Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[REPORT: Half of California gas stations could face closure for failing to install costly new nozzles]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/report-half-of-california-gas-stations-could-be-forced-to-close/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/report-half-of-california-gas-stations-could-be-forced-to-close/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/report-half-of-california-gas-stations-could-be-forced-to-close/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, California gas station operators have known since 2000 that they would have to install new nozzles on their gas pumps by tomorrow's deadline. And yet at least 2,000 of the 3,900 stations in the Southern California region and 60 percent of stations statewide have failed to do exactly that. The California Air Resources Board ruled nine years ago that gas pumps would have to be equipped with enhanced vapor recovery nozzles that capture and recirculate the gasoline vapors that inevitably escape while pumping gas.

Unfortunately, the narrow margins of gas retailing and high cost of the nozzles has made stations owners reluctant to spend the money. The equipment costs roughly $11,000 per pump.

Starting April 1, stations that haven't upgraded will start to face fines that will be ramped up toward the end of this year. Stations that haven't made the changes by the end of 2009 face closure.


[Source: Los Angeles Daily News | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

REPORT: Half of California gas stations could face closure for failing to install costly new nozzles originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>california air resources boardCaliforniaAirResourcesBoardcarbenhanced vapor recovery systemEnhancedVaporRecoverySystemgas stationGasStationservice stationServiceStationTue, 31 Mar 2009 14:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Flying rat poop leads to collapse of gas station canopy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/23/flying-rat-poop-leads-to-collapse-of-gas-station-canopy/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/23/flying-rat-poop-leads-to-collapse-of-gas-station-canopy/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/23/flying-rat-poop-leads-to-collapse-of-gas-station-canopy/#commentsFiled under: ,

Pigeons -- flying rats, rock doves, what have you -- are probably not on anyone's favorite list of fowl, but lately they've been bringing the house down. Well, not houses exactly, but bridges and awnings if you believe the news. Last year it was reported pigeon poop helped cause the bridge collapse in Minnesota -- pigeon excreta being remarkably effective at rusting things out. Now, at a Yuma, Arizona gas station, an awning collapsed under the weight of wet guano. The folks in charge let up to five inches of dung collect on the flat awning, and when it rained, the mass of that mess brought the whole thing tumbling down. Lost in the hail of excrement: a BMW and a HUMMER. Let this be a lesson to you: beware the Columbidae.

[Source: MSNBC]

Flying rat poop leads to collapse of gas station canopy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accidentcollapsegas stationGasStationpigeonpoopTue, 23 Dec 2008 07:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Man gets caught with custom-built gas-stealing truck]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/man-gets-caught-with-custom-built-gas-stealing-truck/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/man-gets-caught-with-custom-built-gas-stealing-truck/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/man-gets-caught-with-custom-built-gas-stealing-truck/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


With gas prices exceeding $4 per gallon, it's no surprise that fuel stealing is on the rise. What's amazing is the lengths to which thieves are willing to go to swindle the pricey commodity in larger-than-normal quantities. An Orlando man was recently arrested for having a hidden, professionally welded 800-gallon gas tank retrofitted to a Ford truck that police say was expressly used for stealing petrol. The man also had a key that disables pump meters, which should scare the hell out of gas station owners.

He was caught after a Hess gas station attendant became suspicious of the inordinate amount of time he was spending pump-side and called the police. Law enforcement officials say that due to the elaborate setup of the gas-stealing truck and the theif's possession of the pump meter-disabling key, he is likely one part of a larger gas-stealing syndicate that resells the fuel for profit. It isn't surprising that some unscrupulous folks would be attracted to the possibility of netting $3,200 in about a half hour, but since they are going to so much trouble to remain undetected, you'd think they wouldn't try to steal all the gas at once. Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: Local6]

Man gets caught with custom-built gas-stealing truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Ford TruckFordTruckFuel thiefFuelThiefgas stationGasStationHesshidden gas tankHiddenGasTankThu, 19 Jun 2008 10:01:00 EST<![CDATA[2009 HUMMER H2 and H2 SUT will be E85 compatible]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/2009-hummer-h2-and-h2-sut-will-be-e85-capable/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/2009-hummer-h2-and-h2-sut-will-be-e85-capable/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/2009-hummer-h2-and-h2-sut-will-be-e85-capable/#commentsFiled under: , ,



In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next year's H2 and H2 SUT, which will be the first production models to be Flex-fuel capable.

You won't need to drive a HUMMER to get E85 at the station. The pumps are open to the public, a first for a dealer-owned gas station. By 2010, GM has said all HUMMERs will be biofuel-capable. GM plans to market 15 Flexfuel models next year, but only one percent of the country's service stations sell E85. GM is using that as an opportunity to open the public's (and dealers') minds to putting alternative fuel stations in alternative places.

Said GM's Larry Burns, "Down the road we may even want to consider hydrogen dispensers at dealerships."

