Filling station
A filling station, fueling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel.
Some stations carry specialty fuels such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, hydrogen, biodiesel, ethanol, or kerosene. In recent times filling stations have also begun to sell butane and added shops to their primary business, and convenience stores are now a familiar sight alongside pumps.
The term "gas station" is mostly used in the United States and Canada, where petrol is known as "gas" or "gasoline." Elsewhere in the English-speaking world the form "petrol station" or "petrol pump" are used. In the United Kingdom the single noun garage is still commonly used, even though the petrol station may have no service/maintenance facilities which would justify this description. Similarly, in Australia, the term service station ("servo") describes any petrol station. In some regions of America, filling stations usually have a mechanic on duty, but this is uncommon in other parts of the world.
History of filling stations in the United States
The first places that sold gasoline were pharmacists, as a side line business.[citation needed] Henry Ford's use of mass-production techniques to manufacture automobiles made it possible for consumers to purchase cars at an affordable price. This increase in car ownership resulted in a greater demand for filling stations. The first gas station was built by Standard Oil of Indiana (now BP) in Indianapolis, Indiana at 312 S. 4th Street[citation needed]. The second gas station was constructed in 1907 by Standard Oil of California (now Chevron) in Seattle, Washington. Early on, they were known to motorists as "filling stations". Standard Oil began erecting roadside signs of their logo to advertise their gas stations.
Types of filling stations in the United States
There are generally two types of filling stations in the US: premium and discount brands.
Premium brands
Filling stations with premium brands sell well-recognized and often international brands of gasoline, including Esso, Exxon, Citgo, Chevron, Mobil, Shell, Sinclair, BP, and Texaco. Non-international premium brands include Petro-Canada and Pemex. Premium brand stations accept credit cards, often issue their own company cards and may charge higher prices. These stations have numerous locations and more available pumps. They tend to be more modern and cleaner and tend to have brighter lighting. For ease and convenience, many of them have fully automated pay-at-the-pump facilities. Premium gas stations tend to be highly visible from highway and freeway exits, utilizing tall signs to display their brand logos.
Discount brands
Discount brands are often smaller, regional chains or independent stations, offering lower prices on gasoline. Most purchase wholesale gasoline from independent suppliers or from the major petroleum companies. In some cases, discount brands accept cash only; others may accept credit cards. Usually the customer must walk inside the store or up to the window to pay, and obtain a receipt later. Discount stations tend to have few locations and, in some cases, use outdated technology (e.g., non-digital readouts on pumps) and are less well kept than premium stations. Additionally, these discount gas stations are often located well away from highway and freeway exits; many are tucked away in obscure commercial and residential neighborhoods. An exception to these trends is the discount brand ARCO (a division of BP), which maintains a combination of modern and outdated stations.
Examples of discount gas station chains in the USA are Valero, Rotten Robbie, and USA Gasoline. Lower-priced gas stations are also found at some supermarkets (Albertsons, Kroger, Safeway, Vons, and Giant Eagle), convenience stores (7-Eleven) and Cumberland Farms, discount stores (Wal-Mart) and warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's). At some stations (such as Vons, Wal-Mart, Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club), consumers are required to hold a special membership card in order to receive the discounted price. Some convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, have co-branded their stations with one of the premium brands.
Filling stations outside the United States
Some countries have only one brand of petrol station. In Mexico, where the oil industry is state-owned and prices are regulated, the country's main operator of petrol stations is called Pemex. In Scandinavia, the main operator is Statoil. In Malaysia, Shell is the dominant player by number of stations with government owned Petronas comnig in second; the operator is also moving overseas with the aim of becoming a multinational brand. Most multinational brands such as EssoMobil and Shell use their brand worldwide, except Chevron which uses its inherited brand Caltex in Asia Pacific, Australia, and Africa, and its Texaco brand in Europe and Latin America. In Brazil, the main operator is Petrobras but Esso, Ipiranga, Texaco and Shell are also big.
Price at the pump
Gasoline prices in North America
The gasoline market in North America is very competitive. Nearly all filling stations in North America advertise their often-changing prices on large signs outside the stations.
In the United States and Canada, federal, state/provincial and local sales taxes are usually included in the price, although Petro Canada has started to provide a complete tax breakdown on purchase receipts. Gas taxes are often intended to fund transportation projects such as the maintenance of existing roads and construction of new ones.
