back to article Fill 'er up: 'Leccy car firm Tesla brings back PUMP SERVICE

Elon Musk has posted a tweet confirming Tesla is working on a charger that will save you from having to get out of the car. Btw, we are actually working on a charger that automatically moves out from the wall & connects like a solid metal snake. For realz. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 31, 2014 Given than it still takes …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pump attendants

    "The Tesla initiative harks back to the good old days when petrol stations had forecourt attendants"

    A friend still hates the smell of petrol when filling her car. In the days of family small mixed businesses she had to act as the pump attendant instead of playing with her friends. Her brother's didn't have that chore as they were sent away to public schools and treated as the favoured scions.

  2. Adam JC

    They still do this in Europe

    Well, at least in Greece. (Corfu) - not sure about elsewhere. It was rather novel/peculiar as I'm not used to it.

    1. GrumpyOldMan

      Re: They still do this in Europe

      Have done in Italy for the last 10 years, mostly in smaller forecourts - for the stupid tourists who can't read Italian. Or where the Pay-at-the-pump refuses to accept your stupid British credit card. Or where they are simply control freaks.

      1. calmeilles

        Re: They still do this in Europe

        Service stations on the autostrada almost invariably have self service lines and attendant served lines.

        There is a 3-8 cent per litre difference in price between them. I usually choose to pay the premium to have the tank filled for me as it saves the fuss of securing the car and going to the cash desk.

    2. DropBear

      Re: They still do this in Europe

      Still very much happens in Romania (unless the general-purpose attendant figures out some other way to stay out of sight and / or look busy)...

      1. Eddy Ito

        Re: They still do this in Europe

        If I'm not mistaken New Jersey and Oregon require an attendant to fill your car as self service isn't allowed, for petrol/gasoline. For some reason diesel is another matter.

        1. Remy Redert

          Re: They still do this in Europe

          Too many cases of a pump attendant filling a diesel up with gasoline, or the increasing use of diesel for trucks?

        2. Robert Helpmann??
          Childcatcher

          Re: They still do this in Europe

          Eddy Ito, you are not at all mistaken about either Oregon or New Jersey. As it happens, there are also municipalities that have the same requirement, too. In Oregon, the law was spurred by a someone driving away from the pump with the nozzle still in the car. This is a fairly common thing, but this time there was a spark that ignited the gas, burning the station to the ground. Every so often, some bright new political figure will attempt to make a mark by repealing this law only to be slapped down as quickly as possible. From what I have read about New Jersey, the same safety concern was cited when the law was passed. Both laws have been on the books quite some time and probably don't really make much sense in terms of a safety requirement any more. Keeping them on the books is more about jobs these days.

          1. Eddy Ito

            Re: They still do this in Europe

            It must be about jobs because all modern pumps have a safety valve that shuts the flow if a car drives off and pulls the hose out of the pump. Back in the day I lived next to a local station owner and we would chew the fat when I stopped in. He was quite pleased with the then new tech as he had a drive off two weeks after he updated his pumps and was quite impressed by how little gasoline wound up on the ground and that he could clean it up with a single rag instead of a few bags of kitty litter.

            Unfortunately it didn't help with the yahoos with the older cars with the filler behind a spring loaded plate. It seems they would try jamming the plate with the gas cap while they walked around doing other things the cap would pop out and the plate would flip back up tossing the nozzle out which would then continue to spew fuel on the ground. I'm kind of glad we don't have the filler behind the plate anymore even if it was a cleaner look and it didn't matter which side of the pump you pulled to.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm not convinced

    that I want Musk's "solid metal snake" anywhere near my tailpipe.

    1. Elmer Phud

      Re: I'm not convinced

      But it's not as if it's heartless once finished --

      " it switches itself off, locks the doors and folds the mirrors"

      and I'm sure it would make you a cuppa and light you a ciggie, too.

      1. MrT

        Maybe not light a cig...

        ...but if they go for 120KW across inductive charging it could warm a Ginsters pasty up while you wait.

  4. Dr_N

    No change for Oregon or New Jersey then?

    I didn't think people were trusted to "Fill 'er up!" on their own in those states anyway.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: No change for Oregon or New Jersey then?

      It's a nice "make work" program. They hire students and retirees usually. Having someone pump the gas is a good thing for people like my wife, who's disabled. Makes things a bit easier for her.

  5. Orange Skydiver
    Go

    Charge up at the supermarket

    If it takes 20 mins to get a reasonable charge into the car, I suspect fill-up stations at supermarkets will prove popular. Charge up the car whilst you do your shopping.

    1. Martin

      Re: Charge up at the supermarket

      They've got that at our local Waitrose.

    2. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

      Re: Charge up at the supermarket

      I was thinking that.

      The first chain to put kerbside leccie will require a partnership deal with them I imagine. But if they do....

      Wow!

    3. David Kelly 2

      Re: Charge up at the supermarket

      Tesla already builds Superchargers near restaurants, shopping, etc. Its one of the selling points to the landlord that they will bring a captive affluent clientele to the premises for the duration of a charge. Sometimes Tesla gets the lease for free.

  6. MikeyD85

    Solid Metal Snake

    Either something from a porno or the latest character in the Metal Gear series... Hmmmm

  7. Mark 85

    Elon and Vision...

