cheating.

The gas station's past record on cheating isn't good and with increased prices and general atmosphere of overwhelming greed that we've been going through, I've figured they were cheating somehow.

[Wiley50]

3. The Vapor Recovery System Steals Gas Too

You know those little cup-like thingies on the gas pump handle?
They suck any vaporized fuel out of your tank, condense it
and sell it back to you

And the hotter it is and the more empty your tank
the more they steal

[FtWayneBlue]

4. I noticed this when I drove to Camp Casey in August.

At one gas station where I filled up, I think it was in Arkansas, when I went to hang the nozzle back up I noticed it was actually warm to the touch, almost hot. This is an unusual phenomenon. Usually the nozzle after fillup is quite cool - cold even. Looking around, I saw that the tanks for the pumps were above ground, thus delivering fuel at or near the current air temperature - around 90 degrees. Most tanks are below ground and deliver much cooler fuel. Cool fuel is more dense. As it heats in your tank to air temperature, it expands. That is why there is such a big difference in your miles per gallon from that type of fillup -which I did notice. I can't say whether this is actually cheating or not, but I would say - look out for above-ground tanks when filling up on a hot day. I remember driving a '48 Chevy pickup with the gas tank behind the seat in the cab. The fill cap was about handle high right behind the door. If you filled it up right to the top and then parked it on a hot day, gas would actually start dripping out of the cap and down the side of the truck.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Keep driving those honkin', oversized penis substitute gas guzzlers, and gas'll keep getting hotter.

Along with everything else.

Jesus fucking christ. How about getting congress to raise the mileage standards, people?

[krispos42]

6. The EPA is changing how to calculate mileage; numbers to go down

I heard on Air America that the EPA is scrapping the grossly-optimistic method of currently calculating mileage with a newer one that is suppose to be more accurate to real-world experience. I've read the old methods in bits and pieces in car magazines, and apparently they assume everybody drives like an elderly nun. Not exceeing 55mph, for example, on highway driving.

If I tried driving like that here I'd have a Volkswagon implanted in my car's rear bumper.

[Mabus]

7. The KC Star has been doing some good investigative reporting lately

They did a piece about insurance companies screwing people over recently that involved going over years of records. I'm pretty impressed. With that said, wow. I admit to being a little shocked. It doesn't surprise me, it just kind of shocks me that they would do this.

As for the cost, the companies are reporting profits in the billions and their executives are getting incredibly high bonuses and they want to bitch about $12K a pump? Pumps that would be beneficial to the American economy? Pumps that would be beneficial to the average American's budget? Pumps that might help save American manufacturing companies from going under by giving them contracts to make the new pumps? How about employment for a few design engineers? What about conserving our resources? The cost to the company is minuscule in relationship to the benefit it could provide to the American economy.