In the United States, the states of California and Hawaii typically have the highest gasoline prices. In Canada, prices are typically highest in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, and the lowest in the oil-producing province of Alberta. The provinces of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia have instituted gasoline price regulation. At times, PEI has had the lowest cost of gas in the country but studies have shown that this is due to the Provincial Sales tax not included in the price.
Price regulation in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia is intended to protect small rural gas stations from low profit margins due to low volume.
Individual gas stations in the United States do not have much control over gasoline prices. The wholesale price of gasoline is determined according to area by oil companies which supply the gasoline, and their prices are largely determined by the world markets for oil. Individual gas stations are unlikely to sell gasoline at a loss, and the margin—typically between 7 and 11 cents a gallon—that they make from gasoline sales is limited by the fact that the market is highly competitive. A gas station which charges significantly more than the wholesale price will lose customers to other gas stations. Because of this, most gas stations sell higher-margin food products inside their convenience stores.
During holiday weekends, when American road travel is at its peak, gas prices tend to soar and then drop again as the holidays come to a close; this is due to a fluctuation in demand. Boycotts against individual gas stations to protest against perceived high gas prices have largely failed.
Even with oil market fluctuations, prices for gasoline in the United States are among the lowest in the industrialized world; this is principally due to a difference in taxes. While the price of gasoline in Europe is more than twice that in the United States, the price of gas excluding taxes is nearly identical in the two areas. Some Canadians and Mexicans, close to the U.S. border, drive into the United States to purchase cheaper gasoline at gas stations in border communities.
Due the heavy fluctuations of gas price in the United States of America, some gas stations offered their customers the option to buy and store gas for future uses, such as like the service provided by First Fuel Bank.
Petrol prices in Europe
In European Union (EU) member states, gas prices are much higher than in North America due to higher fuel excise or taxation, although the base price is also higher than in the U.S. The high fuel prices are unpopular (particularly after inflationary or retail increases), and have led to harsh criticism of taxation policy from some quarters. Occasionally there are national protests, although in the UK a large-scale protest in the summer of 2000, known as 'The Fuel Crisis', caused wide-scale havoc not only across the UK, but also in some other EU countries. The British government eventually backed down by indefinitely postponing a planned increase in fuel duty.
Petrol prices elsewhere
In other energy-importing countries like Japan, petrol costs are higher than in the United States because of fuel transportation costs or taxes. On the other hand, some of the major oil-producing countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Venezuela provide subsidized petrol at well below market prices. This practice tends to encourage heavy consumption. Hong Kong has some of the highest pump prices in the world, but most customers are given very deep discounts as card members.
Features of gas stations in the United States
Payment methods
In small towns and rural areas, gas stations sometimes allow customers to pump gas first and pay afterwards. Due to the higher incidence of crime in large urban areas (especially drive-offs), customers must generally pay before pumping fuel.
Modern gas stations have pay-at-the-pump capabilities — in most cases credit, debit, and ATM cards are accepted. At some stations, cash is also taken at the pump, although customers must collect their change at a cashier window which is often bullet-proof. Occasionally a station will have a pay-at-the-pump-only period per day, when attendants are not present, often at night, and some stations are pay-at-the-pump-only 24 hours a day.
Full service vs. self service
Traditionally most United States filling stations have offered a choice between full service — in which an attendant operates the pumps, often checks the vehicle's oil level and tire pressure, and wipes the windshield, then collects payment (and perhaps a small tip) — and self service, in which the customer pumps the gas. Until the 1970s full service was the norm, and self service was rare.
Today, few stations advertise full service, and those that do usually only provide mini service unless a manager is involved. However, full service stations are common in wealthy and upscale areas. The cost of full service is usually assessed as a fixed amount per gallon.
Minimum service vs. full service
All stations in New Jersey and Oregon, however, are mini service; attendants are required to pump gas because customers are barred by statutes in both states from pumping their own gas. Both states prohibited self service in the 1940s due to fears that foolish customers would handle gasoline improperly. Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality has also ordered a ban on self-service gasoline due to inexperienced pumpers being a significant source of groundwater and air pollution. Oregon's state fire marshal has also ordered a ban on self-service gasoline. Today, these states enforce the law because of the rapid increase of drive-offs, where people fill up their car and drive away without paying for gas. In 1982, Oregon voters rejected a ballot measure sponsored by the service station owners, which would have legalized self-service gas.
Contrary to popular belief, this does not make all gas stations in these states "full service by default." At most gas stations, "Mini Serve," standing for "minimum service," is the norm. Patrons can still get their tires, oil and wipers checked and windows cleaned at full-service islands, but at minimum-service islands, workers simply pump gas. At ARCO stations, customers must still go inside to pay for gas from mini-serve islands.