    I give him credit, he has visions and the money and energy to give it a go. I have no idea if this and his cars will succeed, but with that kind of vision, I think his company will sort it out.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Elon and Vision...

      Or, maybe, he just reads the old SF stories.

      This idea of an automatic filler pipe was first used in 'Time Traders' by Andre Norton yonks ago.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Too bad...

    ...he's not for realz.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

      Re: Too bad...

      Do go on. Don't be shy AC.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not worth much

    ...when you car has a dead battery on the roadway.

    1. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

      Re: Not worth much

      Why do I get the name Aldi recurring?

      Is it because they have a shop at both ends of every largetown in Britain?

      And lots of electric?

      Or am I confusing it with Triumph Jaguar?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: when you car has a dead battery on the roadway.

      Roadway? WTF is that? Anything like a road?

  10. Rol

    Cartropolis

    Ok. I concede their will still be people out there with diminutive sexual organs and super inflated ego's that will insist the only world worth living in is the one where they own a super dooper car.

    For the rest of us, a car will be a purely utilitarian commodity to be used on demand and then cast away.

    I bet for many, the car you drive would be better defined as the car you park, as for 95% of the day that is exactly what it is doing, nothing other than taking up space, outside your house, outside your business, outside the shops, outside the cinema....

    If when you need a car a simple text is all that is required for a clean, fully charged, electric vehicle to be at your disposal in a matter of minutes, costed by the mile and the minute, then all but your ego stroking will be sated.

    Given that these rented vehicles will spend much less than 95% of the time parked up, it isn't beyond logic to see a huge drop in the number of cars required to service the populous and thus less chunks of metal adorning every conceivable parking space.

    I welcome criticism of my take on humankind's logical step towards a saner world, but please state your penis size in your response, so I can better understand where you are cumming from.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      FAIL

      Re: Cartropolis

      I wonder if female car enthusiasts have to state their penis size too?

      1. Rol

        Re: Cartropolis

        Yes, true, it's a big world out there and most probably one or two women with as demented a fixation on owning a car as the men who cannot conceive a future without one parked on their drive.

        Any suggestion that car ownership will become unnecessary in a driverless future seems to get a tirade of negativity from. yes, men with small penises. While I feel sorry for them, I'm sure it would be better for the planet if they just once responded to the spam offering alternatives to the auto ego stroker.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Cartropolis

          Have you considered maybe your perspective on auto ownership might be in skewed? If not, you should.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cartropolis

      It sounds like you have a personal problem.

    3. Chuq

      Re: Cartropolis

      Yep, I can't wait until we all have self-driving vehicles on call. But that's a couple of decades away. It is a long wait for the technology to mature (they can't deal with rain, for example) and for the laws surrounding them to develop. After that there will be the early adopters, the ones who currently don't have a car, can't drive or use taxis. Then it will be the people who used to take buses or trains. And lets not forget, even the Teslas being sold this year have the hardware for autonomous driving so it isn't as if they couldn't be part of the same system in the end.

      1. BornToWin

        Re: Cartropolis

        I don't see the majority of people giving up driving for an autonomous car. It certainly would offer a lot of benefits to many people however and improve safety in some instances. Aside from the technical challenges there are ethical issues to deal with.

        As an example when there is going to be an accident no matter what the autonomous vehicle does, what should it do? Should it try to avoid the accident and just stop dead in the road, perhaps causing the vehicle to be hit both front and rear? If it should try to avoid an accident that it won't actually be able to avoid should it move in a direction that could endanger other people be they other commuters or pedestrians? If the autonomous car is in the middle lane with vehicles on both sides traveling along a motorway and the unavoidable accident scenario develops which car / lane would the autonomous vehicle crash into to try to avoid a head on collision? There are many, many ethical issues to be addressed before autonomous vehicles should be allowed on the roadways.

    4. Tom_

      Re: Cartropolis

      That'll work well when everyone needs to go to work at the same time.

  11. This post has been deleted by its author

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Makes sense to me

    Though it makes little sense on its own, but I bet spacex would love a tested and proven automatic docking system that stands up to forecourt use/abuse, vandalism and Tesla drivers... Elon knows how to get shit done.

  13. Todd R. Lockwood

    Robotic plug is for HOME use!

    In case everyone missed it, Tesla's robotic plug-in technology is intended for HOME use, not for its public Superchargers. The title and photo used for this article are misleading in that regard. Model S owners, like me, do 99% of their charging at home at night. This is usually accomplished with a 240V/40A outlet, and it typically requires only 2 to 3 hours of charging per night. I rarely charge on the road.

    Tesla's free public Superchargers require only a 15-20 minute charge for each 150 mile leg of a trip, and they are located near food, shopping and other services. You don't sit in your car while charging unless you've got nothing better to do.

  14. vincent himpe

    it doesnt take 20 hours

    I use a regular 240 outlet at 40 amps (outlet for an electric tange) . That is 9.6 kilowatt per hour. the high power pack is 85 kilowatt. So it is full in slightly less than 10 hours.

    On an average day i only consume 50 miles of the 260 miles. so in under two hours the battery is topped off. In essence, the car is always full. For long distance driving , simply pull in to a supercharger and blast the battery in 30 minutes, if fully empty. on average you pull out in 20 mins so : drive 3 hours, grab a cup of coffee and visit the restroom and the car is charged. Oh, and it doesn't cost a penny. Supercharging is free for the life of the car.

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