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Are us middle class Jeepers going to be (fuel) forcefully priced out of enjoying our Jeeps? [CLOSED DUE TO POLITICS]

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Heimkehr

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Gas price averages are growing almost everyday, faster than an adolescent kid.

I would like to get the opinions of other Jeepers that may be in the same boat as myself. I work hard, I work honest, I save up so I can enjoy some of the fruits of my labor and enjoy my dream vehicle.

$2.xx a gallon? Yeah, enjoy my Jeep without a worry
$3.xx a gallon? Hmm.... yeah ok. I guess I can drive around
$4.xx a gallon? Need to think about a few things.
$5.xx a gallon, as expected in another month or two? oops.

What can a simple honest random Joe Noname like me expect in the coming months and the next couple of years?
If I'm driving my JLU, it's because I usually have work for it: groceries, etc. It's my only vehicle, and thus not a "toy". Not having a heavy right foot is paying dividends, but that provides little comfort as it concerns ever-increasing fuel price trends.

The consumption of fuel for pleasure is limited to my motorcycles, and even then, I have work for them at least half of the time. I'd say the sidecar rig could be my fallback position if gas prices really reach a pinch point, but its average fuel mileage is only nominally better than what my Jeep provides.

I already live below my means. What I find damn annoying is being compelled to tighten my belt even more.

What can regular folks like you and I do in the short term? We can Embrace the Suck and expect that better days will eventually arrive. Because they must, as history proves.

Jeep Wrangler JL Are us middle class Jeepers going to be (fuel) forcefully priced out of enjoying our Jeeps? [CLOSED DUE TO POLITICS] Groceries-2
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RandyMarion CDJR

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This gas price hike is all insane right now. So ready to see a slight glimpse of normalcy back in this world so we can all enjoy things like we used to! These added costs to live are a pain the a** in general. Gas, food, what's next?
 

Brsox

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I've had the same thing in the back of my head. Luckily, I now work from home so that saves a ton of gas money. But I have been thinking about it when I plan trips. That weekend camping trip is now going to cost me $200 in gas, instead of whatever it was last time.

I'm no expert in energy and predicting the future. But part of me thinks that this summer, the price of electricity is going to skyrocket. I also think that there's more demand than supply so there could be outages from it. A lot of people are being forced into EV's due to the price of gas, but if the price of electricity goes up, then we're back at square one. I also don't think our infrastructure is ready for it. If they're talking about rolling blackouts and outages due to demand and not everybody has an EV, what's going to happen when everybody is forced to get one? Sure, you can get a solar farm on your property, but realistically, how many people are going to do that. And not many people have that kind of money laying around for it.

My thought, and hope, is that gas will get cheaper after many realize that EV's can't work with infrastructure today. And then I don't have to start calculating the price of weekend camping trips anymore.
The EVs aren't emitting any CO2 but the energy needed to mine the materials, produce the batteries and to produce all the electricity needed to charge these EVs as well as build an entire charging infrastructure negates any environmental benefit. The cost of EVs are skyrocketing. I priced out a Tesla model Y in Jan of 2021 and it came to $52k. That same model Y, today, costs $65K. My pay hasn't gone up, so, whereas I could have afforded one a little over a year ago...it's now out of my price range. It'll still cost you $20 to charge up your model Y and I'm sure electricity costs will start to surge and, at some point, it'll cost just as much to charge your EV than to fill it with gas.
 

INCRHULK

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The EVs aren't emitting any CO2 but the energy needed to mine the materials, produce the batteries and to produce all the electricity needed to charge these EVs as well as build an entire charging infrastructure negates any environmental benefit. The cost of EVs are skyrocketing. I priced out a Tesla model Y in Jan of 2021 and it came to $52k. That same model Y, today, costs $65K. My pay hasn't gone up, so, whereas I could have afforded one a little over a year ago...it's now out of my price range. It'll still cost you $20 to charge up your model Y and I'm sure electricity costs will start to surge and, at some point, it'll cost just as much to charge your EV than to fill it with gas.
There are a lot of reports that point out this is an incorrect assumption. Factoring in the externals from O&G, electrical is still ahead of the game with current generation capacity (IE in the US it is largely fossil fuel generation). Add in the expanding generation via renewables and green energy (solar wind, tidal, etc.) the carbon moves to neutral and even negative the longer you own and operate a BEV.
 

