This Is How Some Of You Are Planning For A Gas Shortage

There is a potential gasoline shortage crisis brewing in the United States right now, which could hit as soon as fall. With the nation's strategic oil reserves dwindling, crumbling unsupported infrastructure, and much of the world's supply currently strangled by the lack of flow through the Strait of Hormuz, it seems like the "if" is tipping more in the direction of "when." With oil refining companies focused on producing higher-demand war-effort diesel and jet fuel, gasoline is getting short shrift, and eventually it could temporarily run out. 

Over the weekend I asked the Jalopnik commentariat what they would do if the pumps ran dry. Some of the responses were quite interesting, spread across the spectrum of answers pretty evenly. Many, particularly those readers with electric vehicles in their garage, were quick to jump at the opportunity to explain their superiority. Many others, typically the proud gas guzzlers, made no bones about their belief that this is all made up and nothing ever happens. A third group, I assume with tongue firmly in cheek, alluded to a Mad Max-style world of resource wars. The real answer is probably somewhere in the middle of these three ideas, but we'll have to live through the future in order to know how it worked out when it becomes the past. 

Maybe you want to prepare for an eventuality that may never come about. Maybe you want to be blissfully ignorant of the situation until it has smacked you in the face unprepared. Or maybe you have a fantasy of playing the Doof Warrior in Immortan Joe's raiding band. One way or another, something will happen regarding this situation, but we don't yet know what. Who do you think is right? If you have input, or didn't get an opportunity to answer this question when it came around the first time, jump in the comments and let us know. 

I'll keep driving my EVs, charging them with solar power, and passing right by gas station just like I've been doing for the past decade.

Suggested by Paul Mitchell

Somehow Americans avoided making this the norm, and I'll never understand why. 

I saw this coming and on Day one of the Iran INVASION, I bought an electric car and will drive as little as possible to conserve energy

Suggested by paul holterhaus

There's nothing quite like another war with an OPEC nation to spur Americans into buying efficient automobiles. Good choice, you probably won't ever regret it. 

We've switched to all EV's and frankly we aren't going back. Our first one was in 2014 and now we've had a handful of them.

Least year installed solar which has generated enough in its first six months to cover our usage100% and leave us with a generous true up.

Suggested by Chris P

Every neighborhood should be its own solar microgrid by now. We're falling so far behind on clean energy production as a nation, it should be criminal. 

Got an EV right before the war started, to complement my solar install. Now it costs me $0 per mile to drive. Still keep an ICE just for fun, which gets driven very little.

Suggested by 2JAllDay

Well, the panels cost you something, and there's per-mile depreciation on the car, so it's not $0, but it's probably much closer to zero than anybody who isn't driving an EV charged on solar. 

Just going to drive my EV right past the gas station.

I lived through the OPEC oil crisis as a kid, not willing to do that again at my advancing age.

Hopefully this current mess will start waking people up to what reliance on oil can cause, which we should have figured out back in the 70s.

Suggested by Mr. Mac

History always has a way of coming back around to bite everyone in the ass, doesn't it? Hopefully we at least get some cool cars out of the deal in the aftermath. 

We were recently at an ice cream shop in Ann Arbor, MI. A man and his family had driven their 1915 Detroit Electric car to get ice cream. "It can do 17MPH and has about 85 miles of range," said the proud owner. Good enough for a run to get dessert. Use, re-use, recycle and cycle if you have to – it's good for you.

Suggested by Albert Q

Now that sounds like a great way to spend a day. What's not to like about driving a 112-year-old EV down to the ice cream shop?

Not happening another article bait.

Suggested by AutoMotive

The question was "if" not "when," of course I can't read the future. It's probably better to be prepared, just in case, however. 

I'm not worried about it. 

Suggested by Fyofeelings

Okay.

Strap on some bondage gear, grab some guns, and take to the highways, what else would you do for some guzzoline?

Or just drive the most fuel efficient car until after the midterms and then this blows over.

Suggested by Skeffles

Take the car, go to mum's kill Phil, grab LIz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. 

Why worry about such things that have high likelihood of never happening? I mean did you see Mel Gibson Mad Max movies? It was predicting no oil like what 50 years ago? We still have plenty of oil. My garage has five ICE vehicles and I have no worries. Enjoy life and don't worry too much.

Suggested by Paul M

Me? Worry? 

One less thing to pay for. It's a win for me.

Suggested by TheDuke

If you buy my personal finance course, I can tell you all kinds of other things you should stop paying for.

People were shooting each other when they thought the toilet paper was running out. If the gas is gone I predict bedlam.

Suggested by Vanillasludge

It's going to get nasty out there. Human sacrifice, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria.

I'm not so much worried about driving as I am about food supply and anarchy.

Suggested by RReax4

Food supply is largely managed with diesel fuel, so I don't suspect a gasoline shortage would do much in that regard. It's certainly something to be worried about, but most of us would still end up fed one way or another. 

Put on hockey equipment, build some crossbows, set up a fortress complete with oil pump and small refinery. Wait for a drifter to show up who can drive the tanker as we make our escape. But the tanker will just be a decoy because the juice, the precious juice, will be hidden in the vehicles...

Suggested by Rick Bungiro

I would be Lord Humungus. 

Start making 'shine.

Suggested by MustangIIMatt

Don't forget that you need to keep your alcohol content up around 190 proof for optimum burn, but anywhere above 150 proof is capable of powering a gasoline engine. You need to make sure your vehicle is prepared to run on ethanol, though, as it'll quickly eat through alloys and rubbers and gum stuff up if it sits too long. 

Ass-less chaps. Shoulder pads. Motor cycle

Suggested by Sean Cronin

That's just a Saturday for me. 

I'm going to get a hang glider as I live on a big hill..

...I'll figure out how I'm going to get home later

Suggested by Jim Hendrix

You're going to be running up that hill.