If you haven’t been to the gas station in a few days, you may be in for a surprise the next time you fill up. As of Thursday morning, a gallon of gas costs over $5 at almost every station in the area.
The average price per gallon in Utah is $4.99 a gallon, with the national average not far behind at $4.96.
Electric vehicle owners are saving as much as $1,000 a year driving electric, according to a study from the Idaho National Laboratory.
Sam Daniel has driven a Tesla since 2018 and never goes to a gas station, but she understands the negative impact gas prices are having on people.
“No, I have a lot of sympathy for people like, how expensive the gas is right now. And I hear stories of people who can't afford it having to forego medical appointments and all sorts of things because they just can't get anywhere. Or having to choose like between food or gas right now, which is pretty crazy.”
For people like Josh Ahlberg, who drives a Nissan Titan truck, the price of gas is changing the way he lives. He says it costs him about $125 to fill his tank.
“But I'm in a position where I'm taking a job that I do enjoy. But it's not my ideal situation necessarily. That pays significantly more than the job that I'm in. And my current job can't afford to pay anymore. So that's, I mean, that's a significant change. But yeah, then I you know, I also don't I try to avoid hitting out like, if I go out, I try and hit Walmart, Smith's, Home Depot, everything all in one shot. So it's only one run out instead of shooting out here there couple of times a week.”
Ahlberg says even with the high price of gas, he can’t imagine driving an electric car because of his active mountain lifestyle.
“Well, I mean, think about with camping with you know, pulling a boat, pulling a camper, lugging kayaks. You know, throwing camping gear in the back end with two dogs, your spouse and child. Tell me any electric vehicle, it's gonna be under $150,000 That's going to be that functional for that purpose.”
Now EV drivers like Daniel are getting even more benefits: Intermountain hospital and clinics announced this week they’ll offer free charging stations at all their locations.
