An interesting news item here in Germany caught my attention. President Bush is concerned about the price of gas in the USA, which has reached the lofty price of 0.63 € per liter.

Perhaps President Bush is also concerned about the effect the "high" price of gas will have on voters in this year’s mid-term elections. No doubt, though, the President is genuinely interested in America’s growing dependence on imported oil, which was one of the themes in this year’s State of the Union address. The "high" price of gas will most likely lead to heightened interest in alternative energy sources, which won’t be a bad thing for the energy-hungry USA.

How about filling up your tank at the gas station where I do, just around the corner from where I live here in Germany, about 4 miles from Bonn? Here’s a picture of today’s gas price, taken at the gas station’s roadside sign. I buy the top fuel listed on the sign, regular gasoline, which is currently selling at 1.35 € per liter. The prices below regular gas are for premium gas (super), premium plus, bio diesel (made partially from vegetable material), car diesel and truck diesel.

At 3.8 liters per gallon, that makes 5.13 € per gallon for regular gas. Today’s euro-dollar exchange rate is $1.25 per 1.00 €, so I am paying $6.41 per gallon.

Hey, I’ll take the record price of 0.63 € per liter any day of the week! The high price of gasoline here is one reason why I drive a small car that gets about 40 miles to a gallon. Germany has roughly a per-capita income about the same as that of the USA, but its per-capita energy consumption is about half that of the United States.