There is a widespread belief that mini-serve is more expensive. However, a comparison between gas prices in Portland, Oregon and its suburb of Vancouver, Washington show prices at mini-serve stations in Oregon are on average 3 to 10 cents cheaper than their self-service counterparts in Washington, suggesting the net effect of adding attendants to the price may be small or non-existent. This comparison may be skewed by the difference in state gasoline taxes between Oregon and Washington. Likewise, New Jersey almost always has cheaper gas than its neighbors New York and Pennsylvania, due to the fact that the state has six refineries that produce 50,000 barrels per day or more of refined petroleum products.
The constitutionality of the self-service bans has been challenged. The Oregon statute was challenged in 1989 by ARCO, and the New Jersey statute was challenged in 1950 by a small independent service station, Rein Motors. Both challenges failed. In addition, throughout the rest of the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that the equivalent of "mini-serve" be provided to any individual displaying a disabled parking placard.
In both New Jersey and Oregon, it is legal for customers to pump their own diesel (although not every station permits diesel customers to do so; truck stops typically do). The intent of the Oregon Law is that diesel is not flamable, and therefore does not pose a hazard to Oregon Citizens.
Other goods and services commonly available
Many gas stations also have convenience stores which sell food, beverages, cigarettes, lottery tickets, motor oil, and sometimes auto parts. Prices for these and other items tend to be higher at convenience stores than they would be at a supermarket or discount store.
In many U.S. states, beer, wine, and liquor are sold in gas stations, though this practice varies according to state law. Nevada allows the sale of beer, wine, liquor, and the operation of slot and video poker machines at gas stations.
Many gas stations also provide squeegees, towels, and toilet facilities for customer use, but a large number of discount gas stations do not provide these amenities. Many gas stations have air compressors with tire gauges and water machines. Some machines are free of charge, while others charge a small fee to use (usually around 50 cents). In many states of the U.S., state law requires that paying customers must be provided with free air compressor service. In most cases, a token provided by the attendant is used in lieu of coins.
Some gas stations are equipped with car washes. Car washes are sometimes offered free of charge or at a discounted price with a certain amount of gas purchased. Conversely, some car washes operate gas stations to supplement their businesses.
There are a number of gas stations with a fast food outlet inside, such as McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, Sbarro, Taco Bell, or Wendy's. These are usually "express" versions with limited seating and limited menus, though some may be regular-sized and have spacious seating. In Canada, it is common to find a small Tim Hortons outlet inside gas stations.
Service stations
In the U.S., a filling station that also offers services such as oil changes and mechanical repairs to automobiles is called a service station. Until the 1970s, the vast majority of gas stations were service stations; now only a minority are. This kind of business provided the name for the U.S. comic strip Gasoline Alley, where a number of the characters worked.
In the UK, a 'service station' refers to much larger facilities, usually attached to motorways (see Motorway service area (UK)) or major trunk routes, which provide food outlets, large parking areas, and often other services such as hotels, arcade games, and shops in addition to 24-hour fuel supplies and a higher standard of restrooms (UK: toilets). Fuel is typically more expensive from these outlets due to their premium locations. UK service stations do not usually repair automobiles.
In the U.S., this arrangement occurs on many toll roads and some interstate freeways and is called an oasis, service plaza, or truck stop. In many cases, these centers might have a food court or cafeteria. In the U.S., Flying J and TA TravelCenters of America are two of the most common full-service chains.[citation needed]
Often, the state government maintains public rest areas directly connected to freeways, but does not rent out space to private businesses. As a result, such areas often provide only minimal services such as restrooms and vending machines.
In turn, private entrepreneurs develop additional facilities like restaurants, gas stations, and motels in clusters on private land adjacent to major interchanges. Because these facilities are not directly connected to the freeway, they usually have huge signs on poles several hundred feet high. This way, travelers will be able to spot them several minutes in advance and exit accordingly. Sometimes, the state will also post small official signs (normally blue) indicating what types of gas stations, restaurants, and/or hotels are available at an upcoming exit; businesses may add their logos to these signs for a fee.
Octane
In the United States, all motor vehicle gasoline is unleaded and is available in several grades, which are differentiated by octane rating: 87 (Regular), 89 (Mid-Grade), and 93 (Premium) are typical grades[1]. Minimum octane levels are often lower in the Mountain States, where regular unleaded can be rated as low as 85 octane. A lower octane fuel is sufficient in the Mountain States because the higher altitude in these states reduces the need for high-octane fuel.
