Filed under: SUVs, Green, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, FIAT
Ford shows off Direct Fuel system on 2008 Explorer
The same basic technology that shaves seconds off of pit stops will soon be available on select Ford models for 2008. Ford's capless gas tank, or Direct Fill System (DFS), may seem like little more than a way to save a few seconds at the pump, but there are actually some additional benefits, as well. One obvious positive is that drivers won't have to get their hands dirty by unscrewing the cap, but for people with arthritis, DFS can make life a lot less painful, too. Ford's self-sealing technology can also prevent fuel evaporation caused by ill-tightened caps.
It seems like Ford has been talking up this technology forever, and now it's finally here. Autoblog Green has a quick video that shows the technology in action and you can check it out after the jump. They saw it in person a couple weeks ago and you'll first find the feature first on 2008 Ford Explorer models.
[Source: Autoblog Green]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DriftPunch 3:04PM (7/03/2007)
As a cup, how does it prevent grit and dust from settling in the base, only to be pushed in by the nozzle. Hopefully there is some mechanism of prevention...? Or is Ford going to say they fuel filter is that mechanism.
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Don 3:09PM (7/03/2007)
Better have a locking gas cap to prevent that unnecessary tablespoon of sugar.
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phil 3:17PM (7/03/2007)
How does it keep out stray urea?
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Tony 3:19PM (7/03/2007)
To DriftPunch and Don,
Really, Really, Really
Yeah! It would be so hard to unscrew a cap. And after one unscrew said cap couldn't whatever dirt or grit get into fuel system.
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Max 3:43PM (7/03/2007)
Someone should tell them that California has a gas cap pressure test as part of it's smog check.
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Viv 4:28PM (7/03/2007)
I was wondering the same thing too. We here in Georgia also have a gas cap check as part of the emissions testing.
Fuzzmanmatt 3:48PM (7/03/2007)
I sell these for $15, from Stant, and they fit most cars on the road sold after 1996. Go Ford!
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SKluck 4:38PM (7/03/2007)
Say what you want, but I like this kind of stuff. It's little things like this that the industry needs more of. Just common conveniences that aren't a big deal by themselves, but add up to give you a better driving experience.
If only they sold the C1 Focus here and I might actually buy one of their cars.
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mr.ed 4:53PM (7/03/2007)
Ohio has a gas cap test in areas with smog inspections. And many are in high-salt areas. The salt corrodes the release mechanism, so some owners don't close their gas port doors once they get them open, so they can fill their tanks again. Or, they remove them entirely. Then there are the folks whose doors have been removed by accident. In any case, this won't work away from the lab.
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Toledo 9:39PM (7/03/2007)
Huh? I'm Ohio born and raised, I've done plenty of time in the Snowbelt. I've never ever had a problem with the door release mechanism on any of my cars, foreign or domestic.
mr.ed 8:11AM (7/04/2007)
Try driving in eastern Cuyahoga county through Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties. Youll find plenty of clapped-out relatively new vehicles with such extreme salt damage they're falling apart. In fact, you'll find almost no cars or trucks with any age on them, as they've rusted away in short order. That includes foreign and domestic. The problem is continual snowfalls that are salted/brined to clear the roads. The temperature rarely goes so low that the salt is ineffective because of the proximity to Lake Erie. Sand or ashes are rarely used. They cost more than readily available, locally mined salt. The salt clings to the wet car bodies and reacts with the metal because of the moderate temperature, which averages around freezing all winter.
It's more than the fuel door that freezes. Passenger doors, corroded from inside don't work either. Take a drive. Educate yourself.
Biff Baxter 4:55PM (7/03/2007)
Wait until the Japanese utilize the technology.
Then it will be hailed as pure genius.
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... 7:17PM (7/03/2007)
quit whining about what is boring news. its a fucking gas cap. a piece of metal. compared to say, oh, toyota's new engine technology, nobody cares.
MikeB 6:02PM (7/03/2007)
"One obvious positive is that drivers won't have to get their hands dirty by unscrewing the cap"
I'm far less concerned with the dirt on my gas cap than I am with the bacteria-fest on those pump handles. Yuck!
I do like the idea. No more forgetting to put the cap back on.
Of course I'll still look like an idiot driving around with the fuel door wide open.
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whofan 6:13PM (7/03/2007)
10 Biff Baxter @ Jul 3rd 2007 4:55PM
"Wait until the Japanese utilize the technology.
Then it will be hailed as pure genius."
You ain`t a shitting there!
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Chris Vitale 6:18PM (7/03/2007)
The should at least have the gas door lock with the other doors or while in motion like on my old '91 318i...
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bradington 7:59PM (7/03/2007)
GM needs to start doing this as soon as possible. I work at a GMC-Cad-Buick-Pontiac-Isuzu dealership in the service department and many times a week I see repair orders remedied by tightening gas caps. And then there is the popping intermediate shafts.
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jg3 8:59PM (7/03/2007)
OK, many of you apparently did not comprehend the demonstration. It's not the outer fuel door that been removed and replaced by the mechanism, it's the plastic screw on GAS CAP that is being replaced. The outer door is still there.
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Ligor 10:45PM (7/03/2007)
I hope they have raised the entry so that dirt and crap accumulated is not directly on top of the sliding cap and goes straight into the tank.
I can imagine gas filerts being clogged at 25k miles, and Ford having to replace tehn under warranty.
they could have easily have had a cap that just fits in adn doesn't need to be screwd to prevent this as well.
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Bryan 10:59PM (7/03/2007)
Well good thing I showed up so I can teach the children on here. Really I mean are import lovers that ignorant? No comment. Ok now pay attention kids I am only going to say this once. The benefits of this technology go beyond the typical keeping your hands cleaner and not forgetting to put the cap back on. It also includes saving tons of gas per year because of people not replacing broken caps or forgetting to put them on. Also, theres the great benefit of not scratching your paint with that thing rubbing up against your paint. There are 4 benefits right there just by replacing a gas cap as ... puts it.
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