The global economy has taken multiple hits in recent years. In 2018 the price of stocks crashed, eliminating billions of dollars of w earth. This was quickly followed by a global pandemic and then an invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The result has been a rapid decrease in disposable income combined with dramatically rising energy prices. It has effectively doubled the price of filling a car with fuel and caused many people to think of ways to combat high gas prices.
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Walk More
The simplest and cheapest approach is to leave the car at home and walk or even use public transport. Of course, it should be noted that the cost of running public transport has increased, pushing fare prices up.
Walking is a more viable option, it’s free and better for your health. However, it’s only practical if you are relatively close to where you need to go.
Motorbikes
Getting on your pushbike is good for your health and can help you get to places further than on foot. But, it’s not necessarily the best option for longer distances or in hot/wet weather when you’re heading to work.
That’s why many people have started looking at motorbikes, you’ll find the best Kawasaki bikes are significantly cheaper than you think to buy. Motorbikes are generally cheaper than cars to purchase.
More importantly, a motorbike is significantly cheaper to run. The cost of filling a motorbike with fuel is a fraction of the cost of filling a car. In addition, the bike will offer more miles per gallon. The fact that riding is also fun is simply a bonus.
Go Electric
It is possible to eliminate your reliance on petrol or diesel by choosing to change your car for an electric one. Of course, these are not the cheapest option as you’ll need to purchase an electric car and the price of these is generally more than the cost of a comparable new petrol or diesel vehicle.
In addition, an electric car isn’t free to run. You will need to charge it which means your electric bill will increase. It’s worth considering the current cost of electricity and how much this will cost you.
Ethanol
In recent years there has been a lot of investment in other fuel sources. One that has started to become popular is ethanol. It works in petrol cars although you will need to convert the engine first. If you don’t the rubber pipes and seals will quickly erode.
Ethanol is better for the environment and is currently a third of the price of petrol. But, while most petrol cars can be converted, diesel cars cannot.
Reduce Trips
Perhaps the most obvious way to combat high gas prices is to use the car less. This means thinking about every trip you take to ensure you need to do it. If you can wait and combine it with another trip then you will save fuel and reduce your costs.
An extension of this principle is car sharing, although this isn’t always a practical solution.