Metro gas prices rise again, expected to continue rising

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Petrol prices in Metro Vancouver are expected to continue rising through at least Sunday. $2.34 per liter, according to the price watch website Gas Wizard.

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Gasoline prices in the Metro rose 13% from Tuesday when they were $1.95 a liter. According to Calibrate, a consulting firm that tracks fuel prices, Saturday prices hit $2.20 a liter in many parts of Metro Vancouver, the highest since July.

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Canadians for Affordable Energy oil analyst Dan McTeogue told Global News this week that problems in Washington state and other parts of the US contributed to the increase.

“The unusual supply shortage on the US West Coast worsened by about a week before the Phillips 66 Ferndale Washington Refinery shut down for maintenance,” said McTeague.

“This is something that many refineries across the country are putting off, especially given the strong demand this summer.”

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As fuel prices rise, drivers are starting to change their habits, multiple experts who spoke to Postmedia said.

BCAA’s Evo car-sharing program sees “more use when gas prices are high,” Evo communications manager Sarah Holland said in an email.

“Our sign-ups are increasing, people are taking more trips, longer trips,” says Holland.

She said some Evo users have sold their vehicles and are using Evo at least in part because of high gas prices.

at a car sales site Canadian driveinterest in articles about electric and hybrid vehicles surged along with gasoline prices, said Chris Reynolds, vice president of marketing.

“People are recognizing that there are better lifestyle choices, such as plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles,” said Reynolds. “They are on the move.”

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For those not ready or unable to make the switch, Reynolds provided some simple tips and tricks to reduce fuel costs, starting with how often you fill up your tank. .

“When you see that you have half a tank and the price is low, refuel. Don’t wait,” he said. “No matter how full your tank is, fill it up.

“You can’t choose a price if you fill up the car when it’s empty.”

According to Canada Drives, gas prices typically start rising on Thursdays as the weekend approaches.

How you drive is just as important, if not more important, than filling up on gas, said Reynolds, noting that hard acceleration and braking consume a lot of gas.

“Don’t drive aggressively,” he said, “drive smoothly.”

“Paying attention to RPM is one way to measure how smooth the drive is,” says Reynold. “Keeping it around 3000 RPM is still a good pace and the car can gear efficiently.”

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Are there people who are actively out of line at the green light?

“They are wasting gas,” he said.

[protected-iframe info=”https://vs-postmedia.github.io/fuel-cost-calculator/” height=”640″

Reynold also suggested downloading an app like Gas Buddy, which provides localised prices for gas stations in a user-determined area. Prices are updated by people using the app, which has a large user-base, so the prices are usually the most up-to-date.

“You can literally get a notification on your Gas Buddy app” about price changes, Reynold said.

Other apps, including Waze, the navigation platform, and the BCAA mobile app also include localised gas prices. Since they have fewer users, prices might not be as current, Reynold said.

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Reynolds also suggested that drivers sign up for a rewards program that offers savings on fuel purchases.

“It’s another card for your wallet, but it could save you dozens of dollars a year,” he said.

He suggested signing up for two or more programs that were “close to your area for convenience.”

That way, he said, drivers would avoid the situation of driving extra miles just to save a few cents on gas.

Other tips Reynolds suggests include keeping your car’s tires properly inflated and changing your oil and air filters regularly. All of these are meant to help the vehicle make the most efficient use of the fuel in the tank.

ngriffiths@postmedia.com

twitter.com/njgriffiths

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