U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #545: November 17, 2008
Historical Alternative Fuel Prices Compared to Gasoline and Diesel

From September of 2005 through July of 2008, regular gasoline has typically been more expensive than propane, natural gas, and E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) on a per gallon or gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) basis. During the same period, petroleum diesel has typically been less expensive than biodiesel. The greater the amount of biodiesel in the biodiesel blend, the higher the cost, with B100 (100% biodiesel) being the most expensive. However, that price gap has been narrowing between 2007 and 2008.

Historical Prices of Alternative Fuels versus Gasoline
Graph showing the difference in price of alternative fuels (propane, natural gas, and E85) versus regular gasoline from September 2005 through July 2008. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Note: GGE = gasoline gallon equivalent.

Historical Prices of Alternative Fuels versus Petroleum Diesel
Graph showing the difference in price per gallon of diesel versus biodiesel from September 2005 through July 2008. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Note: DGE = diesel gallon equivalent.

Supporting Information

Historical Prices of Alternative Fuels versus Gasoline
Report Gasoline Natural Gas (GGE) Propane Ethanol (E85)
Sep-05 $2.77 $2.12 $2.56 $2.41
Feb-06 $2.23 $1.99 $1.98 $1.98
Jun-06 $2.84 $1.90 $2.08 $2.43
Oct-06 $2.22 $1.77 $2.33 $2.11
Mar-07 $2.30 $1.94 $2.62 $2.10
Jul-07 $3.03 $2.09 $2.58 $2.63
Oct-07 $2.76 $1.77 $2.75 $2.40
Jan-08 $2.99 $1.93 $3.12 $2.51
Apr-08 $3.43 $2.04 $3.15 $2.87
Jul-08 $3.91 $2.34 $3.14 $3.27

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, Historical Alternative Fuel Prices From Previous Reports. July 2008.


Historical Prices of Alternative Fuels versus Petroleum Diesel
Report Diesel Natural Gas (DGE) Biodiesel (B20) Biodiesel (B2/B5) Biodiesel (B99/B100)
Sep-05 $2.81 $2.37 $2.91 $2.81 $3.40
Feb-06 $2.56 $2.23 $2.64 $2.46 $3.23
Jun-06 $2.98 $2.13 $2.92 $2.97 $3.76
Oct-06 $2.62 $1.98 $2.66 $2.75 $3.31
Mar-07 $2.63 $2.17 $2.53 $2.60 $3.31
Jul-07 $2.96 $2.34 $2.96 $2.84 $3.27
Oct-07 $3.11 $1.98 $3.08 $2.99 $3.38
Jan-08 $3.40 $2.16 $3.37 $3.31 $3.69
Apr-08 $4.14 $2.28 $3.98 $3.99 $4.31
Jul-08 $4.71 $2.61 $4.66 $4.69 $4.88

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, Historical Alternative Fuel Prices From Previous Reports. July 2008.

 

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