5 ms·

Ask HN: Would you pay a monthly subscription for automatic gas?

7 points by benigeri 14y ago

Would you pay a monthly subscription to have your car tank filled up automatically when its running low?

Piskvorrr 14y ago
Define "automatically" - where? how? I don't quite see the use case. In a city (where gas stations are abundant): indicator lights up, hey look, I'll be passing (any) gas station within five minutes. Outside a city, let's say I'm an hour's drive from a gas station - now what, a gas truck drives up to me? That might be somewhat expensive... Now, if this included periodical check-ups (lights, various fluids, pressure etc.), this might be interesting.
- eduardordm 14y ago
  There are uses cases, see: My wife works in an office building and the parking lot is paid monthly. She HATES going to gas stations and once a week I do that for her. I would easily pay +10 bucks on that parking 'subscription' to have them fill the tank for me. They already do this kind of service for car washing.
  - bryan11 14y ago
    Exactly. My wife hates going to gas stations in the winter. This could be a workplace option. Find a large business, present this as a benefit, sign up all the people too busy to stop by gas stations.
johnyzee 14y ago
I might depending on the price. Even though I live in the city, it still takes ten-twenty minutes to swing by a station and fill up, and always at the most inconvenient times of course. Add additional fill-up/check of fluids, tire pressures etc. and it gets interesting. But it would have to be absolutely automatic, zero-touch, f.ex. I wouldn't give anyone my keys and I wouldn't want to instruct anyone about where my car is parked at any given time.
UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
Can you describe exactly how this "filling up automatically" would work?
- RahCom 14y ago
  There is definitely a cost-benefit analysis to run. How much is my time worth to me, how much gas do I use up in a month, what is the price of gas, and how much we this service cost? I think that there certainly is a market for this sort of service, however I'd need to know a little bit more about the specifics to give a better answer.
  - UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
    All of that PLUS if you fill up my car too often then it is going to consume more gas (since you're using up gas by carting around a full tank all of the time).
    - drharris 14y ago
      That extra cost can be considered negligible. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99630.htm http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99630.htm
    - im3w1l 14y ago
      If you remove the cost of going to a station, so that a fill up is basically free, you could get away with driving on a quarter tank all the time. Assuming the service would allow it of course.
eduardordm 14y ago
I do that on an airplane. It's included in the parking services. You are probably thinking on putting a movable gas station (read: truck) inside a private parking lot (where people pay monthly). I think that would work great in NYC. But I see this as more of a feature.
dear 14y ago
You can't access my tank without a key. The indicator won't show unless the car is on. How do you know my gas is running low and fill it without my key?

7 points by benigeri 14y ago

Would you pay a monthly subscription to have your car tank filled up automatically when its running low?

Define "automatically" - where? how? I don't quite see the use case. In a city (where gas stations are abundant): indicator lights up, hey look, I'll be passing (any) gas station within five minutes. Outside a city, let's say I'm an hour's drive from a gas station - now what, a gas truck drives up to me? That might be somewhat expensive... Now, if this included periodical check-ups (lights, various fluids, pressure etc.), this might be interesting.

eduardordm 14y ago
There are uses cases, see: My wife works in an office building and the parking lot is paid monthly. She HATES going to gas stations and once a week I do that for her. I would easily pay +10 bucks on that parking 'subscription' to have them fill the tank for me. They already do this kind of service for car washing.
- bryan11 14y ago
  Exactly. My wife hates going to gas stations in the winter. This could be a workplace option. Find a large business, present this as a benefit, sign up all the people too busy to stop by gas stations.

johnyzee 14y ago

I might depending on the price. Even though I live in the city, it still takes ten-twenty minutes to swing by a station and fill up, and always at the most inconvenient times of course. Add additional fill-up/check of fluids, tire pressures etc. and it gets interesting. But it would have to be absolutely automatic, zero-touch, f.ex. I wouldn't give anyone my keys and I wouldn't want to instruct anyone about where my car is parked at any given time.

UnoriginalGuy 14y ago

Can you describe exactly how this "filling up automatically" would work?

RahCom 14y ago
There is definitely a cost-benefit analysis to run. How much is my time worth to me, how much gas do I use up in a month, what is the price of gas, and how much we this service cost? I think that there certainly is a market for this sort of service, however I'd need to know a little bit more about the specifics to give a better answer.
- UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
  All of that PLUS if you fill up my car too often then it is going to consume more gas (since you're using up gas by carting around a full tank all of the time).
  - drharris 14y ago
    That extra cost can be considered negligible. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99630.htm http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99630.htm
  - im3w1l 14y ago
    If you remove the cost of going to a station, so that a fill up is basically free, you could get away with driving on a quarter tank all the time. Assuming the service would allow it of course.

eduardordm 14y ago

I do that on an airplane. It's included in the parking services. You are probably thinking on putting a movable gas station (read: truck) inside a private parking lot (where people pay monthly). I think that would work great in NYC. But I see this as more of a feature.

dear 14y ago

You can't access my tank without a key. The indicator won't show unless the car is on. How do you know my gas is running low and fill it without my key?