France - $12-13/Gallon!
Apr 29th, 2011, 01:06 PM
#1
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France - $12-13/Gallon!
My French freind just told me that the cost of a liter of petrol at her local Carrefour gas station has reached euros 2.15 a litre - and this would seem to translate into about $12-13/a U.S. gallon if my paltry math skills are right.
Add this to totally absurd predatory tolls IMO on autoroutes that most folks end of taking to cover any long distance and you have a much more expensive motoring trip than just before. Of course the increasing strength of the Euro, now about $1.50 to a euro with charges factored in makes it all the worse.
Oh well those 29 and 39 euro TGV tickets for trains are looking more and more like bargains compared to driving.
Rather than driving from CDG airport to Provence or Nice consider hopping the train and picking up a car locally once you arrive - you will save a day or two on your overall car rental to boot - drop the car down there and blast back to Paris or the airport!
check out www.voiages-sncf.com for train deals!
and as IME the price of gas is about the same all over Europe what applies to France applies to many other countries as well - though some like Germany do not charge for their freeways.
Add this to totally absurd predatory tolls IMO on autoroutes that most folks end of taking to cover any long distance and you have a much more expensive motoring trip than just before. Of course the increasing strength of the Euro, now about $1.50 to a euro with charges factored in makes it all the worse.
Oh well those 29 and 39 euro TGV tickets for trains are looking more and more like bargains compared to driving.
Rather than driving from CDG airport to Provence or Nice consider hopping the train and picking up a car locally once you arrive - you will save a day or two on your overall car rental to boot - drop the car down there and blast back to Paris or the airport!
check out www.voiages-sncf.com for train deals!
and as IME the price of gas is about the same all over Europe what applies to France applies to many other countries as well - though some like Germany do not charge for their freeways.
Apr 29th, 2011, 01:16 PM
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Where is your friend located? Paris?
I paid 1.37€ per litre today for gazole (diesel) at an Intermarche, 45 minutes south of Toulouse. Petrol is about 1.50. Autoroute prices are about 10% more. These prices are still painful and up from 1.05 € per litre for gazole two years ago.
BTW, agree with you about taking the train, love those PREM's tickets and the www.voyages-sncf.com website is much improved (it couln't have become any worse).
I paid 1.37€ per litre today for gazole (diesel) at an Intermarche, 45 minutes south of Toulouse. Petrol is about 1.50. Autoroute prices are about 10% more. These prices are still painful and up from 1.05 € per litre for gazole two years ago.
BTW, agree with you about taking the train, love those PREM's tickets and the www.voyages-sncf.com website is much improved (it couln't have become any worse).
Apr 29th, 2011, 01:21 PM
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Only $5.45 a gallon where I live.
As you note, you have to factor in the fact that: cars are smaller, cars often use diesel, there is a much better train network, and people in the cities use metro/buses to get around as a normal part of their day.
Would be interested in someone from there to venture a guess on what percentage of home budget does gas costs make up.
As you note, you have to factor in the fact that: cars are smaller, cars often use diesel, there is a much better train network, and people in the cities use metro/buses to get around as a normal part of their day.
Would be interested in someone from there to venture a guess on what percentage of home budget does gas costs make up.
Apr 29th, 2011, 01:29 PM
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"the cost of a liter of petrol at her local Carrefour gas station has reached euros 2.15 a litre"
There's something odd going on here. Hypermarkets typically undercut conventional petrol stations by 5%-10% or so - and French prices are usually a bit below British.
But conventional stations in Britain are £1.35-40 a litre (€1.55-€1.6)today.
So, unsurprisingly, www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr is quoting around €1.52-€1.60 for SP95. Not in hypermarkets, but in ordinary petrol stations.
You might ask your friend what her local Carrefour thinks it's up to. Or whether she needs a new pair of glasses.
There's something odd going on here. Hypermarkets typically undercut conventional petrol stations by 5%-10% or so - and French prices are usually a bit below British.
But conventional stations in Britain are £1.35-40 a litre (€1.55-€1.6)today.
So, unsurprisingly, www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr is quoting around €1.52-€1.60 for SP95. Not in hypermarkets, but in ordinary petrol stations.
You might ask your friend what her local Carrefour thinks it's up to. Or whether she needs a new pair of glasses.
Apr 29th, 2011, 01:32 PM
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According the list of recommended European petrol prices the price in France today is €1.640 per litre of Euro 95.
The Netherlands is €1.757, which is the third most expensive - only Turkey (€1.859) and Norway (€1.842)are more expensive.
It lists the USA at a mere €0.681 for comparison.
The Netherlands is €1.757, which is the third most expensive - only Turkey (€1.859) and Norway (€1.842)are more expensive.
It lists the USA at a mere €0.681 for comparison.