Fuels in the U.S. are described in terms of their "pump octane", which is the average of their "RON" (Research Octane Number) and "MON" (Motor Octane Number). Labels on gasoline pumps in the U.S. typically describe this as the "(R+M)/2 Method".
Some nations describe fuels according to the traditional RON or MON ratings, so octane ratings cannot always be compared with the equivalent U.S. rating by the "(R+M)/2 method".
In Europe, petrol is unleaded and available in 95 (Eurosuper) and 98 (Super Plus) octanes; in some countries, 91 octane petrol is offered as well. Some stations offer 98 RON with lead substitute. In the UK, leaded 99/100 RON petrol has been reintroduced (legally) on a very limited basis for use by classic car enthusiasts and racers by the independent oil company Bayford Thrust (also the UK licensees of the famous Gulf Oil brand).
In Australia, petrol is unleaded, and available in 92, 95, 98 and 100 Octanes (names of various petrols differ from brand to brand), fuel additives for use in leaded cars are available at most petrol stations.
In New Zealand, gasoline is most commonly available in unleaded 91 and 95/6 octane levels. 95/6 is usually only used in European cars.
Differences in fuel dispensers
In Europe, the customer selects one of several color-coded nozzles depending on the type of fuel required. The filler pipe of unleaded fuel is smaller than the one for leaded (substitute) ones. The tank filler opening has a corresponding diameter. This is to prevent filling the tank with the wrong fuel. Leaded fuel damages the catalytic converter. In some European countries, leaded fuel is no longer generally available, or LRP (lead replacement petrol) may be the only such fuel available.
In most stations in the USA and Canada, the pump usually has a single nozzle and the customer selects the desired octane grade by pushing a button. Some pumps require the customer to pick up the nozzle first, then lift a lever underneath it. Others are designed so that lifting the nozzle automatically releases a switch. Some older stations still have separate nozzles for different types of fuel. Where diesel fuel is provided, it is usually dispensed from a separate nozzle even if the various grades of gasoline share the same nozzle.
European motorists occasionally pump gasoline into a diesel car by accident. The converse is almost impossible because diesel pumps have a large nozzle (15/16 inches) which does not fit the (13/16 inches) filler, and diesel in a petrol engine — while creating large amounts of smoke — does not normally cause permanent damage if it is drained once the mistake is realised. Even a gallon of petrol added to the tank of a modern diesel car can cause irreversible damage to the injection pump and other components through a lack of lubrication. In some cases the car has to be scrapped because the cost of repairs exceeds its value. The issue is not clear-cut as older diesels using completely mechanical injection can tolerate some gasoline — which has historically been used to "thin" diesel fuel in winter.
Smoking, static electricity, and mobile phone use
It is prohibited to use open flame and, in some places, a mobile phone on the forecourt of a gas station. This is because of the risk of igniting gasoline vapor.
Automobiles build up static charges by driving on dry pavement. That is what makes "road film" the bane of car washes (and frankly why "touchless" car washes are so ineffective). Some tire compounds contain enough carbon black to provide a ground, however this is increasingly less so. A driver who does not discharge static by contacting a conductive part of the automobile will carry it to the insulated handle of the nozzle and the static potential will eventually be discharged when this purposely grounded arrangement is put into contact with the metallic filler neck of the vehicle. Ordinarily, vapor concentrations in the area of this filling operation are below the LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) of the product being dispensed, so the static discharge causes no problem. The problem with ungrounded gas cans results from a combination of 1) vehicular static charge, 2) potential between the container and the vehicle, and 3) loose fit between the grounded nozzle and the gas can. This last condition causes a rich vapor concentration in the ullage (the unfilled volume) of the gas can, and a discharge from the can to the grounded hanging hardware (the nozzle, hose, swivels and break-a-ways comprise this)is thus occurring at a most inopportune point.
Although urban legends persist that a faulty mobile phone can cause sparks or a build-up of static electricity in the user, this has not been duplicated under any controlled condition. Nevertheless super-cautious mobile phone manufacturers and gas stations still tend to ask the users to switch off their phones. One is more likely to get a spark from wearing nylon clothing than from a mobile phone, to say nothing of the sparks that can occur in faulty car wiring and troubled starting and ignition systems. Fortunately, most fueling is done in the open air, and there is not often an explosive concentration of vapors present.
