Now here's a thought:

Company X makes a profit from selling Gasoline. As all good
companies do, they like to see their profit lines either
maintain a steady level or increase. ( Shareholders usually
demand the latter over the former )

Now, with that in mind, what do you think will happen if
magically we started using 50% less gasoline tomorrow ?
The magic car fairy works overtime one night and replaces
everyones vehicle with one that gets double the gas mileage.

Since we just cut our consumption in half, all of a sudden
Company X is now selling half the gasoline it used to. The
profits also cut in half much to the dismay of the
shareholders.

What's the fix ?

Why to raise gas prices of course. If they have the
capacity to do so, they can also try to mass produce
enough of it cheaply to undercut the other companies
who also sell gas. With Crude Oil checking in at record
prices though, it's nearly impossible to produce gas
cheap enough to be able to undercut the other guy by very
much.

The theory is gas prices will actually rise due to Company X
trying to maintain the same profit they've enjoyed for
years. It's the only way they can continue to make money.

Thoughts ?