Diesel, petrol, oil price watch

[trueblue1234]

You have the likes of Balfour Beattie who are actively looking at electrifying their sites. They are starting to swap out diesel machines with Electric, bio or Hydrogen.
But their plan is to achieve all by 2050. A long way off.
Hydrogen could be the one to help things over electric imo.

[JoG2]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

[Armagh18]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

Idiots. Just put £20 in at a time and it's not any dearer

[Hereiam]

Hydrogen is a long way off from practical use as the fact it has to be stored under high pressure and then this is transferred to the machine under pressure as well means there is too much risk involved for the public to use it.

You also have storage issues as it requires alot more volume for a lot less product.

[johnnycool]

Hydrogen is a long way off from practical use as the fact it has to be stored under high pressure and then this is transferred to the machine under pressure as well means there is too much risk involved for the public to use it.

You also have storage issues as it requires alot more volume for a lot less product.

Where have you been? There's hydrogen buses in London now, made in Ballymena of all places.

https://wrightbus.com/

[Baile Brigín 2]

Hydrogen is a long way off from practical use as the fact it has to be stored under high pressure and then this is transferred to the machine under pressure as well means there is too much risk involved for the public to use it.

You also have storage issues as it requires alot more volume for a lot less product.

Sounds very like petrol to me

[Milltown Row2]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

Sorry my calculation was wrong , £50 filled it, now the extra tenner brings it to £720 over the yearlol but certainly the wife's car smaller car less milage would be less than my figure

[RedHand88]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

What the hell are you driving? A dodge ram?

It's maybe a extra £20-30 a month for me, I do about 800-1000 miles a month.

Mental that people are still buying cars that guzzle much fuel.

[In hiding]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

What the hell are you driving? A dodge ram?

It's maybe a extra £20-30 a month for me, I do about 800-1000 miles a month.

Mental that people are still buying cars that guzzle much fuel.

It's simple enough
Diesel was approx £1.40 per litre
It's now approx £1.85 per litre

That's an increase of roughly 33%

If your bill is now £10 per fill more expensive than before, then it cost you £30 to fill the tank prior to the latest crisis.

That's a small tank

[Armagh18]

But they did ease it weeks ago. Back in March excise duty was cut in response to the hikes. It cost €250 million to do.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ireland-temporarily-cut-fuel-duty-235-million-euro-energy-package-2026-03-23/

Why are people either not aware of this or choosing to ignore it?

People are aware but it really isn't worth one f**k when diesel is over €2 a litre. May as well go into the delivery suite with a condom.

Have to admit, I hadn't realised they'd acted in advance of the protests... although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the exact timelines of what happened when.

There also has been changes made by govt after the protests.

All well and good but people are still paying €2-€2.20 for diesel across the board so aren't feeling the benefit of any government action. Telling them they should be grateful that it's not €2.50 isn't going to work either.

Filled the car there and its an extra tenner overall from before the hike

Are you driving a Fiat Cinquecento?

Just shy of £40 extra for a fill for me

What the hell are you driving? A dodge ram?

It's maybe a extra £20-30 a month for me, I do about 800-1000 miles a month.

Mental that people are still buying cars that guzzle much fuel.

It's simple enough
Diesel was approx £1.40 per litre
It's now approx £1.85 per litre

That's an increase of roughly 33%

If your bill is now £10 per fill more expensive than before, then it cost you £30 to fill the tank prior to the latest crisis.

That's a small tank

Over £1.90 in a lot of places.

But using your figures. Say you're putting 50 litres in. Previously it was £70 to fill the car, now it's £92.50 for the same amount. Fair jump. Now think of the poor trucker getting about 10mpg.

[Hereiam]

Hydrogen is a long way off from practical use as the fact it has to be stored under high pressure and then this is transferred to the machine under pressure as well means there is too much risk involved for the public to use it.

You also have storage issues as it requires alot more volume for a lot less product.

Where have you been? There's hydrogen buses in London now, made in Ballymena of all places.

https://wrightbus.com/

Hydrogen is currently not used more widely because it is expensive to produce, difficult to store, and less energy-efficient than competing technologies like electric batteries. While it is the most abundant element in the universe, on Earth it rarely exists as a standalone gas and must be extracted from other substances, which requires significant energy and specialized infrastructure.
Horizon Educational

The main barriers to its widespread adoption include:
High Costs and Production Hurdles
Production Expenses: Currently, "green" hydrogen (made using renewable electricity) is two to three times more expensive to produce than fossil-fuel-based alternatives.
Dirty Production: Approximately 95–96% of global hydrogen is still "grey" hydrogen produced from natural gas, a process that releases high amounts of
.
Electricity Costs: Producing green hydrogen via electrolysis is highly sensitive to electricity prices, which currently account for about 70% of total production costs.

Technical and Physical Challenges
Low Energy Density: Hydrogen has very low volumetric energy density; even in liquid form, it requires roughly four times the storage space of petrol for the same amount of energy.
Storage Complexity: Storing it requires either extreme pressure (up to 700 bar) or cryogenic temperatures (
), both of which are energy-intensive and require expensive, heavy tanks.
Leakage and Fragility: As the smallest molecule, hydrogen easily leaks through seals and can cause "hydrogen embrittlement," which weakens metal pipes and containers over time.

Infrastructure and Market Competition
Missing Infrastructure: Unlike electricity, which has an existing grid, or petrol, which has established stations, hydrogen requires a completely new and expensive network of pipelines and refuelling stations.