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There are a lot of reports that point out this is an incorrect assumption. Factoring in the externals from O&G, electrical is still ahead of the game with current generation capacity (IE in the US it is largely fossil fuel generation). Add in the expanding generation via renewables and green energy (solar wind, tidal, etc.) the carbon moves to neutral and even negative the longer you own and operate a BEV.
Wonder if that factors in lithium and cobalt mining and refining. Those are a big part of the carbon footprint of Li-ion batteries. Very few places to get these things so they have to be strip mined in one location, shipped to another location for processing and then shipped elsewhere for forming into batteries. It's a lot more to think about than just the charging side of the equation. BEV/PHEV certainly have a future in the auto world and with Jeeps, but IMO, Li-ion ain't gonna be long lived due to a lot of issues, and all the strip mining and refining required make them less green than you think.
 

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Zandcwhite

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You all know it. Gas price averages are growing almost everyday, faster than an adolescent kid.

I would like to get the opinions of other Jeepers that may be in the same boat as myself. I work hard, I work honest, I save up so I can enjoy some of the fruits of my labor and enjoy my dream vehicle.
Well, enjoy within feasible means is what I follow and what we grew up on.

$2.xx a gallon? Yeah, enjoy my Jeep without a worry
$3.xx a gallon? Hmm.... yeah ok. I guess I can drive around
$4.xx a gallon? Need to think about a few things.
$5.xx a gallon, as expected in another month or two? oops.

This is 2 years on from being at a position where I could comfortably have afforded a JLU diesel, which is still the dream Jeep in an ideal world scenario. Not anymore.

Is this situation ever going to resolve itself or are we forcefully being shoehorned into commuting less and/or going full EV? The latter is coming for sure, but I can't believe it will be a slimy tactic by those in power to force us into it.

Full electric Jeeps? Cool technology and probably high efficiency but no thanks, for me at least.

The rich, super rich and uber rich will probably use their fully loaded and modded Jeeps as their 3rd/4th vehicles or weekend toys, but that's far from reality for a good portion of us.

What can a simple honest random Joe Noname like me expect in the coming months and the next couple of years?

Your thoughts?
Paid $6.59 for premium yesterday, I wish gas was only$5/gal now...
 

Uncommon Sense

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It cost me $140 to fill up my Grand Cherokee yesterday. Gas prices aren't going to stop me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice. I should be picking up my 392 next week. It will be my daily driver, but I don't drive much (Less than 10 miles a day typically during work week typically). I can walk to work.

If anything the larger concern for me is taking on a new car payment more so than gas, but these situations are always temporary no matter how much doom porn we may watch. This too shall pass...

Maybe the high gas prices will cause people to focus on policies and results instead of mean tweets.
 

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I make a very good living, north of $300k annually. At $5.00+ per gallon, my bicycle looks increasingly tempting for my commute to work. I am a cyclist, so sometimes I do it anyway. But it’s still painful to spend $100 for a tank of fuel.
Want to adopt a beat up old guy who loves Jeeps and would be willing to mow the lawn once per week?
 

NewJLU2019

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I presently don’t commute with my Jeep and haven’t had a commute in years (100% travel job). However, I did just accept an offer for my dream job (and hope the grass isn’t greener due to BS or some other crap). I will have a commute, but I am looking to have no more then a 10-15 minute commute with all the shops being something I will drive by on my way home. This greatly reduces the cost of commuting by not having an unnecessarily long commute. I also intend to ride my road bicycle a few times a week.

