Spring has begun, and prices at the pump have continued to climb. Today’s national average ($3.95) is 24 cents higher than last week and $1.02 higher than last month. The impact from the Iran situation combined with seasonal increases are main contributors of the price increases. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.24 million b/d to 8.72 million. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.4 million barrels per day. At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate rose 11 cents to settle at $96.32 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 6.2 million barrels from the previous week. At 449.3 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 1% below the five-year average for this time of year. The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station remained the same this past week at 41 cents. (Photo: AP)