The National Fire Protection Association does most of the serious research and codes writing to address the potential for explosions of gasoline vapor. The customer fueling area up to 18" above the surface, is called Class 1, Division 2, which allows that explosive concentrations of vapors are not normally present, but may occur from time to time. Above this area, which is where most fuel filler necks are located, the area is unclassified, meaning that there is no expectation of an explosive concentration of gasoline vapor in normal operating conditions.
Bottom line: ground everything you are fueling by making contact with the metallic end of the nozzle and the filler neck of the tank. Ground your gas can before beginning the filling operation. You will not necessarily improve your can's ground by setting it on the characteristic concrete surface, as dry concrete is fairly dielectric (cf. static charge build-up from driving). The properly installed nozzle is grounded to earth and it should be able to conduct the static charge on a plastic gas can to ground. If your cell phone is making enough juice to cause a spark, donate it to the Smithsonian Institution, take the tax write-off and get a new one.
Miscellany
Gas station maps
U.S. gas stations previously offered free road maps as a strategy to build brand loyalty, but the oil companies stopped distributing them maps in the 1970s. (Maps were costing gas station owners approximately 30¢ each, at a time when a gallon of gas cost about the same.) Currently, stations sell maps produced by the American Automobile Association (AAA), Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), and other auto clubs in the world, as well as professional mapmaking firms like Rand McNally and tire makers like Michelin.
Gas stations in film and TV
- The Birds Hitchcock film has panicking driver run over gasoline dispensers, creating a flaming geyser of fuel. This dramatic event would only be possible if the system was pressurized by a remote pump, and its shear valves failed to function. But pretty scary.
- The Andy Griffith Show — In the show, Gomer Pyle and his cousin Goober are gas station attendants and mechanics.
- Back to the Future & Back to the Future Part II — Three versions of Texaco stations (i.e., product placement) are shown: a contemporary self-serve station (1980s), a 1950s version with several full-service attendants, and a futuristic version where a fully-automated station services flying cars.
- Breakdown — Kurt Russell's character is adding oil to his Jeep at a Texaco station when he meets his "redneck" antagonist.
- Christine — a service station is the setting where the villains who smash Arnie Cunningham's Plymouth Fury meet their demise.
- Corner Gas — A Canadian sitcom set primarily around the only gas station in a small town in Saskatchewan.
- I'm Alan Partridge — Alan is often found chatting to his pal Michael in a BP garage.
- The Jerk — Navin R. Johnson works at a gas station, lives in storage room. Crazy gunman says "Die gas pumper" and shoots at Navin, but hits cans of oil, and Navin says "these cans are defective", but boss replies "no we've got a defective person out there" [gesturing to hillside across road from station].
- Maximum Overdrive — Based on a Stephen King short story, a meteor causes all mechanical items to become homicidal, including a fleet of 18-wheelers trapping Emilio Estevez and others in rural North Carolina truck stop.
- Nothing to Lose — Tim Robbins' character daydreams while pumping gas before realizing he's overfilled his SUV. In other scenes, several gas stations are robbed.
- RoboCop — A bookish Shell gas station attendant is robbed at gunpoint. RoboCop appears on the scene. Later, the station ends up in a fiery explosion.
- The 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet begins with a conflict at a filling station.
- South Park uses a character, Starvin' Marvin, named after the Starvin' Marvin's gas stations.
- Static Shock Static and Gear chose to have their headquarters at abandoned gas station.
- Ultraman Zearth has the main character and his fellow earth protectors worked secretly at a gas station.
- Zoolander — Three characters die in a "freak gasoline-fight accident" at a gas station.
See also
- Autogas (LPG)
- Biofuel and biodiesel
- Convenience store
- Ethanol and E85
- Gas pump
- Gasoline
- Highway oasis
- Hydrogen station
- Hydrogen highway
- Hydrogen vehicle
- List of automotive fuel brands
- List of oil-producing states
- OPEC
- Petro-free fuel station.
- Petroleum
- Petroeum Pricing in Nova Scotia
- Petroeum Pricing in Prince Edward Island
- Standard Oil
External links
- Gasoline price comparisons at the Open Directory Project
- Petroleum Equipment Institute
- Petrol station cost structure
- Gasoline Signs — Signs and logos of gas stations in the United States
- British Petrol Stations — Design & branding history of filling stations in Great Britain
- U.S. Department of Energy's Gas Price Watch Hotline — A U.S. government site to report alleged gas price gouging in the United States
- Report: Economics of the Nova Scotia Gasoline Market
- Shell in the U.S.: Some basic truths about buying gas today
Categories
Articles with unsourced statements | Distribution, retailing, and wholesaling | Fuels | Gas stations | Petroleum