Gas stations sell summer blend gas during the hot summer driving season, and revert to cheaper winter blend gas in the winter. Summer blend gas creates less smog – particularly important during warm summers, when more drivers hit the road and travel longer distances.
But that summer blend gas comes at a cost, says Mr. Green: “It can add anywhere from 10 to 15 cents a gallon.”
Most states follow Environmental Protection Agency rules for introducing summer blend in June and phasing it out mid-September. If you’re in California, though, you’re buying the “summer blend” earlier than June and into October – raising the cost of gasoline, but reducing smog in a state historically plagued by air quality problems.
