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I'm really surprised no jurisdiction (California, probably...) has said, "by 2020 all new cars must fill on insert side for insert reason." The problem would b

I'm really surprised no jurisdiction (California, probably...) has said, "by 2020 all new cars must fill on insert side for insert reason." The problem would be quickly and cheaply resolved as a result. Related: https://medium.com/incerto/the-most-intolerant-wins-the-dictatorship-of-the-small-minority-3f1f83ce4e15 https://medium.com/incerto/the-most-intolerant-wins-the-dict...

askvictor 10y ago
Why is it a good thing to standardise? Given that most petrol stations have equal access for both sides, you'd start losing efficiency once the number of standardised cars reached a certain proportion. I figure that by that point, electric cars will have rendered this obsolete. If the entire nature of transportation hasn't changed by that point. And civilisation as we know it still exists.
- tyingq 10y ago
  There's also usually a good distribution of cars approaching the pumps from opposite directions.
  - askvictor 10y ago
    I'm seeing most stations attempting to have a single directional flow. Doesn't stop people going against it, mind you, but the intention is there.
- yes_or_gnome 10y ago
  In California (at least), the pumps work regardless of which side the car is parked on. The hoses are longer and the hands free mechanism is very different from the east coast. Actually, I prefer to extend the hose over the car as it feels more sturdy. So, dictating which side the fuel door is on doesn't necessarily create gas pump asymmetry.
  - Broken_Hippo 10y ago
    If that were the standard, it would no longer matter which side the hose is on. I'm from the midwest: If you pull into a gas station, it is highly unlikely that the hose will stretch across the car. I'd report on the hoses here in Norway, but honestly I haven't driven since I moved here a few years back.
    - SmellyGeekBoy 10y ago
      I don't think I've ever come across a hose that doesn't stretch to the opposite side of the car here in the UK. It always makes me laugh to see people queuing for a particular side when the pumps on the other side are all vacant.
      - bluetomcat 10y ago
        The hose would stretch, but it could touch the body of the car and filling on the other side isn't as convenient because the hose gets bent near the handle. A similar number of cars with LHS/RHS filler caps would make for some nice load balancing at the pumps, but the problem is that most European and American manufacturers put it on the right side, regardless of vehicle model. Japanese cars sold in the US and Europe mostly have it on the left because the cars were originally designed for LHT and the engineers didn't bother to switch it. Many Nissans also have the dials of the dashboard in the center in order to cut some expenditure in producing LHT/RHT cars.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
        Why don't they just drive in from the other direction?
        cillian64 10y ago
        UK petrol stations usually have a marked entrance and exit giving an implicit one-way system. Along with the quite tight dimensions, it's quite tricky to approach the pump from the other direction.
ClassyJacket 10y ago
At this point we should be thinking bigger and saying something like "by 2025 all new cars must not fill up at all because they must not use carbon-emitting fuel".
- VLM 10y ago
  The problem persists with which side of the electric car gets the SAE J1772 receptacle? Of course because the only think more fun than one standard, is two standards, and that increments inductively, so universal charging stations are not only going to have cable side problems, but they're going to have a lot of cables to choose from. There is a UI problem for EV in that we're culturally programmed to get our energy from 80s style chrome and plastic R2D2 sized monoliths that plug into the side of our vehicles, whereas technologically theres no reason an overhead retractable cord or ground mounted cord couldn't work as well or better.
  - officelineback 10y ago
    Because the charging receptacle isn't a safety hazard in an impact, it can be placed in a central location, such as the middle of the front or rear. Speaking of which, do electric vehicles even have a hood?
    - mikeash 10y ago
      EVs do have a hood. Most of them use it to hold drivetrain and various other equipment just like a traditional car. Teslas have enough surplus volume to provide a cargo area under it. Charging cables are more flexible than gasoline hoses, so they're easier to manage. They tend to be pretty long, so you don't usually have to park any particular way. If the charger is on the wrong side, you can easily plug in anyway. An exception to this is Tesla Superchargers, where the cable is just barely long enough to reach the charge port when you park the way you're intended to. But since all Supercharger-capable vehicles have the charge port in the same location, it's not an issue. Regarding the original comment's proposal to standardize this stuff, I can only imagine that California would mandate it on one side, New York would mandate it on the other side, and then we'd be even more doomed than we are already.
Johnny555 10y ago
Is it really a "problem"?
- thaumasiotes 10y ago
  Are most laws addressing things that are "really a problem"?
chadgeidel 10y ago
No offense, but I would like to see other global automotive standards addressed first - primarily "safety related". Differences between Euro and US standards mean the same exact car can't be sold in the two markets, so they have to make at least 2 versions of every car. Ridiculous.
- Someone1234 10y ago
  A lot of vehicles meet both US and European standards for safety out of the factory now. It was was my understanding that there are two versions due to fuel economy restrictions (and fuel type differences).
  - chadgeidel 10y ago
    There are several small differences. I can't find an exhaustive list, but windshield material, bumper height, headlights, and taillights are some that come to mind immediately. Yes, it's the same platform, but the vehicles are "tweaked" for each market safety regulation. It's not that US is "safer" than EU or vice-versa, it's that the standards are different. EDIT: http://jalopnik.com/a-simple-explanation-why-america-doesnt-get-european-h-1493377285 http://jalopnik.com/a-simple-explanation-why-america-doesnt-...

