Modern dystopian stories have often revolves around the price of fuel. With fuel — or guzzoline in Mad Max terms — so important to everyday life, rising prices are a huge issue, but one dystopian story seems to have not gone far enough: Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077 fuel is cheaper than real life
In the world of Cyberpunk 2077, civilians experience “high tech, low life”. This means that while everyday life is filled with fantastical tech and augmentation, everyone is poor and the mega-rich run everything.
Despite this, not all cars are electric with many gas-guzzlers still in use. After all, who can afford a new car without being forced to sell organs? Life is tough.
Nevertheless, fuel is not cheap in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 but, as one Reddit user pointed out, it’s still cheaper than fuel in real life. If price is compared against the US average at the time of writing, Cyberpunk is the clear winner.
In real life, the price of regular fuel in Los Angeles — the closest equivalent to Night City — is $6.46 whereas diesel is $6.976. In comparison, the dystopian video game has regular fuel prices at $4.80 and straight-up gasoline at $5.90.
One Reddit commentator pointed out that the game’s developers, CD Projekt RED, has grossly underestimated how expensive fuel will be in 2077.
“Starting today at a gas price of $5, and assuming 2% inflation(lol) in 2077 gas would cost $15.1558 a gallon,” the commenter said. “So yes we're nearly at Cyberpunk levels right now, unless my math is wrong."
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Gas in Cyberpunk is different, though
Despite gas being less expensive in Cyberpunk 2077, it is worth pointing out that the fuel is a different chemical compound. Instead of the traditional fuel we use today, the standard fuel makeup is CHOOH2.
In the RPG’s universe, this chemical is made from wheat that’s made to burn better. However, as with anything in dystopian fiction, it has terrible side effects for those who use it.
For example, long-time exposure to the fumes that CHOOH2 gives off will result in blindness, brain damage and, of course, death. Meanwhile, the rich are able to use electric and even traditional gasoline.