Apr 29th, 2011, 03:30 PM
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In the San Francisco area, I purchased gas for $4.43/gal about 1 hour ago. My Lexus mini-SUV does not get as good mileage as the diesel Renault Scenic mini-SUV we normally rent in France.
Stu Dudley
Stu Dudley
Apr 29th, 2011, 04:25 PM
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Two points:
Europeans generally drive cars that get much better mileage than in the US - so the distance you can drive per $ is much greater than if you've got a 15 mpg gas guzzler.
European countries tax gasoline to discourage use while supporting fairly comprehensive public transit systems - unlike the US which spends gazillions on roads for the gas guzzlers and prefers not to support public transit. (This is why our gas is only about $4 per gallon now.)
Europeans generally drive cars that get much better mileage than in the US - so the distance you can drive per $ is much greater than if you've got a 15 mpg gas guzzler.
European countries tax gasoline to discourage use while supporting fairly comprehensive public transit systems - unlike the US which spends gazillions on roads for the gas guzzlers and prefers not to support public transit. (This is why our gas is only about $4 per gallon now.)
Apr 29th, 2011, 04:43 PM
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These 125mph and above! require prudence, you never know if the car or truck on the right lane will just pull into the your lane, your options at that instance are limited.
It's a thing of tunnel vision, the lane gets smaller than it actually is and the trucks/cars in the right lane just seem to be standing there. You need to know the risks involved and be able to provide the proper reaction in case someone else is making a mistake. It's not as easy as it seems.
Funny, but on an empty Autobahn at night, it's usually easier.
It's a thing of tunnel vision, the lane gets smaller than it actually is and the trucks/cars in the right lane just seem to be standing there. You need to know the risks involved and be able to provide the proper reaction in case someone else is making a mistake. It's not as easy as it seems.
Funny, but on an empty Autobahn at night, it's usually easier.
Apr 29th, 2011, 05:36 PM
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When your're going 75mph in the right lane, what do YOU do?
Look in the mirror and try to assess the speed the other guy/girl is going. As a training just watch a few cars passing you. Were you able to guess how fast they were going? Did you notice the difference in speed? Can you pass the truck in front of you at about the same speed and is the guy still so far away that you can pull into the left lane? When there's nobody in the left lane it's perfect but those moments are rare. If the other guy is still (far) away and you can pull into the left lane, do it and accelerate to the max speed allowed to pass the truck(s). Do it!
The optimum would be that you didn't have to disengage cruise control or even accelerate above the speed you set it to without disturbing anybody.
So is driving difficult? No, I don't think so.
Look in the mirror and try to assess the speed the other guy/girl is going. As a training just watch a few cars passing you. Were you able to guess how fast they were going? Did you notice the difference in speed? Can you pass the truck in front of you at about the same speed and is the guy still so far away that you can pull into the left lane? When there's nobody in the left lane it's perfect but those moments are rare. If the other guy is still (far) away and you can pull into the left lane, do it and accelerate to the max speed allowed to pass the truck(s). Do it!
The optimum would be that you didn't have to disengage cruise control or even accelerate above the speed you set it to without disturbing anybody.
So is driving difficult? No, I don't think so.
Apr 29th, 2011, 08:59 PM
#14
At Carrefour around Paris (the Montreuil and Ivry stations), SP95 costs 1.51€ a liter.
A Carrefour station on the autoroute would cost considerably more due to the cost of the concession and the 24/7 obligation.
A Carrefour station on the autoroute would cost considerably more due to the cost of the concession and the 24/7 obligation.
May 1st, 2011, 06:49 AM
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<<When will the US change to liters and meters like the 214 other countries in the world?>>
I am American and I would like nothing more than to see the US switch to metrics. It is already used in science and medicine but for some reason it never caught on with the public. I remember as a school kid in the 70's there was a big push for metrics, as my teachers all said we would switch in the near future. I don't know who dropped the ball on that but it just never happened.
Back to the subject, here in Austin, Texas it costs around $3.85/gallon for gas. I don't complain about this because I know that's cheap compared with most of the world.
I am American and I would like nothing more than to see the US switch to metrics. It is already used in science and medicine but for some reason it never caught on with the public. I remember as a school kid in the 70's there was a big push for metrics, as my teachers all said we would switch in the near future. I don't know who dropped the ball on that but it just never happened.
Back to the subject, here in Austin, Texas it costs around $3.85/gallon for gas. I don't complain about this because I know that's cheap compared with most of the world.
May 1st, 2011, 07:01 AM
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Your Maths is also wrong. The US gallon = 3.65l and if you multiply this by 2.14, you get $7.85/
No you'd get 7.85 euros not dollars
but my friend is obviously wrong - perhaps she meant she heard that petrol was going to be e 2.15 soon - she does not use diesel.
No you'd get 7.85 euros not dollars
but my friend is obviously wrong - perhaps she meant she heard that petrol was going to be e 2.15 soon - she does not use diesel.