askvictor 10y ago

Why is it a good thing to standardise? Given that most petrol stations have equal access for both sides, you'd start losing efficiency once the number of standardised cars reached a certain proportion. I figure that by that point, electric cars will have rendered this obsolete. If the entire nature of transportation hasn't changed by that point. And civilisation as we know it still exists.

tyingq 10y ago
There's also usually a good distribution of cars approaching the pumps from opposite directions.
- askvictor 10y ago
  I'm seeing most stations attempting to have a single directional flow. Doesn't stop people going against it, mind you, but the intention is there.
yes_or_gnome 10y ago
In California (at least), the pumps work regardless of which side the car is parked on. The hoses are longer and the hands free mechanism is very different from the east coast. Actually, I prefer to extend the hose over the car as it feels more sturdy. So, dictating which side the fuel door is on doesn't necessarily create gas pump asymmetry.
- Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  If that were the standard, it would no longer matter which side the hose is on. I'm from the midwest: If you pull into a gas station, it is highly unlikely that the hose will stretch across the car. I'd report on the hoses here in Norway, but honestly I haven't driven since I moved here a few years back.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 10y ago
    I don't think I've ever come across a hose that doesn't stretch to the opposite side of the car here in the UK. It always makes me laugh to see people queuing for a particular side when the pumps on the other side are all vacant.
    - bluetomcat 10y ago
      The hose would stretch, but it could touch the body of the car and filling on the other side isn't as convenient because the hose gets bent near the handle. A similar number of cars with LHS/RHS filler caps would make for some nice load balancing at the pumps, but the problem is that most European and American manufacturers put it on the right side, regardless of vehicle model. Japanese cars sold in the US and Europe mostly have it on the left because the cars were originally designed for LHT and the engineers didn't bother to switch it. Many Nissans also have the dials of the dashboard in the center in order to cut some expenditure in producing LHT/RHT cars.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
      Why don't they just drive in from the other direction?
      - cillian64 10y ago
        UK petrol stations usually have a marked entrance and exit giving an implicit one-way system. Along with the quite tight dimensions, it's quite tricky to approach the pump from the other direction.

ClassyJacket 10y ago

At this point we should be thinking bigger and saying something like "by 2025 all new cars must not fill up at all because they must not use carbon-emitting fuel".

VLM 10y ago
The problem persists with which side of the electric car gets the SAE J1772 receptacle? Of course because the only think more fun than one standard, is two standards, and that increments inductively, so universal charging stations are not only going to have cable side problems, but they're going to have a lot of cables to choose from. There is a UI problem for EV in that we're culturally programmed to get our energy from 80s style chrome and plastic R2D2 sized monoliths that plug into the side of our vehicles, whereas technologically theres no reason an overhead retractable cord or ground mounted cord couldn't work as well or better.
- officelineback 10y ago
  Because the charging receptacle isn't a safety hazard in an impact, it can be placed in a central location, such as the middle of the front or rear. Speaking of which, do electric vehicles even have a hood?
  - mikeash 10y ago
    EVs do have a hood. Most of them use it to hold drivetrain and various other equipment just like a traditional car. Teslas have enough surplus volume to provide a cargo area under it. Charging cables are more flexible than gasoline hoses, so they're easier to manage. They tend to be pretty long, so you don't usually have to park any particular way. If the charger is on the wrong side, you can easily plug in anyway. An exception to this is Tesla Superchargers, where the cable is just barely long enough to reach the charge port when you park the way you're intended to. But since all Supercharger-capable vehicles have the charge port in the same location, it's not an issue. Regarding the original comment's proposal to standardize this stuff, I can only imagine that California would mandate it on one side, New York would mandate it on the other side, and then we'd be even more doomed than we are already.

Johnny555 10y ago

Is it really a "problem"?

thaumasiotes 10y ago
Are most laws addressing things that are "really a problem"?

chadgeidel 10y ago

No offense, but I would like to see other global automotive standards addressed first - primarily "safety related". Differences between Euro and US standards mean the same exact car can't be sold in the two markets, so they have to make at least 2 versions of every car. Ridiculous.

Someone1234 10y ago
A lot of vehicles meet both US and European standards for safety out of the factory now. It was was my understanding that there are two versions due to fuel economy restrictions (and fuel type differences).
- chadgeidel 10y ago
  There are several small differences. I can't find an exhaustive list, but windshield material, bumper height, headlights, and taillights are some that come to mind immediately. Yes, it's the same platform, but the vehicles are "tweaked" for each market safety regulation. It's not that US is "safer" than EU or vice-versa, it's that the standards are different. EDIT: http://jalopnik.com/a-simple-explanation-why-america-doesnt-get-european-h-1493377285 http://jalopnik.com/a-simple-explanation-why-america-doesnt-...