Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain • Hacker News Board

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#211

Post by lotsofpulp » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:30 PM UTC

csomar wrote: post #200

lotsofpulp wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This blew my mind as an American kid visiting England a couple decades ago. I was only ever aware of putting in a credit card and filling up a gas tank all the way, and my uncle took out a 5 or 10 quid note to go pay before filing petrol and he said why should I pay to haul around extra fuel if I pass by the petrol station everyday and I only use half a tank every 2 weeks.

Somebody should do the math of pulling out to the gas station vs. driving with a full tank.

With US engine sizes, fuel efficiency, and number of miles driven, I would guess it makes no difference for most people.

Much fewer proportion of people are driving those peugots or other tiny cars where the weight of fuel would be material relative to the time it would take to fill up fuel more often.

Another British thing that amazed me was their auto insurance prices were based on engine size, and they were fretting about the insurance cost between 2L and 3L cars, and all the vehicles we had in America were 4L+.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#212

Post by JimmyAxod » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:31 PM UTC

throwawayboise wrote: post #137

brianwawok wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have a buddy with multiple 50 gallon "drums" he fills up with gas anytime he even suspects that gas price is going to go up. Sounds like a lot of work to maybe save $50, but hey... mostly fun and games (unless you barn catches fire).

Gasoline has a shelf life also, particularly modern gasoline blended with ethanol and other additives. Ever had trouble using last year's gasoline in the lawn mower the following spring? Diesel generally stores better, but it can have problems with algae growth.

Apparently the new stuff only lasts around 30 days before it’s useless.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#213

Post by nicoburns » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:31 PM UTC

listless wrote: post #201

humps wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, explained on BBC Breakfast this morning. This happened because a BP document was leaked to the media, which unsurprisingly got them excited about a possible shortage and led to the panic buying. Madderson also said the industry is used to dealing with about 2 million liters of fuel being required a week, but that's with typical weekly fill-ups. He sugg…

So the trucker shortage is a false conclusion? Cause this article states that’s the definitive cause. It reads to me like an axe to grind with Brexit and trying to tie this crisis to that political football.

The trucker shortage has so far caused a minor shortage, but has the potential to cause worse shortages over time unless the trucker shortage is dealt with. The panic buying is making that all much worse and speeding up the timeline.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#214

Post by CodeGlitch » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:31 PM UTC

ed_elliott_asc wrote: post #31

TomGullen wrote: post #17

Unlike the toilet paper panic buying there is limited capacity people can buy, so I would expect this to naturally end short term when people don’t have capacity to buy any more. What concerns me is government planning to address this looks a lot more forward looking than a few days/a week, so I can see it getting worse. Interesting how the government say it’s not a shortage, if the refineries were running low you wo…

The government really mis managed this - they keep saying there is no shortage yet all the stations have run out - they can’t spin this and ignore it until the next disaster distracts from this disaster.

I'm sorry but when you have selfish (and idiotic) people like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kkRX2p9wH4

..how is the government supposed to manage this? The messages have been "just buy fuel normally" - but people are ignoring it. It's the same problem as happened with toilet paper, people will start hording whatever is now limited.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#215

Post by nicoburns » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:32 PM UTC

danuker wrote: post #206

petercooper wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always fill up myself because I hate filling up any more than I have to, but when it costs the equivalent of $70 to fill even a tiny car or $140 for a large car, no, it's pretty common to just buy "what you need" for the next few days or whatever.

I'd rather keep my money in fuel than cash, in the off chance hyperinflation strikes, triggering a bank holiday, without me having any physical cash. But so far this has happened 0 times since I have a car.

That's great if you have the money to spare, but not everyone does.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#216

Post by Ajedi32 » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:32 PM UTC

petercooper wrote: post #182

chrononaut wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ..as I think most people are just filling up to the top instead of half way.. Perhaps I am missing something here, but are you referring to vehicles in this context? Is it not common to always fill your tank to the top?

I always fill up myself because I hate filling up any more than I have to, but when it costs the equivalent of $70 to fill even a tiny car or $140 for a large car, no, it's pretty common to just buy "what you need" for the next few days or whatever.

Still seems odd to me. Whether it's $70 a week or $140 every two weeks the total is the same. Only difference is how many stops you have to make, and maybe a 1% difference to the average weight of the vehicle.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#217

Post by humps » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

listless wrote: post #201

humps wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, explained on BBC Breakfast this morning. This happened because a BP document was leaked to the media, which unsurprisingly got them excited about a possible shortage and led to the panic buying. Madderson also said the industry is used to dealing with about 2 million liters of fuel being required a week, but that's with typical weekly fill-ups. He sugg…

So the trucker shortage is a false conclusion? Cause this article states that’s the definitive cause. It reads to me like an axe to grind with Brexit and trying to tie this crisis to that political football.

There's a general shortage of HGV drivers across Europe at the moment. The shortage didn't cause fuel pumps to run dry, though. It was the result of panic caused by the media after they got their hands on a document, with the initial news being that BP had closed 5 petrol stations. It escalated very quickly from there due to relentless media coverage. You could certainly argue the shortage of drivers made it much more difficult to cope with the panic once it was in full flow.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#218

Post by david_allison » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

joeberon wrote: post #66

HPsquared wrote: post #36

People can only fill their tank, so it's self-limiting.

What do you mean by that? They can fill jerry cans or siphon out fuel at home

You can only store 30 litres of fuel at home.

> You can store up to 30 litres of petrol at home or at non-workplace premises without informing your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority (PEA).

https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/petrol-storage-club-...

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#219

Post by captaincaveman » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #191

sgt101 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also if you fill it up you have to tow it around with you; an extra 40kgs of weight in the car which costs a bit. The fill it up to the brim meme seems to come from emergency preparedness folks like the police and the army where no vehicle goes to the parking space overnight without being 100% as ready as it can be for tomorrow.

This blew my mind as an American kid visiting England a couple decades ago. I was only ever aware of putting in a credit card and filling up a gas tank all the way, and my uncle took out a 5 or 10 quid note to go pay before filing petrol and he said why should I pay to haul around extra fuel if I pass by the petrol station everyday and I only use half a tank every 2 weeks.

Fuel is/was a lot more expensive in UK.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#220

Post by enkid » Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 4:36 PM UTC

humps wrote: post #105

TomGullen wrote: post #17

Unlike the toilet paper panic buying there is limited capacity people can buy, so I would expect this to naturally end short term when people don’t have capacity to buy any more. What concerns me is government planning to address this looks a lot more forward looking than a few days/a week, so I can see it getting worse. Interesting how the government say it’s not a shortage, if the refineries were running low you wo…

As Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, explained on BBC Breakfast this morning. This happened because a BP document was leaked to the media, which unsurprisingly got them excited about a possible shortage and led to the panic buying. Madderson also said the industry is used to dealing with about 2 million liters of fuel being required a week, but that's with typical weekly fill-ups. He sugg…

But over the long term, filling to the brim will not change the overall demand, it just changed the storage location. Once the system catches up to that fact, there shouldn't be a shortage anymore.