Efficiency Disadvantage:
Direct use of electricity in batteries is far more efficient. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) typically boast 80-90% round-trip efficiency, while hydrogen fuel cell systems only manage about 35-45% due to energy losses during production, compression, and conversion.

Vehicle Availability:
There are very few hydrogen vehicle models available to the public (such as the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo), and they often come with much higher purchase prices than their battery-powered counterparts

Wrightbus...lol

[Hereiam]

As a commercial operation for London, the hydrogen bus fleet is not currently turning a profit and requires ongoing public subsidies to run. However, the manufacturer, Wrightbus, has recently reached overall profitability as a company.
The situation is split between the high cost of the trial and the commercial success of the bus maker:
1. The London Fleet (Operational Costs)
For Transport for London (TfL) and the bus operators, these hydrogen buses are significantly more expensive to run than alternatives:
Operating Loss: A 2023 report indicated that hydrogen buses cost approximately £1.50 per mile to operate, compared to just £0.65 per mile for battery-electric buses and £0.80 for diesel.
High Fuel Costs: Hydrogen fuel remains substantially more expensive than electricity or diesel. In some transit trials, hydrogen fuel costs have been reported at up to four times the cost of diesel per mile.
Subsidy Dependent: The initial purchase of the 20 buses cost £10.85 million (£543k per bus), but nearly £6 million of that was covered by EU and UK government grants, reducing TfL's net cost to roughly £238k per bus

[seafoid]

https://www.ft.com/content/2f1cbc7d-eeab-40e4-b940-61bf8b1e7959?syn-25a6b1a6=1

This latest tactic is likely to backfire. Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused global energy prices to surge.


 But an American blockade is already causing oil and gas prices to go even higher. It also increases the risk that Iran will counter-escalate by striking energy infrastructure in the Gulf.

[seafoid]

https://www.ft.com/content/2f1cbc7d-eeab-40e4-b940-61bf8b1e7959?syn-25a6b1a6=1

The loss of some 20 per cent of the world's energy supplies has already been called the "greatest global energy security threat in history" by Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency.

He has warned that today's crisis could dwarf the combined effects of the oil shocks of the 1970s — which caused several years of inflation, recessions and fuel rationing.


The economic impacts of the current war were cushioned for a while because a lot of oil and gas from the Gulf was already at sea when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

But the effects of the strait's closure — and of Iran's attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure — are now really kicking in. A rise in the price of petrol at the pump is just the beginning.


 A shortage of jet fuel will hit air travel, which will damage tourism just ahead of the crucial summer season in Europe. A lack of helium — much of which is produced in Qatar — could stop the production of semiconductors.

 Food production will be damaged by fertiliser shortages which will lead to further inflation. The Asian Development Bank has recently forecast that the energy crisis could reduce growth by more than 1 percentage point this year in developing Asia.

Trump clearly hopes that the economic pressure exerted on Iran through the blockade will force the Islamic republic to back down quickly. But the Iranian regime is resourceful, ruthless and fighting for its life.

 Iran also has a cushion of income generated by its recent oil sales at inflated prices and can generate some revenue through gas exports by pipeline.

If Trump's blockade fails to bend Iran to America's will, the US will then face some very difficult choices.


The president has floated the possibility of devastating Iranian infrastructure and sometimes suggests that a military operation to open the strait would be easy.

 But the truth is that if these were good or workable options they would have been tried already. Even if the US succeeds in sending some warships through the strait that will not guarantee the safety of commercial shipping.

 Iran does not have to sink or block every tanker. A few attacks with drones or speedboats would continue to make tanker traffic all but uninsurable.

If the US then decided to escalate further — by carrying through on Trump's threats to take out Iranian power plants and desalination facilities — the Iranians have threatened to target similar facilities in the Gulf.

Without the fresh water generated by desalination plants, life in the UAE and Saudi Arabia would be pretty impossible.

 The oil pipeline that crosses Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea — and provides an alternative to exporting via the strait — has been targeted already and could be hit again.

The Saudi pumping stations on the coast are also vulnerable. Iran's Houthi allies could seek to block energy exports via the Red Sea, by targeting ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait.

The malign political and strategic effects of this war also extend well beyond the Middle East.

Fuel price protests in Ireland almost brought the country to a halt last week, leading the government to call in the army to reopen highways and ports and to announce €505mn worth of fuel subsidies.

 Ireland is likely to be just the first country to experience this kind of turmoil. And less solvent governments in Asia and Europe are unlikely to have the fiscal firepower to buy off protesters.

Heavily indebted France — which has a record of fuel-price protests — is already braced for trouble ahead of next year's presidential election.

Before the US blockade was announced, many in the oil industry already seemed to be quietly reconciled to paying tolls to Iran for passage through the strait. A charge of $1 per barrel of oil is often mentioned

. The Trump administration insists that an Iranian tolling system would be unacceptable. The US is right that the implications for freedom of navigation around the world and for the balance of power in the Middle East would be grim.

A single nation, Iran, would have a lucrative chokehold over the world's oil and gas supplies, turning it into a more extreme and concentrated version of the Opec cartel of oil producers.


 It could use those revenues to rebuild its proxy networks and nuclear programme.

 Negotiating an end to the war — and the energy crisis it is causing — will require strategic vision, patience and an ability to understand trade-offs and to build alliances. All qualities that Trump lacks. What a mess.

[Rossfan]

Maybe time to buy a horse or 2....