[GreenYes] RE: How To Drive Down Gas Prices

[Jay Donnaway <jdonnawa@dca.state.ga.us>]

Yes, it's all true.  Branded gasolines differ only in the detergent
additives. 'Green gas' (such as you buy at a generic mini-mart), is the same
American Petroleum Institute certified commodity that costs so much more
across the street, just without a bit of detergent to keep valves and
injectors clean.  
Many marketing gimmics tend to be smoke and mirrors.  Recall "Chevron with
TECHRON" -this simply refers to the 'TECHnical Rating of Octane Number',
which all gasolines must undergo before leaving the refinery, and does not
at all differ between brands with the same octane rating.  
	Take it from an old oilfield mutt- the only way the driving public
can influence gasoline markets is to use less of the stuff!
Jay Donnaway
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Wayne Turner [SMTP:WAYNET@cityofws.org]
> Sent:	Monday, April 15, 2002 4:12 PM
> To:	rpc@econet.org; greenyes@grrn.org
> Subject:	Re: [GreenYes] Fw: How To Drive Down Gas Prices
> 
> Darby,
> 
> If this is all true, and all gasoline is sufficiently identical in
> formulation that it can be easily swapped between companies, assuming the
> swapping remains within the octane grade, then the advertising by the gas
> companies attempting to differentiate their brands from others is a bunch
> of hooey.  It sounds as if gasoline is a commodity in the strictest sense
> of the word.  I have often thought that since there is a huge tank farm
> here in Greensboro where I live.  None of the million gallon tanks bear
> the name of any of the big oil companies, they bear the name of the
> pipeline company itself.  Although the gas companies could transport their
> own brand of gas through the pipeline, what I read in your excerpt
> suggests that the gas in the pipeline is a commodity that is traded
> several times between shipment and receipt at the tank farm and terminal.
> In that case, there truly are no brands, just gasoline.  So, what is the
> upshot of all this?
> 
> 
> 
> B. Wayne Turner
> 
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