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On Gasoline (as a Fuel for Cars)
August 12, 2005
After some thought, I decided to focus only on gasoline because writing about petroleum in general was far too broad a topic, especially in a country like Saudi Arabia. I should warn you that my knowledge in the subject of gasoline alone is still rather limited, unlike what you might otherwise think, considering the nature of my father's work and the country in which I resided for years.
But here are some things I do know. The country switched to unleaded gasoline in January 2001, thanks to Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Aramco. Gas prices were roughly 43 cents per U.S. gallon (calculated from 50 hallalahs per liter in Dhahran) when we first arrived there in 1997, and by the end of our seven year stay (2004), the prices were roughly 77 cents per U.S. gallon (calculated from 90 hallalahs per liter in Dhahran). This was due to one price hike in 1998, when the price per barrel of oil was at its lowest. Speaking of prices, you won't have to spend time scouring for the gas station with the lowest prices because all the prices are the same throughout the country, or so I was told.
Our entire resident community in Dhahran was served by a single gas station sitting at the end of a 400 yard driving range, and that there was no self-service option at the gas station. Full service was included at no additional charge. And outside of the company communities, Saudi Arabia has the most interestingly designed gas stations I've ever seen. I've come across everything from roofs that looked like rows of white tents to roofs that looked like huge toy cars. Most of these gas stations seemed to be lit by colorful lights, usually lining the roofs above the pumps.
So there you have it. I feel guilty for not knowing so much more, but I wasn't especially more attentive to this subject during middle school than I was about any other topic.
-Gordon Mei
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