The National Gas Price Map

Curious how that little corner of the map - Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana have the lowest prices in the country for a gallon of gasoline.

I smell conspiracy. Or maybe a different formulation of gasoline that hasn't been hit by shortages, or refinery problems.

UPDATE:
So what are Europeans paying? Quite a bit more than Americans once you figure in all the taxes. Europeans have grown accustomed to paying incredibly high prices per gallon of gas. Prices above five dollars are common throughout Europe, though two-thirds of the price is actually taxes the governments have tacked on to the price of gas, which is roughly comparable to US prices.

Meanwhile, Toyota is preparing to unveil an upgraded Prius that nearly doubles the gas mileage of the current Prius. However, as some of the more astute commenters note, one would actually do more to reduce gas dependency if the mileage is raised on the worst offending gas guzzlers not the already more efficient vehicles (though manufacturers love the hybrids because it helps offset for CAFE standards).

If SUVs and light trucks that get 10-15 mpg are increased to 12-20mpg, the savings would be far more significant than the technological breakthroughs of the Prius - and far more people drive SUVs and light trucks than would consider a Prius as their next vehicle.

UPDATE:
NBC Nightly News sent some of their reporters on a road trip between the Raleigh, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida. They dutifully reported on the gas prices, and tallied up the mileage and cost of gas consumed for their trip.

Did I mention that they drove a rental car that happened to be a Ford Mustang? A convertible? With the top down? That must do wonders for the gas mileage.

Doesn't the network read its own news that gives tips on how to drive? Wait a moment, maybe they shouldn't since the advice to drive with windows open over driving with air conditioning isn't entirely accurate. Knowing under what conditions to drive with the windows down will greatly affect mileage. If you're driving at highway speeds, driving with AC will not be as big a hit as the windows down.

Imagine what driving with the top down on a convertible must do for gas mileage.

Maybe NBC News should try driving with the top up and report the difference - just to show how driving while stupid can affect mileage - and how much you pay to drive.