NEW YORK - Americans will pay an average of 48 cents a gallon more for gasoline this summer than in 2009, but will nevertheless consume about 0.5 percent more of the automotive fuel after Memorial Day as the economy picks up steam, according to government projections released Tuesday.
The expected 20 percent jump in gasoline prices from last summer led the U.S. government's energy research arm to issue a cautious outlook for gasoline consumption in the 2010 summer driving season, the traditional height of highway travel in the world's largest market for fossil fuels.
A driver with a 15-gallon gasoline tank in their car will pay an extra $7.20 to fill up, a cost that could weigh on some drivers' transportation plans, said Neil Gamson, an economist with the Energy Information Administration.
Current prices aren't expected to change drastically, with gasoline seen as costing about $2.92 a gallon
