Diesel costs

[spider]

Please, this is not intended to be a "fuel prices are too high!!!" topic, we already know that.


I'm just wondering *why* diesel is higher than unleaded, without searching I seem to recall that it is actually easier to produce diesel than petrol as it needs less refinement ?

In which case it should be a fraction less in cost.

I suppose the explosion in popularity of derv powered cars in the early to mid 90's helped a lot, although I do remember when a bit younger fuel was around 39 or 40 pence per litre back then you could still get 'real' leaded fuel too

I do not recall the price of derv although I'm sure it used to be generally a fair bit (not just 2 or 3 pence) cheaper than petrol... Around 5 to 10 pence I seem to think although that may well be my imagination.

EDIT... Tidied topic slightly.

[Xaccers]

It used to be (if memory serves) diesel started getting taxed more than petrol (to compensate for the better mileage and therefore less used), but now that both petrol and diesel have the same duty rate applied the reason for diesel being more expensive is because we got used to it being that way and they can therefore make more money from it.

[C5Alan]

I may be totally wrong on this but I heard/read somewhere that the Americans stressing out over the high fuel costs of their petrol (yes I know they pay fec all compared to us) started buying diesel cars so there is less diesel out there. Thing that gets me is that diesel is mixed with veg oil and it still costs so much more???

[andmcit]

Believe it or not, I think it's because they can't make enough of the 'clean' low
sulphour variety fast enough.

Now the bias for diesel far outweighs unleaded the infrastructure that has
always predominatly favoured leaded/unleaded since the year dot is too unwieldy
to output and there's reluctance to invest disproportionally high amounts of money
in the refinement that'd actually allow it be be made cheaper to us!

They're just passing on their inefficient overheads for diesel production onto the
motorist who has to pay whatever they ask!

I say use petrol!

[Xaccers]

I may be totally wrong on this but I heard/read somewhere that the Americans stressing out over the high fuel costs of their petrol (yes I know they pay fec all compared to us) started buying diesel cars so there is less diesel out there. Thing that gets me is that diesel is mixed with veg oil and it still costs so much more???

Looking into it a bit further, the Chinese massively increased demand for diesel fuel, which pushed the price of it up above petrol.

[myglaren]

Everything gets blamed on the Chinese these days.

[Junkman]

Everything gets blamed on the Chinese these days.

Yeah, funny. First we allow our own oligarchy to outsource all industrial production to China, then we blame the Chinese that they use raw materials for making our stuff. I guess it's because blaming the Jews has gone out of fashion and we are too scared to blame the Muslims.

Also, when has it become racist to slag an entire ethnic group in a derogatory way?

Besides, Rudolf Diesel himself ran his engines with peanut oil. He never envisioned them running on petrochemical stuff and said, oil seeds will be as important and valuable as crude oil in future. I wonder whether these words were the reason why he mysteriously disappeared from a channel ferry never to be seen again, dead or alive.
But marking his words, I use Bio-Diesel at 99p/Litre with fuel duty paid certificate. Yes, I know, that's why the people in Africa are starving...

[Xaccers]

Also, when has it become racist to slag an entire ethnic group in a derogatory way?

It is not as long as they are French

Seriously though, it always has been, but became an offence with the passing of the Race Relations Act 1976.

[Junkman]

Also, when has it become racist to slag an entire ethnic group in a derogatory way?

It is not as long as they are French

Seriously though, it always has been, but became an offence with the passing of the Race Relations Act 1976.

Oh no! Not even the yanks are exempt?

[RobinMasters]

Also, when has it become racist to slag an entire ethnic group in a derogatory way?

It is not as long as they are French

Seriously though, it always has been, but became an offence with the passing of the Race Relations Act 1976.

Oh no! Not even the yanks are exempt?

I believe that to qualify as a 'race' you need to have a 'shared cultural heritage'. That is why religious groups are protected by the legislation, even though they are not strictly speaking a race.

As such it doesn't apply to Americans, as they have no culture at all.

[Xantianut]

Ay up!

The only culture I ever found during 18 months in Central Mississippi was in a yogurt pot that had been left in the sun for a week!

Seriously, the problem is fuel duty. 3/4 of what we pay at the pumps goes straight to Gorgeous George and diesel is still taxed at a higher rate, so far as I know, because of its "Environmental Damage." So much for the "promises" of Politicians.

An ancestor of mine was wounded at the Peterlee Massacre of 1819 protesting at the fact that he had no vote. He'll be doing handsprings in his grave.

Sorry, rant over.

I need to lie down now in a darkened room. Ah, thank you Nurse!

[CitroJim]

If you don't enjoy the cost of diesel (or petrol for that matter) then go LPG

There's a lot of pleasure in paying only 76p per litre for your fuel... A two-finger salute to George as far as I'm concerned

It completely baffles me why LPG has not taken off big-time. OK, I know filling stations are not exactly common and filling is a bit of a procedure but it's not really that bad and a bit of pre-journey research shows where LPG is available on your chosen route.

I'm converted

[Xaccers]

Ay up!

The only culture I ever found during 18 months in Central Mississippi was in a yogurt pot that had been left in the sun for a week!

Seriously, the problem is fuel duty. 3/4 of what we pay at the pumps goes straight to Gorgeous George and diesel is still taxed at a higher rate, so far as I know, because of its "Environmental Damage."

Fuel Duty rates
Fuel On and after 23 March 2011
Unleaded petrol 0.5795
Heavy oil (diesel) 0.5795
Biodiesel 0.5795
Bioethanol 0.5795

All charged the same duty rate, so differences at the pump are not due to taxation.
Duty has been kept static for the last year and a half, and I can't see it going up in January.
Under Gormless Gordo, the rate of duty increase went up to 6% above inflation until the protests, then he froze it whilst claiming he had scrapped it, unfreezing it 3 years later with an 8ppl rise so recouping the missed increases. Then there was the additional increase to pay for the wars.
They even went after legitimate SVO/WVO users who'd been paying the lower bio fuel rate by claiming it was diesel substitute and back dating their tax bills!

[CitroJim]

What is the duty on LPG Xac?

What makes it more or less half the cost of petrol and diesel?

[Xaccers]

What is the duty on LPG Xac?

What makes it more or less half the cost of petrol and diesel?

31.61ppl going up to 37.34ppl in January.