fuel

29/04/2008 by paul.

I was a bit upset at the beginning of the year, when I paid £1.11 for a litre of diesel, but now I have just paid £1.20 and just heard that the price is expected to rise to £1.50, by the end of the year.    Aaaaaagh!
I am sure that an economist could correct me, but I an equally sure that i recall, many years ago, being told that the cost of fuel was rising due to the (then) strong $. OK, so now the $ is weak, why is it not offsetting the other fuel inflation factors…..Those factors being - excessive tax (thank you Gordon), excessive profits - “BP and Shell profits jump”, and industrial action by a bunch of workers that wish to retain a type of pension scheme that most of us lost many years ago. All further aggrevated by the Chineese discovering the motor car and our cousins in the New World, continuing to enjoy the use of low cost fuel in some very inefficient motor cars.
I did recently read that fuel consumption on motorways can be reduced significantly, by keeping to the 70mph limit. Since most of my driving is on the motorway network, I have tried to save fueld by setting the cruise control to just under 70. I have to say that it is quite effective and I have certainly noticed a difference in my fuel consumption….but…most lorries seem to travel at speeds between 60 and 70, whilst most cars travel at sppeds in excess of 80. This means that driving at 70 is a real pain. You slowly catch up on the lorries, but get stuck because of all the cars that are wizzing past at 80+. It may well be more fuel efficient, but it is certainly a lot more dangerous   

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