BP launches $16-a-gallon fuel!
In what must be one of the most ill-timed product launches in history, British Petroleum has chosen a time of record
pump prices to launch a new brand of ultra-premium fuel that retails for nearly $20 a gallon in the U.K. (that's about
$16.32 per U.S. gallon).BP's new Ultimate 102 boasts an octane rating of - you guessed it - 102, and is made in limited quantities by BP's Specialty Fuels Technology Centre, using the same techniques used to craft Formula 1 race fuel.
What's the point? The high-octane fuel typically boosts power output on modern performance cars by between 4 and 7.5 percent over BP's standard Ultimate 97, provided your ride is willing and able to remap its ignition and/or increase turbo boost.
Ultimate 102 has its own minisite here, and (this must be a first) the fuel will soon have its own blog here. The product is only available in the U.K., at least for now.
[Source: BP]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
David 3:06PM (4/25/2006)
These are niche products with a market. A lot of tuners and racers buy Sunoco GT100 here in the states.
http://www.sunocoinc.com/site/Consumer/RaceFuels/260GT100Locations/
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David F 3:06PM (4/25/2006)
Take it to 11!
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John 3:11PM (4/25/2006)
I wonder how well this will work in my prius...
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Jason 3:15PM (4/25/2006)
What's wrong with the timing? This would have the same market niche as always.
Fuel economy / price isn't a consideration to the people who carry Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Porsche keys in their pockets.
But anyone posting to an automotive blog would already know that, right?
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MadeinDetroit 3:15PM (4/25/2006)
Hybrids like the Prius dont use gas, they run on their owners sense of self worth.
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Eric Aitala 3:40PM (4/25/2006)
Don't they actually do this because they have to use 'pump fuel' in F1? I heard that Shell just came up with a new fuel for the F1, so I don't find the announcement too surprising.
Eric
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Charles S 3:41PM (4/25/2006)
According to Indy Racing League, the ethanol use have 115 Octane. How much is that per gallon?
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John 3:42PM (4/25/2006)
#4, perhaps the timing issue isn't about targeting a specific niche market, but that it gives a bad taste in consumer's mouths about BP and their fuel pricing. However, I guess anybody reading this blog would already know that.
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NewtonHeath 3:45PM (4/25/2006)
#5 - too right. I see an aweful lot of prius flying past me at 70-80mph on the highway. I'd of thought they'd be cruising at 55 if they were truely concerned citizens. Of course, I know nothing of what the optimum speed of the said vehicle is. Just my opinion.
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Micah 3:48PM (4/25/2006)
BP doesn't stand for British Petroleum anymore...it's just BP.
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Scott 4:02PM (4/25/2006)
Umm they really bend you over in the UK. You can buy 100 octane unleaded at many 76 stations at the pump in California for around 5bux a gallon.
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Keith 4:14PM (4/25/2006)
If you are worth millions of dollars, and are driving around in your Porsche Turbo, SL65 AMG, Gallargo, or any other such car, why not?
I spent $50 on a plastic lens hood for a Canon lens, if you are 'into it', the money does not seem that bad.
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Charles S 4:19PM (4/25/2006)
"I see an aweful lot of prius flying past me at 70-80mph on the highway. I'd of thought they'd be cruising at 55 if they were truely concerned citizens. Of course, I know nothing of what the optimum speed of the said vehicle is. Just my opinion."
If there is a tail-wind or I am surfing off the wake of a wolf-pack, occasionally my instant-fuel-usage meter will tell me that I'm getting 100+ MPG, even at higher speeds. But no, I'd rather go with the flow of the traffic and keep a constant speed. One get a more consistant numbers that way. The highway is never empty and too many speed-up's and slow-down's end up hurting the overall mileage anyways.
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YOUR MOM 4:26PM (4/25/2006)
WELL, WE ARE ALL JUST SO PROUD OF YOU CHARLES S
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Tom Windelinckx 4:35PM (4/25/2006)
Don't forget that, just like there is a difference in US and UK gallons, there is also a difference in octane number in the US and Europe:
"... this means that the octane in the United States will be about 4 to 5 points lower than the same fuel elsewhere: 87 octane fuel, the "normal" gasoline in the US and Canada, would be 91 in Europe."
Details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating#Measurement_methods
In Belgium we get 95 (Eurosuper) and 98 (Super Plus) RON, and occasionally 99. Normal (91 RON) is no longer commonly available.
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Rocket Punch 4:56PM (4/25/2006)
Do keep in mind that the methods of calculation octane rating is different in Europe(RON) than in USA((RON+MON/2)).
Correct me if I am worng. I think in UK you can get 98 Octane fuel which is = 94 in USA.
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Amir Sharifi 4:57PM (4/25/2006)
If tuning companies were to make chips that would use this octane, there would be some pretty nice numbers showing up. Great for racing, but for everyday driving, HA!
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That One Person 5:13PM (4/25/2006)
#1...theres a gas station not too far from me that sells that kind of fuel. That stuff is fun. My friend put it in his Ranger one day...there was a noticeable power gain and it ran better, too. Kind of interesting really.
But yea, you cant really say its bad timing. There are uses for this fuel. Its just easier to get now...
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John 5:25PM (4/25/2006)
Charles S - Truth, it's the consistency and lack of aggressiveness that saves the gas. THAAAAAAANKS!
:ugh: at the hybrid haters/
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G. Snyder 5:27PM (4/25/2006)
a chip cannot change compression level. A higher octane fuel will not necessarily improve a car's performance. The higher the octane rating, the slower the fuel burns. There are too many factors involved to say that higher octane increases performance. That is a marketing ploy and even the publisher of this post seems to have fallen victim.
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