The new records are being set in spite of reduced demand for gasoline, which has been attributed to more fuel-efficient vehicles, increased fuel additives such as ethanol and the malaise over pain at the pump and the weak recovery that has followed the global recession.
The amount of money Americans have spent so far this year on gasoline: $435,679,000,000. Yes, those are billions of dollars. That's on pace to set a new record for the amount that U.S. drivers pay for that fuel in a year.
In 2008, Americans spent $448 billion on gasoline. That is the current record.
In 2008, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. was $3.25, also the current record for the average over a full year. (By the way, we'll break that record, too. So far, gasoline has averaged $3.539 a gallon across the U.S. in 2011.)
"Unless we have a monthlong event in December like 'The Day The Earth Stood Still,' Americans will spend a record amount on gasoline this year," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service in New Jersey, who provided the numbers.
Every day, on average, Americans are spending $1.33 billion on gasoline.