Premium Gas Brains

Ever had someone tell you "yuh have gas brains"?

Locally, Gas Brains is used to describe someone who just loves cars, every chance they get to drive or ride even, they take it. But lately I've wondered if this is the only definition for this term. Because it seems "Gas Brains" can be attributed to much more than an addiction to car rides. It is quite possible that it can also be used to describe how clouded one's brain might be as it relates to thinking clearly, too much lead in the brain perhaps? And this can be applied in so many instances but for now I am looking at the recently announced increase in Premium Gas in during the 2012/2013 Budget Presentation, particularly as it relates to the differences in Octane levels between grades of Gas, as the Government of the day seek to address the issue of Gas Subsidy. In true Trini style, everyone is a buzz, suddenly everyone is an Gas Octane level expert.

There is another very important [possible] effect of this increase. Everyone is talking about the possible impact of this, not knowing or can't recall that Premium Gas was increased some years ago, also in an attempt to address the issue of Gas Subsidies.

“The Government had said very clearly it is looking at removing the subsidy on premium fuel. No maxi taxi can, in my view use the removal of the subsidy of premium to raise the fare because maxi taxis use diesel,” Nunez-Tesheira said.

“The ones who can afford to pay are the ones who have been asked to pay... It’s part of a larger policy from that perspective,” Browne said speaking with reporters shortly after yesterday’s 2008/2009 Budget presentation in the Red House. [2009]

"There is no justification for 'maxi' and taxi drivers to increase fares," she stressed, as she reiterated that motorists who own high-end vehicles such as Audis and BMWs were the ones who can afford to pay the increase. Persad-Bissessar [2012]

Regarding to the price increase in the context of subsidy reduction of just one type/grade of Gas, In my non-expert opinion, I can’t see why the state would place increases on just one grade and not across the board considering the ever increasing burden on the state which is caused not only by purchases at the pump, considering it’s only 6% of the population according to statements made by Government officials that uses Premium Unleaded,  but including illegal transactions [see Diesel Dossier by Award Winning Investigative Journalist Mark Bassant]. 

"I am advised that it is about six per cent of the subsidy and nine per cent of the volume which will be impacted... I am also advised that some people use premium but they do not have to," the Prime Minister told the Express by phone.

How much would this save us I could not imagine. If we were to go with this as fact, then how will this meaningfully impact on the subsidy? How would this selected reduction going to impact on the huge subsidy bill only the Government knows, the way I see it is that unless and until reduction on subsidies across the board is is implemented, there would be no real savings. And when compounded with a call to switch to Super Unleaded, as many have in fact done, I would imagine that the subsidy would remain the same. Audit and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said, in its budget review yesterday, premium gas is the least subsidised of gases. "Based on information provided by the Energy Chamber in its presentation to UWI Management in July of this year, the subsidy on premium gas was only $0.73 per litre, while that on super gasoline was $1.83 and on diesel $2.71. Real savings are therefore likely to come only when the measure is extended to the other fuels."

“It’s slightly less than $100 million that we’ve (estimated), based on certain assumptions...we expect that most people would have switched (to super gasoline) when the first increase in premium was done a few years ago (2008). We did actually see a reduction in volume at that time,” Howai stated.

Analyst calls for cut in all gas subsidies, Government must consider a reduction of the gas subsidy on all types of fuels and not only premium gasoline, says political analyst Derek Ramsamooj.

"This is indeed necessary if we are to be a productive and competitive country that can compete on the global market as well as can be a deterrent with respect to the quantum of environmental pollution that our country suffers," Ramsamooj told the Express by phone yesterday.

Now back to the issue of Octane levels in Gas and what is right for our vehicles. There have been too many uninformed opinions floating around and whilst I am no expert, I little research and common sense should afford us with enough information to better understand things.

When you open your morning paper to read the headline 'Not only rich people driving premium vehicles', you have to wonder what exactly are people talking about or if they even understand anything.

"It's a little ridiculous for a country that manufactures gasoline to have to suffer that extra cost," said Aneal Boodoo, of San Juan, who estimates his monthly fuel bill will increase from $800 to $1,200.

