The fuel price in Massachusetts has raised to nearly $4. The price does not seem to be going down in the future. One thing to improve with the higher fuel price would be making your vehicles more fuel efficient. With the same amount of fuel, the vehicle running a further distance could probably beat the raising gas price and keep the cost balanced.
The gas mileage requirements for cars have been raised several times over the years. First by the Bush administration in 2007, then Obama administration raised the bars even higher in 2009. According to the rules that are about to be finalized, automakers will have to keep an average of 54.5 miles per gallon (MPG) by the year of 2025.
The average MPG is around 27.1 for auto-gas. An increase of 5 miles on MPG might not seem a lot without the calculation. For a driver who drives 15,000 miles annually, five miles could have saved him 2214-1869.2 =$344.8 annually.
A new result is shared by the government with the U.S. car makers. The testing focuses on the alternative fuel technologies for military vehicles, “from converting body heat into electricity to perfecting fuel cells that transform hydrogen into power.”
The more advanced ways of technology always lead us to more cost-efficient models that can benefit both people and the environment. However, the researches would also cost money, and eventually the consumers will pay for the bills. Also having higher MPG or not is not up to the buyer. There is still a chance that the drivers would end up paying more for the cars, but saving on the gas in a long run.
Sources:
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/08/27/tough-government-gas-mileage-rules-good-for-drivers-auto-industry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_efficiency
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-17/better-gas-mileage-thanks-to-the-pentagon