Alternate Route

Apr 8, 2008 - Matter Of Perspective

Green is in. And if you ask any questions you're branded as someone who hates the planet, loves the oil companies, and generally are not a nice guy.

Never mind that a hybrid vehicle actually costs more to own over the typical amount of time I'd own a car even taking the fuel savings into account. That "hybrid premium" is a myth, or so the greenies will emphatically tell you. but that's another tale for another time.

With tax time approaching, my mind was in dollars and cents mode as I juggled the money trying to prepare to pay my taxes, and a different way of looking at fuel efficieny popped into my head. Miles per dollar.

To calculate miles per dollar, simply take the mileage your car gets, and divide it by the cost per gallon of the fuel you use. For example, my Nissan Versa getting 32 mpg using 87 octane that's $3.35 at the pump right now is getting 9.55 MPD. (miles per dollar)  So if I have to run the 8 miles into town to pick up widgets, the 16 mile round trip is costing me at least $1.67.

Maybe this is the way to get people to cut down on fuel use. Let them know how fast the meter is running. After all, look how worked up people are about gas prices because of the never ending coverage. Imagine how it would affect you if a little cash register on the dash was racking up the dollars as you drove!

5:28 am | Categories: commentary, fuel efficiency, gas prices Permalink | Alert Administrator

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