"I understand why they have to do it, but they should have done it better, not so drastic," he added, as he pulled away from the NP Service Station at Tragarete Road, Port of Spain, yesterday.

And when you have Labour Union Leaders spewing equally uninformed diatribe, you must wonder what is in the brain of some, gas fumes? PRESIDENT general of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget has accused the Government of trying to hoodwink the population into believing the increase in the price of premium gas would only impact a small segment of the population.

"The fact is that the person who sits behind the wheels of a Mazda 3, who sits behind the wheels of a Tiida, who sits behind the wheel of a Lancer, a Mazda ... notice I did not call Audi, BMW or Mercedes Benz, but most of those vehicles which were encouraged to go environmentally friendly and use premium unleaded will be faced with an increase in price of fuel this morning. So don't get caught up that it is only for the BMW, Benz and Audi drivers." Roget.

What is all the panic about? Could it be that it’s much more than 6% of the motoring population that uses Premium Unleaded? Could it be that the 6% was determined based on high end car sales and that those who should not even be using Premium are using it? According to the one New Car Dealer it seems that the 6% is correct, Ramnarine added that some nine per cent of all the fuel consumed in Trinidad and Tobago (volumes) was attributable to premium gasoline. "Information from one new car dealer indicates that five per cent of new vehicles sold are classified as "premium compelled". This means they must use premium gasoline. Information from another new car dealer indicates that three to four per cent of new vehicles must use premium," said Ramnarine.

At least one person have tried to inject some rational into the Octane debate, In a telephone interview with the Express yesterday, principal of the Academy of Auto Mechanics Roy Marslier said only high-compression vehicles are supposed to use premium gas.

So lets have a look at some of the facts pertaining to Octane, according to the experts.

What is octane?:

Octane number is a measure of a gasoline's ability to resist knock or pinging noise from an engine.

Octane is gasoline rating that indicates how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. It is not a energy density rating, which means that a higher octane fuel will not let make your fuel last longer than the minimum octane rated for your engine. For more information check out EnergyRiot.com

What Does Octane Do In Gasoline? Octane Ratings:

Most people think that higher octane in gasoline supercharges the combustion in an engine cylinder, giving them additional power and performance. It is this misunderstanding of what octane actually does which leads people to spend more on gasoline than they really need to. The octane rating of gasoline essentially tells you how much the air-fuel mixture can be compressed before it will spontaneously ignite. Gasoline with an optimal octane rating performs best in an engine designed to run on that octane level.  Refiners aim to produce gasoline that has this optimal octane rating so it will meet the specifications for the most kinds of engines. 

Why should I follow my owner’s manual and choose mid or high-octane fuel? Isn’t gas just gas?:

 

To get the best performance out of your vehicle, you should use the octane recommended in your owner’s manual. Most vehicles do not benefit from a higher octane level than what is recommended but using a lower octane than recommended can cause engine knocking or pinging in some cars.3

 

Octane Levels:

 

The most common levels of octane grade are 87 (regular), 89 (mid-grade) and 91-93 (premium). The octane number of the gasolines offered for sale are set by gasoline refiners and marketers based on their perception of the technical and competitive needs in the market. Federal and most state regulations do not regulate minimum octane values, only that the postings on the dispensers accurately reflect the octane number of the gasolines being sold.
Gasoline with a higher heating value (energy content) provides better fuel economy. Traditionally, premium gasoline has had a slightly higher heating value than regular, and, thus, provides slightly better fuel economy, but it is difficult to detect in normal driving. There can be even larger differences in heating value between batches of gasoline from the same refinery, between summer and winter volatility classes, or between brands of gasoline from different refineries because of compositional differences. The differences are small and there is no practical way for the consumer to identify gasoline with a higher-than-average heating value.

 

A letter to the editor of Newsday in 2008, when the Premium Unleaded was increased also. Super vs premium gas:  

THE EDITOR: Having read all the garbage with regards to the use of unleaded super 92 octane gasoline in the modern day fuel injected Engines I feel compelled to enlighten folks about the use of unleaded super and unleaded premium Gas.