Fuel Prices
A big headline that usually features in today’s media is the price of fuel. In recent times, motorists across Australia have been subject to increasing fuel prices and lately there has been a push towards alternate fuel types and sources.
What fuels do we have available in Australia?
- Standard Unleaded Gas (ULP)
- Premium Unleaded Gas (PULP)
- E10 (a blend of unleaded gas with up 10% ethanol added)
- Diesel
- LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
What’s the difference?
The vast majority of cars on the road these days use unleaded gas. The main difference between ULP, PULP and E10 is the octane rating (a measure of the fuel’s resistance to burning outside of the engine’s cylinder cycle; the higher the octane rating, the more stable the fuel is and therefore results in a cleaner and more complete burn) AND power output.
Whilst a significant number of cars run on diesel fuel (engines that don’t require spark plugs for ignition), more and more cars are being fitted with LPG engines; mainly because of the cheaper price and lower impact on the environment.
*Graph sourced from data composed here.
**Correct as at December 2013.
If you want to learn more about what affect the price of gas in Australia, take a look at this page.
Looking at international price comparisons of gas, we find that Australia has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world!
Current, week-to-week, data on Australian fuel prices, trends and comparisons can be found here.
Exercise 1
As a class, compile a list of prices of different fuels at different locations in your surrounding suburbs across a week or other short time period. Present the data in a spreadsheet and graph the results for the different fuels (E10, ULP, and Diesel).
What trends do you find? Is there much variation on a small time scale? Is there a particular day you found that often resulted in cheaper prices for certain fuels?
Individually, write a short paragraph on current national or international factors that may have an impact on the fuel price. Why are competitive prices in the fuel market important? What strategies do individual gas stations employ to ensure competitive prices?
Exercise 2
Research current fuel prices in Australia and compare them to the price of fuel in the past 15-20 years. Create a spreadsheet, detailing the prices and graph them. What trends do you find? Discuss reasons for the changes in price.
Compare these prices to fuel price changes in another country of your choice. Are the results similar or different? Can you find any correlations between the two sets of data?
Evaluate any similarities with other people in your class and come to a conclusion on overall trends in international fuel prices.
You may find this link helpful: http://www.aaa.asn.au/issues/gas.htm
Extension 3
Research and write a brief report on the shift in the types of fuels used by motorists in Australia. To what extent is the shift supported by the government (both state and federal)? Outline reasons for changes in the type of fuel consumed by car users and what measures the government and industry is taking in order to encourage the population to use different fuels. Do car manufacturers support or oppose changes in fuel usage? Justify your answer.