Fuel exemption 'inferior option' to appease voters
The paper, based on analysis by consultants ACIL Tasman and prepared in July last year, finds higher fuel prices tend to raise demand for more fuel-efficient cars, as was the case in Europe.
But CO2 emissions or fuel-economy standards "do not necessarily encourage consumers to shift to a vehicle with better fuel-economy within the same market segment or to a vehicle in a smaller market segment".
It suggested standards would be slow-acting because of the slow turnover of the fleet, with cars on average operating in Australia for 18 years.
"By increasing vehicle prices, CO2 emissions or fuel economy standards could encourage longer retention of old vehicles," the report said.
The research found private buyers tended to opt for vehicles with better fuel economy than cars bought by governments or companies.
Therefore, governments and corporate buyers were "nudging" the market towards cars with relatively poor fuel economy. Imposing mandatory fuel -emissions standards would increase the costs of vehicles.
Effectively Managing the Fuel Market
As gasoline prices trend upward, retailers are struggling to stay competitive on price while protecting their margin. By John Lofstock, Editor.
The cost of fuel has been roaring up and down like a rollercoaster, and so has the risk to retailers when purchasing fuel in large quantities. Fortunes can be made by accurately predicting which way the market will swing, but very few retailers can afford to have a tank full of gasoline underground when the retail price plummets.
One way that chains are mitigating risk is with software that helps them optimize fuel inventory, decrease operational expenses like unplanned split loads and reduce the costs related to scheduling and managing fleets.
The average price for a gallon of gas nationwide on July 29 was $3.710, according to AAA—nearly a dollar higher than a year ago, when the average was just $2.744. California’s average has hit $3.817, the eighth highest in the country, but one of the state’s lowest rankings in years. That price, though, is 66.7 cents higher than it was a year ago.
knox.VillageSoup.comAP , 09.19.11, 11:31 AM EDT AUGUSTA, Maine -- A price monitoring website says the average retail gasoline price in Maine has fallen 4.6 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.68. MaineGasPrices.com says prices Sunday were 98.4 cents per gallon higher Average price of regular gas falls to $3.72 a gallon around SyracuseGas prices fall, despite volatile marketsAAA Mich.: Gas prices down 15 cents in past week - -all 178 news articles »
Kansas City StarThe BTU-adjusted price calculated by OPIS and AAA is not an actual retail average price paid by consumers. It is calculated as part of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report because according to the Energy Information Administration E-85 delivers approximately 25 Lower US demand for gasoline translating to cheaper fuel pricesGas prices retreat a tiny bitFuel Prices Crawl Down But Don't Help Motorists - -all 133 news articles »
