NORFOLK, Va. — Gas prices continue to soar in Hampton Roads. Leaders with AAA Tidewater said gas prices jumped more than 50 cents in the area since last Monday.
A year ago, AAA said you could get a gallon of gas in Hampton Roads for about $2.60. On March 7, many stations broke the $4 mark, and drivers were having a hard time keeping up.
“Going to cost me about $130 to fill up,” said one Norfolk driver. “It’s going to suck, but gotta pay to play right?”
Truck, SUV, or car, it doesn’t matter. Most Hampton Roads drivers told 13News Now fueling up was becoming a fiasco.
“Well, I am stocking up and hoping for the best,” said Norfolk driver Al Markowitz.
He worried about the nation’s dependence on gasoline.
“We need to be moving away from gas and have an incentive towards electric energy, electric cars,” Markowitz said.
The recent fuel pressures have some folks looking into a more electric route.
“We get calls every day about them, plenty of inquiries, either in Virginia or even out of state,” said Nico Agtuca, a salesman at Moke America of Virginia Beach.
Agtuca said they were especially seeing an increased interest in their "electric buggy" stock.
“We presold the 10 that we already have coming in, and basically what our clients use them for is really just to get around town,” he explained.
Agtuca said the buggy is approved to drive on roads up to 35 miles per hour. Pricing starts at around $25,000.
“You don’t have to fill up, and you can plug it straight into a 110 outlet, so basically where you plug in your vacuum cleaner,” Agtuca said.
Stacey Lapidus recently bought a buggy from Moke. She lives in Florida, currently. She said the buggy was worth the price.
“I use it anytime I can, unless I am getting on the highway, I am in that car,” Lapidus said. "I have a gas guzzler. I hate it."
If gas continues to rise, Markowitz plans to lace up his sneakers more.
"Fortunately, in Norfolk, things are pretty close," Markowitz said. "I can do a lot of walking, especially as the weather gets better."
This week, a AAA spokesman said Virginia would be included in the top ten states with the largest weekly gas price increases.