A desert gas station is making headlines with prices approaching $9 a gallon – just as the national average is finally falling below $4 a gallon.
Given the drastic changes, electric vehicle drivers are happy about price stability when charging.
Najah’s Desert Oasis, a convenience store in Fenner, California, on historic Route 66, operates a Chevron branch right off the highway.
Located in a remote part of the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Needles, travelers have the choice of either paying a surcharge at the pump or staying stranded.
The channel recently went viral after Matt Bateman posted a series of photos on his X account (@mbateman).
The photos showed the eye-watering gas prices, along with a note from management explaining the prices and asking management not to complain.
Read more about gas prices
The regular price was $8.55, the mid-range price was $8.65, and the premium price was $8.75.
“Our overhead costs are extremely high. Delivery costs are doubled at this location,” the statement said.
“There is a vast desert of almost 100 miles with no cell reception. Please do not complain about the prices. It is your choice whether to be a customer or not. We are here for your convenience.
“Thank you for supporting a family business Business.”
Many drivers seemed to understand the justification for the prices, while others accused the managers of price gouging.
The photos went viral, garnering millions of views, nearly 400 responses, and being reposted thousands of times, while the national average price of regular gasoline dropped to $3.37 per gallon.
In contrast, the cheapest gas station is the Circle K on Cedar Lake Road in Biloxi, Mississippi, at $2.49 per gallon of regular gasoline, according to WLOX.
At $2.93 per gallon of regular gasoline, Mississippi is the cheapest state, closely followed by Oklahoma at $2.98.
In California, the average cost is $4.59, almost half the price of the Fenner Chevron.
While drivers of gasoline cars face fluctuating prices at the pump, drivers of electric vehicles can enjoy stable and low charging costs.
AAA reported that the national average for Level 2 fees has remained stable since July.
Drivers in Kansas are the luckiest, with an average cost of just $0.21 per kilowatt hour (kWh).
Missouri, Delaware, Texas, Nebraska, Utah and Wisconsin are just under $0.30, while Michigan, Vermont and North Dakota remain at $0.30 per kWh.
Electric vehicle owners in Hawaii pay the highest price, averaging $0.56 per kWh.
Gas prices according to Matt Smithan oil analyst at Kpler, said the decline in gasoline prices in the country was due to the falling price of oil per gallon.
The cheapest and most expensive states for gas
National and state average prices are falling, but some gas stations are charging significantly above or below average.
The most expensive states for gas:
- Hawaii has the highest national average at $4.66 for regular beer.
- California has the second highest average at $4.59, but it is also home to the most expensive gas station in the country: a Chevron station in Fenner charges $8.55 for regular gasoline.
- Washington: $4.19
- Nevada: $3.95
- Oregon: $3.83
- Alaska: $3.75
- Illinois: $3.73
- Washington, DC: $3.64
- Idaho: $3.58
- Utah: $3.57
The cheapest states for gas:
- Mississippi: $2.93. This is also where you’ll find the cheapest gas station in the country: Circle K in Biloxi charges just $2.49 for regular gasoline.
- Oklahoma: $2.98
- Tennessee: $2.99
- Texas: $3.00
- Louisiana: $3.03
- South Carolina: $3.03
- Alabama: $3.04
- Arkansas: $3.07
- Kansas: $3.10
- Missouri: $3.11
Source: AAA
“As oil prices have fallen over the last month or so, we’re seeing prices at the pump keep pace with that,” he told USA Today.
AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said prices are currently falling daily.
“They are now falling almost a penny a day,” he said.
However, for remote locations such as Fenner, these principles may not apply.
Yelp! reviewers posted photos of the prices as recently as June, claiming that management was “ripping off” prices or taking advantage of travelers because they knew they had no choice but to pay the increased prices.
Many used the site to warn drivers to fill up in Barstow or Needles before driving through this stretch of desert to avoid the nearly $9-per-gallon cost.
The US Sun has contacted Najah’s Desert Oasis for comment.