Besides the obvious issues of branding and gas quality (some brands overtly cut gasoline with ethanol), some states have rules limiting how frequently stations can change prices. If you can only change price once a week and the competitor can only change once a week, the prices can deviate on underlying volatility even if both stations use the same supplier etc
I think this is actually mandated most everywhere in the USA. Not that I like it. Just saying, that I wish I could choose a station that didn't do that.
In NY, 99% of gas stations sell gas with ethanol in the standard amount, but there are a few which (claim to) sell non-ethanol gas, so it must not be a legal requirement. However, I haven't tested it, so I'm not sure. I did monitor my gas mileage, and some tanks were way higher than others, so I wonder if the "non-ethanol" gas sometimes has ethanol and sometimes doesn't.
Same principle? What do price change rules have to do with mandating including ethanol? I don’t get it.
Edited to add: Perhaps the ethanol requirement was to decrease the use of actual gas in order to keep prices at the pump from rising as quickly as oil prices were? I don’t know the history. I just know that ethanol is terrible for small engines and terrible for mileage.
Comments
Besides the obvious issues of branding and gas quality (some brands overtly cut gasoline with ethanol), some states have rules limiting how frequently stations can change prices. If you can only change price once a week and the competitor can only change once a week, the prices can deviate on underlying volatility even if both stations use the same supplier etc
I think this is actually mandated most everywhere in the USA. Not that I like it. Just saying, that I wish I could choose a station that didn't do that.
In NY, 99% of gas stations sell gas with ethanol in the standard amount, but there are a few which (claim to) sell non-ethanol gas, so it must not be a legal requirement. However, I haven't tested it, so I'm not sure. I did monitor my gas mileage, and some tanks were way higher than others, so I wonder if the "non-ethanol" gas sometimes has ethanol and sometimes doesn't.
My understanding is the rule is one price change per day. A regulation from the 70's (guess?) to stave off price gouging. Same principle applies.
Same principle? What do price change rules have to do with mandating including ethanol? I don’t get it.
Edited to add: Perhaps the ethanol requirement was to decrease the use of actual gas in order to keep prices at the pump from rising as quickly as oil prices were? I don’t know the history. I just know that ethanol is terrible for small engines and terrible for mileage.
Whoops replied to the wrong comment. Was meant to be in reply to "how frequently stations can change prices"