Charlotte’s gas, cheapest in NC, keeps getting pricier

Charlotte has the cheapest gas of any North Carolina metropolitan area, though prices are edging up, as they are statewide and across the nation. Still, local gas prices are lower than the state and national average and much cheaper compared with this time last year.

As of early Tuesday, a gallon of unleaded gas in Charlotte is $2.42 a gallon, up from $2.38 a week ago and $1.20 cheaper than it was at this time in 2014, according to auto group AAA.

Statewide, gas is $2.47 a gallon, up from $2.42 a week ago and about $1.18 a gallon cheaper than a year ago. Nationwide, gas is $2.63 a gallon, up from $2.55 a week ago but still about $1 a gallon cheaper than a year ago.

South Carolina’s gas is still the cheapest in the country at $2.34 a gallon on average.

The national average gas price is now the most expensive it’s been all year. It’s not unusual for prices to go up at this time of year, though, because of seasonal refinery maintenance, rising demand and higher costs associated with producing pricier summer-blend gas, which is often required to combat emissions in warmer weather, AAA said in a report Monday.

Absent any major supply disruptions, AAA said, the national average gas price is expected to remain below $3 per gallon throughout 2015.

Gas prices rise and fall with the price of oil. As of early Tuesday, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the domestic benchmark, was $59.52 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, was $67.01 a barrel.

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s gas, cheapest in NC, keeps getting pricier."