The Unexpected Price of Gas

Fears of a global economic downturn have sent oil prices downward, less than a month after the national average price of gas in the U.S. reached $5 a gallon for the first time. "All this talk of interest rates and recession — that's fear, the oil market is reacting on fear," AAA.com spokesperson Andrew Gross said. "It's kind of like the stock market: You have these incredible swings when it sees rising rates or talk of recession, a global recession, that means an economic slowdown, which means less oil is being consumed. That's bad news for the oil industry. And that’s why prices have been dropping.”

The market too affects the price to charge for electric vehicle owners.  With the best-selling electric Ford Lightning and Mach-E prevalent on the market, it is essential to note that, like gasoline, electricity prices can vary between regions. In most areas, you will be charged per kWh (kilowatt-hour). Many Level 2 charge stations offer complementary energy. The rest of the Level 2 chargers charge a nominal fee per charge session.  With a bigger battery pack, the electric trucks could afford to use some of their energy capacity to provide backup power in case of an outage. Therefore, it could potentially replace a home generator or home battery pack, like the Tesla Powerwall.  To use the capacity at home, Ford-F150 Lightning owners will need a bi-directional charging station into which they can plug their electric pickup.  Now Ford has officially launched the Ford Charge Station Pro, which acts as a charging station and bi-directional charger.  As more information comes to market, we will forward along.

The volatile price of gas has been relevant throughout history.  With a newly legal driver in the house, one question is pertinent, “Why is it called unleaded gas.”  The impact of lead is a hot topic and has been the “unexpected price of gas” regardless of the economic ups and downs.  “Lead is a soft metal toxic to humans,” explains our friends from News for Kids. “Bits of lead can enter the body through breathing, eating, or drinking. Lead that enters the body has a hard time leaving. Instead, it often builds up in essential areas of the body. Lead poisoning can cause severe problems like brain damage, heart disease, and many other illnesses. The effects of lead poisoning are especially damaging to children, whose bodies are still growing and developing.”

“The last leaded fuel finally disappeared from gas stations in July of 2021. The last country in the world to sell it: Algeria."  This stirred quite a buzz in the industry. According to Hagerty, “When Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act into law in 1970, most considered the problem solved—after all, leaded gas was on the way out. Unfortunately, not until 1996 did lead or lead additives disappear from the gasoline Americans bought at the pump. The good news is eventually, the law bore fruit: Levels of lead in people’s blood dropped when lead was removed from the fuel.  Those born after 2000 show significantly lower amounts of lead in their bloodstream than in previous generations. Interestingly, the average BBL of people born after 2000 is not zero." 

“Why? A giant loophole in the Clean Air Act still allows the use of leaded gas,” the experts at the Drive point out.  "You can still buy additives for classic cars without hardened valve seats and even at some fuel pumps for off-road vehicles, marine engines, and some farming machinery. These exemptions are classified as "off-road" by the Environmental Protection Agency and have been since the Clean Air Act banned the sale of leaded fuel for passenger cars in 1996. There's one rather thirsty user of lead-based fuels that's more representative than the examples above: airplanes. And piston-based aircraft running on leaded gas are the largest contributor to airborne lead in the nation."

With the year anniversary of the last leaded gasoline pump in Algeria, it is important to note the fight still continues for many to end all lead-based fuel consumption worldwide. Scientists have alternative options for the aviation industry as well as new technology that can finally end the toxic effect on humans of lead from fuel use. When researching in National Geographic we learned, “the Algerian refinery used up its lead stockpile last month, estimating it will prevent 1.2 million premature deaths; avoided health costs and regained human potential could be worth $2.4 trillion annually.” 

Will the price of gas continue to increase or decrease based on the market?  We cannot predict the price of gas, but we hope that the price we pay for our health has decreased with only unleaded gas available at the pump.

To learn more about electric vehicles and Ford's efficient fuel system technology, please contact J.C. Lewis Ford at 912. 210.5677

Photo: Ford Media, First Baby Born in Ford Electric Vehicle