How to calculate fuel economy

shadowman

I encountered this site while searching for some kind of unrelated info about car engines. Before I went back, I scrolled down and happened to notice this inset in the section on fuel economy:

e.g.: You drive 10,000 miles per year. Car A averages 20 MPG, Car B gets 23 MPG. Gas costs .25 per gallon.

Car A will cost 5.00 per year for gasoline
while Car B will cost 3.48 per year. 

Difference .52 per year. Compare that amount to the price of the car itself.

http://www.familycar.com/NextCar/Step2.htm

morbiuswilters

@shadowman said:

I encountered this site while searching for some kind of unrelated info about car engines. Before I went back, I scrolled down and happened to notice this inset in the section on fuel economy:

e.g.: You drive 10,000 miles per year. Car A averages 20 MPG, Car B gets 23 MPG. Gas costs .25 per gallon.

Car A will cost 5.00 per year for gasoline
while Car B will cost 3.48 per year. 

Difference .52 per year. Compare that amount to the price of the car itself.

http://www.familycar.com/NextCar/Step2.htm

You'd think "5.00 per year for gasoline" would have tipped someone off.

TarquinWJ

@morbiuswilters said:

You'd think "5.00 per year for gasoline" would have tipped someone off.

Even when doing the maths correctly, the numbers are still ridiculous. Sure, our fuel prices are a fair bit higher than yours, but where can you pay just US$0.25 for that much fuel?

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

Looks like they must have had the broken calculation on their site for a very long time if they are still quoting fuel prices that have not been seen for a number of years.

Weng

@TarquinWJ said:

Looks like they must have had the broken calculation on their site for a very long time if they are still quoting fuel prices that have not been seen for a number of years.

More like 'have not been seen since before the Internet existed'

robbak

Perhaps the person that wrote that was from some middle-eastern country. 6 cents per litre is has actually been reported there.

savar

Its obviously written by idiots and for idiots...

@stupid website said:

A reliable car is one that keeps running well without requiring unscheduled repairs.

morbiuswilters

@TarquinWJ said:

Sure, our fuel prices are a fair bit higher than yours, but where can you pay just US$0.25 for that much fuel?

1940.

I paid 27 cents in 1972

shadowman

@robbak said:

Perhaps the person that wrote that was from some middle-eastern country. 6 cents per litre is has actually been reported there.

Do they use a different math in the middle-east as well?

campkev

@robbak said:

Perhaps the person that wrote that was from some middle-eastern country. 6 cents per litre is has actually been reported there.

even if the .25 per gallon price was accurate, 10000 * .25/20 = 125 not 5 and 10000*.25/23 = 108.70 not 3.48 and even if those calculations did come out to 5 and 3.48, 5-3.48 = 1.52 not .52

Lingerance

@savar said:

Its obviously written by idiots and for idiots...

@stupid website said:
A reliable car is one that keeps running well without requiring unscheduled repairs.

What's your definition of a reliable car?

morbiuswilters

@Lingerance said:

@savar said:
Its obviously written by idiots and for idiots...
@stupid website said:
A reliable car is one that keeps running well without requiring unscheduled repairs.

What's your definition of a reliable car?

One that doesn't sleep with your wife when you're out of town.

alegr

@shadowman said:

Do they use a different math in the middle-east as well?

Of course. They use arabic numerals. Oh, wait...

DescentJS

@morbiuswilters said:

@Lingerance said:
@savar said:
Its obviously written by idiots and for idiots...
@stupid website said:
A reliable car is one that keeps running well without requiring unscheduled repairs.

What's your definition of a reliable car?
One that doesn't sleep with your wife when you're out of town.

Right, because, of course you want to make sure you can get pictures of that sort of thing.

@morbiuswilters said:

@TarquinWJ said:
Sure, our fuel prices are a fair bit higher than yours, but where can you pay just US$0.25 for that much fuel?
1940.

See, that's why I'm glad I shelled out for that Flux Compensator upgrade when I got my new car - it does pay in the long run! By now I only wish I hadn't skimped on the "Mr. Fusion" option, plutonium is notoriously hard to come by...

@Anonymouse said:

Flux Compensator

~~You're German~~ You speak German, I see.

valerion

Of course you can spend $5.00 per year on gasoline. You just can't drive very much.