Petrol Price Saver

Capitalizing on downward swings in petrol price is simple - but only if you refuel smarter

Petrol companies paint the picture that petrol price is both logical and cheap, but the reality appears quite different

This post is about petrol price and how to drive so you can re-fuel more often when petrol prices are comparatively low, thereby saving money.

Petrol price fluctuations

Petrol price fluctuations at the service station are inevitable and unpredictable – but there is a very simple driving and refueling strategy that will allow you to save whenever the petrol price drops. It’s an easy, no-compromise way for any driver to cut the cost of motoring.

E10 Fuel

Verdict: Don’t bother

E10 petrol – a 10 per cent mix of ethanol in petrol – is a nice idea … but E10 petrol will not save you any money.

E10 petrol sounds like a smart idea - but unless you watch the price carefully you could easily get ripped offAbove: Typical ethanol marketing fluffNEED TO KNOW

Petrol is derived from crude oil, a fossil fuel. It is a chemical hydrocarbon. (Actually it’s a collection of hydrocarbons.)
Ethanol is manufactured, usually by fermentation, from plant products containing sugars and starches. Ethanol is an alcohol (actually it’s the same alcohol as the stuff in beer, wine and spirits).
When you buy fuel, you’re buying a liquid form of energy. Unfortunately, ethanol

fuel, drivingJohn Cadogan8 October 2011E10, E10 petrol, cheap fuel, ethanol, fuel consumption, fuel priceComment

Price of Fuel, & Going from Garbage to Ethanol

As if the cost of living needed to be under any more pressure: The price of petrol is out of control – again.

Basic unleaded petrol looks like smashing through $1.50 a litre before the weekend – and you’ve got to wonder where all that money goes. Not to you and me, that’s for sure.

If you took a litre of petrol – let’s call it $1.50 – what’s the breakdown? Who pockets the lion’s share? Who’s getting rich? Because someone is.

Here’s how it works out.

fuelJohn Cadogan5 April 2011petrol, gasoline, diesel, fuel, price of fuel, fuel price, transport fuel, alternative fuel, energy industryComment

Understanding the Price of Petrol

The price of basic unleaded petrol in Australia is currently as much as $1.50 per litre. Understanding the price, and how it is made up, is actually simpler than many regulators would have you believe.

There’s a lot of speculation about the price of petrol, but the breakdown is broadly this (assuming the price is $1.50 per litre) for every one litre of petrol sold:

38.14 cents is Federal fuel excise – a fancy name for