Our world moves on gasoline. We are a motorized society, in which seemingly everyone wants his or her own car. And our cars give us tremendous freedom to go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go.
We have a “love affair” with automobiles. We are excited each year by the presentation of the sleek “new models” that capture our fancy. Our cars are often luxurious and dependable, and they brighten our way of life in many ways.
But they are expensive, too. Not only is a new car pricey these days, often meaning big monthly payments for a long time, but there is the problem of high-priced gasoline.
With service station signs currently reminding us that the price of a gallon of gasoline is close to $3, it is discouraging to face predictions that gas prices may rise to as much as $3.50 a gallon by summer, when travel is brisk.
We have complained about gasoline prices and shortages in the past — sometimes resulting from international situations beyond our control. But there is disappointingly too little progress in extending gasoline mileage or reducing gasoline costs.