How ever gas prices impact my leisurely flying around. $100 hamburgers is now $300… Because of this, I am looking to sell my airplane to most likely fund a down payment for a house. When I buy a house, I want to get a electric Mini Cooper for commuting and keep the Jeep for weekend fun.
Hey. glad to hear you will be settling down. Hope it all works out!!
 

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Uncommon Sense

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Wonder if that factors in lithium and cobalt mining and refining. Those are a big part of the carbon footprint of Li-ion batteries. Very few places to get these things so they have to be strip mined in one location, shipped to another location for processing and then shipped elsewhere for forming into batteries. It's a lot more to think about than just the charging side of the equation. BEV/PHEV certainly have a future in the auto world and with Jeeps, but IMO, Li-ion ain't gonna be long lived due to a lot of issues, and all the strip mining and refining required make them less green than you think.
People also forget that hydrocarbons are used for more than just gas so it isn't like the oil and gas industry is going anywhere anytime soon even with electric cars getting more popular. Hydrocarbons are used to make asphalt, roofing tiles, plastics, to all kinds of basic everyday products most of these greenies probably aren't even aware of....

I love electric cars as a technological advance but claiming they are more green and we don't need hydrocarbons is just ignorant imho.
 

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People also forget that hydrocarbons are used for more than just gas so it isn't like the oil and gas industry is going anywhere anytime soon even with electric cars getting more popular. Hydrocarbons are used to make asphalt, roofing tiles, plastics, to all kinds of basic everyday products most of these greenies probably aren't even aware of....

I love electric cars as a technological advance but claiming they are more green and we don't need hydrocarbons is just ignorant imho.
Agree. I think the automotive future is a mix of gasoline/diesel ICE, hydrogen fuel cell ICE, BEV (hopefully sodium ion or some other form of non-lithium battery). All one way or the other never makes sense - use the appropriate tool in the appropriate place for the appropriate reasons.
 

The Last Cowboy

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There are a lot of reports that point out this is an incorrect assumption. Factoring in the externals from O&G, electrical is still ahead of the game with current generation capacity (IE in the US it is largely fossil fuel generation). Add in the expanding generation via renewables and green energy (solar wind, tidal, etc.) the carbon moves to neutral and even negative the longer you own and operate a BEV.
In an ideal world. we are at the limit of solar and wind now. The freeze here in Texas last February proved that it can not be relied upon with no conventional backup. There are so many people relocating here and so many new houses going up, that conventional power generation will continue to be more and more necessary.

And let's not forget, for the foreseeable future, BEVs only make sense for those who own a home or have some other way to have access to a charger 8-10 hours a day at off peak times. BEVs in large numbers, many charging during peak hours, will put an unsustainable demand on the power grids during the summer and winter.

Windmill cost and maintenance is mostly offset by carbon credits/tax abatements. Once those expire, we will have wind turbines sitting idle, too expensive to keep maintained. Let's not even get into the discussion of tubine blade replacements and disposal. Look it up, crazy.

At the current rate, a commercial charging station is going to have to charge about 80 cents a KWH in order to be profitable. That rate, given average mile ranges, is significantly higher than the current cost of gasoline.

I think BEVs have a place in urban/suburban use. They can not and should not replace all combustion engines. The government needs to stay out of the free market.
 

Whaler27

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$6 per gallon gas is grim. From the perspective of an old guy, it wasn’t long ago that gas was under $2 per gallon. Of course, through the same old guy lens it wasn’t long ago that kids working at McDonalds were getting paid $5 per hour. I recently saw a sign at a fast food place in rural Oregon advertising Now Hiring $18 per hour! This is what inflation looks like.

The wage scales will eventually slide up and reset, but it will be years before the working class make up for the beating in lost buying power they are taking now. Still, the people who are really getting screwed are the retired folks who planned for retirement assuming lower inflation rates. My wife’s parents have health challenges that forced early retirement years ago, and they live month to month. We’ve had to help them for years, and they need significantly more help now.
 

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My JLUS is a toy that I drive and tow behind my 10mpg diesel RV, so I'll pay n go. Life is to short.
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