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Comment by ck2 | Hacker News Reader

Just in time for $6 gas.

Are people seriously going to buy anything other than a hybrid or full EV at this point?

People spend about $20k-80k more than they need to just so they can drive something they like. We could all be driving Honda Civics, but the world is full of BMW 3series. If you're blowing an extra $20k to have a car you like, what's another $20k on some fuel if that's what you like.

I don't really see how $6 gas is materially different from $4 gas

And yea, F150s and Tundras are still going to outsell anything less than 5 feet tall, don't really know what to tell ya

> I don't really see how $6 gas is materially different from $4 gas

What?

Sure. And that's why there is a waiting list a mile long for electric F150s.

My neighbor bought a new Camry Hybrid. It gets 50mpg+ for under 30k.

That is impressive.

My neighbour bought a 2017 Cadillac Escalade V8 supercharged during the pandemic that gets 7.1L/100km (33MPG) on the highway due to displacement on demand and they live in the country so it has worked out well for them as they need the 4x4 and the space of the vehicle. I was annoyed since that's better consumption than my 4 cylinder econo-box.

I bought a 2nd hand petrol SUV recently and fuel is heading towards $10/US gal here.

It's still hard to find an EV with a high payload capacity and good range, especially when towing, and used EVs are still crazy expensive.

This is not permanent.

I'll wager the base is $6 after this. I'm currently paying $7 because I'm in CA and I have to buy Diesel after some drunk person totaled my non-truck.

If you look at the last 20 years, then the current $100/barrel seems to be the "new normal" ? (Up from ~$25/barrel for the 2nd half of the 20th century.)

Now, currently it's more the lack of refining capacity that seems to be pushing fuel prices up, the crack spread is up to $50/barrel !!

If this is the base, it'll just be a form of inflation and get lost pretty soon. Currently 1 hr of fast food labor buys you 2 gallons of gas. That's probably pretty close to what it was in 1996 also.

> That's probably pretty close to what it was in 1996 also.

No, this is wrong. Minimum wage in 1996 was around 5$ Per hour and gas was below 1$ per gallon.

Gas was not below $1 a gallon in 1996. Especially not in California. Also, cars weren't getting the mpg they are now. Cost per mile relative to minimum wage probably isn't that far off.. which you can probably see from data that basically everyone is driving as much as ever.. because other than mental sticker shock, it's still fine.

Literally $1.10 (and often less) at the station down the street from my home in San Jose. My car had roughly the same mileage as my 2011 car that a drunk person recently destroyed.

Right now, even if min wage is what, $15, a gallon is $6, so I don't understand what you are saying.

It's not permanent, but it probably will happen again. Gas prices are volatile.

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