The futures market indicates that gasoline prices will continue to rise.
The U.S. average retail gasoline price of regular increased three and a half cents from last week to $3.88 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
This is $1.03 per gallon higher than last year at this time and is the highest price in April since the Energy Information Administration began tracking weekly data in 1990.
The Midwest tallied the biggest price gain, more than five cents higher than the previous week, and was followed by the East Coast where prices increased over four cents. The Rocky Mountain region registered close to a three-cent gain. West Coast prices notched up about two cents to $4.10 per gallon and it remains the only major region in the country where the gasoline price averages more than $4 per gallon. Rounding out the regions, the Gulf Coast average gasoline price was almost flat on the week.
The national average diesel price fell almost a penny this week to $4.10 per gallon. This was only the second weekly decrease since December 6, 2010. The diesel price is $1.02 per gallon higher than last year at this time. The West Coast price was down more than a penny, the biggest decline among the regions. However, diesel prices on the West Coast are still the highest in the country at $4.31 per gallon.
The Gulf Coast, Midwest, and East Coast all registered decreases of less than penny on the week. The only major region to see an increase was the Rocky Mountains, where the average price was up about a penny. This is the twenty-second straight weekly increase for the region.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
