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by mattlondon 1130 days ago
Gas as in gas (that you heat your house with), or gas as in petroleum (that you put in your car)?

For both in the UK I don't think there were "shortages" where it wasn't available. Both just shoot up in price (like they always do at the merest hint of supply shortages or whalesale cost increases ..)
2 comments
marsokod 1130 days ago
Gas as in petroleum. In the UK, this was caused initially by a constraint on having enough drivers for the trucks, which lead into a few local shortages. The fear came into that and people rushed to fill their tank. The system being not sized for this, this ended up creating actual shortage with a positive feedback loop.

Similar issue in France: strikes were happening leading to local constraints, which was then amplified by people rushing to fill their tanks. In both cases, the situation comes back to normal after a few weeks.

This is the toilet paper shortage, or the bank run, all over again.

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mecsred 1130 days ago
Why does the UK call gasoline petroleum? Every context I've ever heard it used in, including technical, petroleum is crude oil, which DEFINITELY doesn't go in your car.
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mattlondon 1130 days ago
Well equally why does the US call the liquid you put in your car gas? :)

No one calls it petroleum - petrol is what anyone on the street would call it. Diesel is different and just called diesel. I don't know why or how this started - guessing some old thing that wasn't-quite-right but which stuck around regardless

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mecsred 1130 days ago
Fair point, it is also confusing, but gas and gas are two different words. One is a phase of matter and the other is a shortened form of gasoline, much like petrol/petroleum. However, gasoline does actually go in the fuel tank of your car.
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dukeyukey 1130 days ago
We don't - we call it petrol, because it's similar to petroleum but isn't it.

Tbh 'gas' is the weird one, it's a liquid.

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eesmith 1130 days ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Etymology

'The term is thought to have been influenced by the trademark "Cazeline" or "Gazeline"', then becoming 'gasolene' before ending up as 'gasoline', shortened as 'gas'.

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zabzonk 1130 days ago
gasoline
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