Soaring gas prices altering E.V. lifestyles

Frank Ortega looked at the gauge on the gas pump and laughed, nervously. “Seventy dollars,” he said. “And I didn’t even fill up the tank.”

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Ortega of Mesa had just finished gassing his Nissan 350Z on Thursday at a northeast Mesa service station offering regular unleaded for $3.89 a gallon and reflected on the impact that sky-high gasoline prices were having on his life.

“This car sits in the driveway,” he said, “I got it because I figured it was my turn (to have a sports car). Now I’m making $700 a month in car payments, and I don’t get to use it ... I don’t have enough money left to drive it.”

Ortega’s pain is being felt by a lot of East Valley residents as the price at the pump soared again this week.

According to AAA Arizona, the average price of regular self-serve gas in the Mesa-Chandler-Gilbert-Tempe area rose 16 cents is the past seven days to $3.82 a gallon.

In Scottsdale, the average jumped 16.5 cents to $3.86. Both stand at record highs.

Other motorists filling up Thursday also said the gas situation is having a major impact on their lifestyles.

“It limits what I can do with my free time,” said James Crane, a 27-year Mesa resident.

“I spend a lot more time at home. ... We’ve only been to the movies once in three months. And it will be limiting our trips this summer.”

Margie Owens, also of Mesa, said she has been walking more and combining errands to reduce her driving.

“I’m unhappy about it because I have kids who live in Queen Creek, and I would like to see my grandkids more often,” she said.

If gas prices continue to climb “I could go grocery shopping on my bicycle,” she said.

With so many people cutting back their driving, this year the U.S. Department of Energy is predicting the first year-over-year decline in fuel consumption in the United States since 1991.

But even though consumption is down 0.6 percent so far in 2008, gasoline prices have continued to rise relentlessly. In Arizona, the average price has risen for 15 consecutive weeks, according to AAA.

In past years, gas prices have usually peaked around Memorial Day and then leveled off at a high plateau for the summer before declining in the fall.

But this year all bets are off, said Linda Gorman, public affairs manager for AAA Arizona.

“This year has gone against all trends so far,” she said, “It’s very hard to predict.”

The price of crude oil, a major component in the price of gasoline, could be a determining factor, she said.

The futures price of crude oil has dropped in the past few days, but “it’s not enough yet,” Gorman said.

“We need to see added drops in the price of oil before it makes its way to pump prices. And if oil prices go up for any reason, gasoline prices will follow suit,” she said.

Gorman said the price of gasoline jumped this week in part because of an increase in driving for the Memorial Day holiday.

Also, the Valley’s summer gasoline blend, a cleaner-burning mix to reduce air pollution on hot days, was introduced May 15, and it’s more expensive than the winter blend because fewer refineries produce it, she said.

In addition, a unit at a refinery in Artesia, N.M., had an unscheduled shutdown last week, tightening Arizona gasoline supplies slightly, she said.

As a result, Arizona no longer boasts the cheapest gas in the U.S., according to AAA.

That honor now belongs to Missouri, where unleaded regular is $3.76 a gallon this week.

The Arizona average is $3.81.

The average price for gas has passed $4 a gallon in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

The most expensive state is Connecticut where a gallon of regular unleaded sets drivers back $4.22.