In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Clean Air Act. This act aims to regulate harmful emissions and reduce air pollutants for cleaner air. In line with this, gas stations switch from summer gas to a cheaper winter blend.
While the price of gasoline can vary by state, you can expect gas prices to drop around $0.10 to $0.30 per gallon during winter. There are a few reasons for this price drop, such as the following:
With the roads covered in snow, you can expect fewer people driving in the winter. This means there’s also less demand for gas in the winter, creating a greater supply and causing its prices to go down.
Another reason why winter gas also costs cheaper is because it’s cheaper to produce. Butane and other fuel additives found in winter-blend gasoline cost less than those found in summer-blend gas.
The EPA requires gas stations to sell summer gas until September 15, so you can expect gas stations to start selling winter gas around mid-September.
Several factors such as location and climate patterns can affect this, with gas stationsc in the northern states typically switching to winter gas first. Most gas stations will also sell all of their summer gas before switching to winter gas.
You might be wondering, if winter-blend gas is cheaper to produce, then why not use it all year round? Well, there are actually a few reasons why.
Butane and other winter gasoline additives have a lower viscosity and boiling point, which means they can evaporate when it’s too hot. This can lead to vapor lock, which can cause your engine to lose power, stall, or fail to start.
While summer-blend gas can still evaporate in hot weather, winter-blend gas evaporates much faster. All that fuel vapor will form more smog and other emissions that are harmful to the environment.
Today, the average price of gas is approximately $3.06 per gallon. While this often fluctuates, current gas prices are around 17% higher than they were 5 years ago. Here are some of the reasons why gas is so expensive:
When you’re paying for gas, over half of the price you pay covers the cost of crude oil. Crude oil is a nonrenewable resource that’s used to make gasoline, jet fuel, and other petroleum products. As a limited resource, it’s expensive to extract, process, and transport.
As the US economy continues to grow, the need for more fuel also increases. This results in a greater demand for oil, forcing the US to import more oil despite being the world’s biggest producer of oil.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC for short, is an international organization that sets oil production targets for its member countries. The OPEC’s 12 member countries, such as Algeria, Gabon, Iran, and Kuwait, control around 72% of the world’s largest oil reserves. When targets are low, there’s less supply, leading to higher crude oil prices.
As one of the world’s major oil exporters, Russia’s conflict with Ukraine disrupted the global energy market, with the US no longer importing gas from Russia. This caused the national average gas price to rise to $5.02 per gallon, a 42% increase.
When hurricanes, storms, and other natural disasters hit, transport routes and various infrastructures can get damaged. This can slow down the production of energy companies and cause gas prices to increase.
Certain states charge more tax per gallon of gas. For example, California charges the highest tax than any other state, at around 87 cents of tax per gallon.
When you pay for gas, you’re also paying for its production, distribution, and marketing costs. This typically amounts to a third of the retail price of gas.
Gas prices fluctuate throughout the year, with a consistent increase every summer. With more people traveling, there’s a bigger demand for gas, causing prices to spike.
You can also expect gas to cost more in the spring when most energy companies limit capacity to conduct their annual maintenance. Because of this, there’s less supply, causing fuel prices to increase.
Every year, the fuel supply switches from summer-grade fuel to winter-grade fuel and vice versa. When gas stations transition to summer gasoline, gas prices spike due to its pricier production costs.
Aside from their price, what exactly is the difference between summer gas and winter gas? Summer gas produces less smog, which means it burns cleaner than winter fuel. This is because winter-blend gasoline has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). While a higher RVP means it evaporates at lower temperatures, it also results in more emissions.
It’ll depend on what the season is. Each blend is specifically formulated to meet specific weather conditions, which means summer-blend is best used during hot weather and winter-blend during cold weather.
Gas prices can sometimes spike as gas stations switch from summer to winter gas. Poor weather conditions can complicate transition processes, causing gas prices to rise. Thankfully, this is only temporary. You can typically expect prices to decrease by the end of September.
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.