Ethereum network gas fees reached an eight-month peak on February 9th, driven by intense interest in non-standard ERC-404 tokens. Average gas fees hit 70 gwei ($60 per transaction), with maximum charges spiking to 377 gwei.
ERC-404 tokens do not meet the official Ethereum token standards but have been dubbed as such by developers. One lead developer, “ctrl,” stated that their team is working on “drastically reducing” the gas fees for transactions involving these tokens.
Gas analysis firm Gaslite’s co-founder, PopPunk, estimated that ERC-404 tokens use about triple the gas required for a typical NFT trade. The heightened fees coincide with the crypto industry’s surging interest in these tokens.
The reasons behind gas price volatility on Ethereum are complex, much like unpredictable fuel costs that periodically impact consumers. Supply and demand dynamics and external factors like regulation and technology changes contribute.
ERC-404 tokens remain highly experimental and risky, though developers aim to refine them. Caution is urged around newly launched cryptos until technical stability and security are proven. The potential benefits must be carefully weighed, given the current costs.
As with past gas fee spikes, this situation illustrates Ethereum’s scaling challenges under heavy network load. Continued innovation around efficiency and capacity is still required to enable wider adoption.
Also Read: Ethereum Gas Fees Nosedives as Memecoin Craze Faints
