"I was on a farm and I saw a robotic arm milking a cow. If a robot can do that then why can't it fill a car tank, I thought," said developer and petrol station operator Nico van Staveren. "Drivers needn't get dirty hands or smell of petrol again."
Not sure I would feel comfortable with this robotic gas jockey called "Tankpitstop" from the Netherlands, if only because we're dealing fuel here. Who knows what could go wrong...
ateixeira says:
09:22 AM, 02/ 5/08
I wonder what exactly "registering the car on arrival" entails.
Sounds like it would take more time vs. just doing this yourself.
ewilfong says:
09:23 AM, 02/ 5/08
Such pedestrian concerns, Bob. Convenience beats safety every time! :)
steve_ says:
11:56 AM, 02/ 5/08
This should work especially well with the new Fords that don't have gas caps, much less fuel doors.
It'd be great if you have a diesel too since you'd be able to avoid getting that smell on your hands and shoes.
stovt001 says:
12:53 PM, 02/ 5/08
It never ceases to amaze me how lazy people can be when it comes to filling up their cars with gas. When spy pics of the 5th gen Camaro showed the gas cap on the passenger side, half the posters on the Camaro fan forum I'm on were having existential breakdowns over the thought of having to walk all the way around to the passenger side to fill up. For that very sad reason alone I think these things will catch on. God help us all.
flicmod says:
02:02 PM, 02/ 5/08
For the record, I'm totally against having a robot pump my gas for me. I can't even stand being forced to have my gas pumped for me when I go to NJ.
That being said, fuel doors on the passenger side is just silly. What's the advantage of putting the door on that side? There is none. Just put it on the driver's side for driver's convenience. It's the logical decision.
Oh, and I don't really see how that's similar to having a robot pump your gas for you. Sorry.
estreka says:
04:46 PM, 02/ 5/08
Flic - It makes sense in other countries where that's the driver's side.
stovt001 says:
07:12 PM, 02/ 5/08
Also, imagine the lines at gas stations if everyone could only use the pumps on one side. Bam, efficiency cut in half. It takes a couple calories of energy to walk to the passenger side of the car. The fact that anyone would complain about that speaks very poorly of humanity.
flicmod says:
09:48 AM, 02/ 6/08
estreka,
Oh, I know. I've always taken that into consideration too. But why does my TSX (which was/is firstly the Euro Accord everywhere else) have the flap on the driver side while a Chevy Cobalt have it on the passenger side? The Cobalt is made in the US for the US market, yet they don't seem to think about that. I see no reason for them to put it on the passenger side, yet they still do.
stovt,
I think the only thing it speaks about humanity is that we can engineer and build a vehicle with features like active cruise control, heated/cooled seats, stability control, and overly complex auto trannies... yet we can't seem to make a simple convenience out of putting the fuel door on the correct side of the car.