Over the last few decades, gasoline prices have risen dramatically almost every year at this time. What’s driving the increase is the disruption at refineries that must change to summer fuel blends for many large metro areas in the country. This is highly disruptive for refineries for several weeks every spring.
This is one reason why fuel prices are not included in inflation calculations, by the way. You would see this gasoline price hike even if crude oil prices were flat or declining.
Uh, depends on what you mean by "this" hike. Last year's spring hike looks to have been maybe 20 cents, with some of that part of the overall trend. (See my link @ my post # 30.)
I'd also note that crude prices swayed a bit in mid May with a corresponding droop in gas prices in late May. BOTH are now on the way back up. So far though, both pale in comparison to the spikes in late February - early March, where the gas price increase actually led the crude price jump.
Regardless, gasoline appears to be going back up, on average, as fast as crude (on average). That makes it hard to blame the present resumption of gas price increases on refinery switchover issues... Instead, gasoline now appears to be merely mirroring the (averaged) crude price.