New super gas price is already in effect

Ecuadornews:

The ARCH assured that since the announcement of the economic measures controls have been intensified in all the gas stations and terminals in the country. As of today, the price of super gas at the national level will be $ 2.98 per gallon.

The government adopted the measure with the expectation of saving close to $ 120 million, by eliminating the subsidy for that fuel. Until yesterday a sedan-type vehicle, with capacity of 10 gallons, filled his tank with $ 22.60, but with the new rate the user will pay $ 29.8, while with a car SUV, of 13 gallons, he paid $ 29,38 and now $ 38.74

The calculation to determine the expenditure on gasoline that a vehicle has depends on several factors, such as the cylinder, if driving is in town or on the road, year of manufacture, among others. For example, a new 2,000-horsepower car that circulates in the city can yield about 9 kilometers (km) per liter, meaning that it will completely empty its 13-gallon tank (49.21 liters) every 400 kilometers.

Which implies, on average, that every two weeks you will have to pay $ 38.74 to consume super. For the Chamber of Distributors of Petroleum Derivatives (Camdepe) the increase in the rate should be gradual in both the super and extra, which has 87 octane, because with the adjustment customers could migrate to the latter because it is cheaper.

Along with the price increase, the government offered to raise the quality of the fuel from 90 to 92 octane with the intention that users maintain their usual level of consumption. If an automotive consumes super and changes to extra it can generate serious mechanical problems in the engine, which in the long run would result in a higher cost for the user.

What is octane?

It refers to the time that gasoline takes to make combustion. The higher the octane rating, the longer it will take gasoline to explode inside the cylinders of the car. There are engines that need more time before the fuel ignites and detonates the pistons, especially those that have greater compression and operate at a higher temperature, since they require gasoline to ignite after the piston has risen to function properly.

If a lower octane fuel is placed in a high compression engine it can produce a phenomenon known as “jingle” of the engine, when the pistons do not rise in a straight line and bounce against the walls of the cylinders.

Patricio Montaño, mechanical engineer, explained that in some new vehicles to detect this problem the engine would stop and would not work. In others, however, there would be a lot of vibration, causing wear on the internal parts of the engine.

If an engine lasts 300,000 kilometers, they would have to rectify it to 100,000 along with the costs that this entails. “The damages that can cause (to change from super to extra) are serious because they can damage the internal walls of the cylinders, there can be damage to the pistons, cranks can be broken,” said Montaño.

Oswaldo Erazo, secretary of the Camdepe, without specifying figures pointed out that the days before the increase in the value of super gasoline came into force there was an increase in the demand for that fuel and, consequently, also increased the orders in the terminals of Petroecuador. He said that there are currently several concerns in the sector, because the government has not considered the economic impact that this measure would bring to the trading companies.

The Hydrocarbons Regulation and Control Agency (ARCH) reported that since the new economic measures were announced, it has intensified its day and night controls, making permanent control operations to guarantee the normal commercialization of gasoline and diesel.

In Ecuador there are 1,098 service stations (gas stations). The Arch assured that it maintains technical personnel in each one of the terminals at national level, supervising the regular dispatch of all fuels. (I)

Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/economia/4/galon-gasolinasuper-venta-usd2-98