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

2009 HUMMER H2 and H2 SUT will be E85 compatible originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biodieselbiofuelbiofuelsdealerdealersdealershipdealershipse10e85e85 stationse85stationsflexflex fuelflex-fuelFlexFuelgasgas stationgas stationsgasolineGasStationGasStationsh2h2 suth2suthummerSun, 30 Mar 2008 16:03:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Felipe Massa shills for Shell, makes us chuckle]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/video-felipe-massa-shills-for-shell-makes-us-chuckle/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/video-felipe-massa-shills-for-shell-makes-us-chuckle/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/video-felipe-massa-shills-for-shell-makes-us-chuckle/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Shell's PR people appear to have a handle on how best to exploit the company's relationship with Scuderia Ferrari. Whether it's the spine-tingling spot that depicts historic Ferrari grand prix cars running on the streets in famous locales, or the very amusing "What will Schumi do next?" series (there were two spots), the videos offer a pleasant respite from the daily grind.

Today we got word that Shell's back at it, and its new viral video star is Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. In the spot above, Massa's diminutive Fiat leaves a pair of musclecar drivers speechless, and in the one we've pasted after the jump, Felipe interacts with customers at a gas station via a hidden camera/closed-circuit TV setup. His challenge to them: imitate the sound of a racing Ferrari. Suffice to say, Michael Winslow's career is secure.

[Source: Shell via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Felipe Massa shills for Shell, makes us chuckle

VIDEO: Felipe Massa shills for Shell, makes us chuckle originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>felipe massafelipe massa fiatFelipeMassaFelipeMassaFiatferrarigas stationGasStationmassa video starmassa's fiatMassa'sFiatMassaVideoStarscuderia ferrariScuderiaFerrarishellWed, 12 Sep 2007 20:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Union 76's balls removed, museums get to hold them]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/22/union-76s-balls-removed-museums-get-to-hold-them/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/22/union-76s-balls-removed-museums-get-to-hold-them/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/22/union-76s-balls-removed-museums-get-to-hold-them/#commentsFiled under: ,

Not too long ago, the 8-foot tall orange Union 76 globes towering over gas stations could be found almost as easily as a Starbucks can today. But as those stations were renovated or as new ones were built, the glowing balls were taken down and newly built outlets got more conventional (i.e. cheaper) signage. After being acquired several times, the Union 76 brand ended up in ConocoPhillips' ever-growing portfolio. And that's when trouble started. Conoco's marketing department embarked on a mission to overhaul the 76 image and mandated that all surviving 76 balls be taken down. Automobilia collectors and museums alike were angered by the insistence of Conoco that the iconic signs be destroyed. Letters, pleas and petitions ensued.

But this story ends happily. While the plan to remove the orbs will go through, some of them will be donated for preservation to museums (including The Smithsonian and the Peterson Automotive Museum). And in another turn of events, the marketing team heard all those complaints and has decided to return the glowing 76 ball to as many as 100 gas stations in western states.

[Sources: The Wall Street Journal via The Car Connection and Save the 76 Ball]

Union 76's balls removed, museums get to hold them originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ConocoPhillipsConocoPhillips 76ConocoPhillips 76 ballConocoPhillips Union 76ConocoPhillips Union 76 logoConocophillips76Conocophillips76BallConocophillipsUnion76ConocophillipsUnion76Logogas stationgas station logosGasStationGasStationLogosUnion 76union 76 gasunion 76 logoUnion76Union76GasUnion76LogoMon, 22 Jan 2007 15:04:00 EST<![CDATA[FuelCard.org launches in the United States]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/fuelcard-org-launches-in-the-united-states/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/fuelcard-org-launches-in-the-united-states/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/fuelcard-org-launches-in-the-united-states/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mimicking a similar project in the UK, a US-based organization has launched FuelCard.org to help drivers save some cash on gas. The idea is seemingly simple: get a bunch of people together and give them a gas discount card, promise a popular, nationwide gas station chain that the group of people will only buy their gas, and the card holders in question get 10-20 cents off per gallon of gas. The site evidently started up last week, so we're not sure who the gas retailer will be, but if this program flies, it could be a great thing for many of us looking at $50+ a tank.

Thanks to Bob for the tip.

[Source: FuelCard.org]

FuelCard.org launches in the United States originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fuelfuel pricesFuelPricesgasgas cardgas pricesgas stationGasCardGasPricesGasStationrisingTue, 13 Jun 2006 16:25:00 EST<![CDATA[GM's newest incentive - $1.99/gallon gasoline in Florida and California]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/24/gms-newest-incentive-1-99-gallon-gasoline-in-florida-and-cal/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/24/gms-newest-incentive-1-99-gallon-gasoline-in-florida-and-cal/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/24/gms-newest-incentive-1-99-gallon-gasoline-in-florida-and-cal/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

General Motors promised that it would develop some innovative sales promotions this summer, and we have to say that it delivers with a newly-announced offer for Florida and California residents who buy selected SUVs and midsize sedans.

Buyers will be issued a pre-paid credit card, which will be credited monthly with reimbursement for gasoline costs above and beyond $1.99/gallon until December of 2007. The credit will be based on the published AAA price for premium fuel and the actual mileage driven (tracked via OnStar, natch), and so those who rack up the miles could end up with a substantial chunk of change back in their pockets - especially if gas prices continue towards pessimists' projections of $4/gallon (or worse).

The gas credit applies to the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Monte Carlo, and Impala; the GMC Yukon, Hummer's H2 and H3, the Cadillac SRX, Pontiac's Grand Prix, and Buick's new Lucerne. GM claims that the vehicles were selected for their "outstanding fuel economy and great consumer appeal".

Check out the full press release from the General after the jump...

[Source: GM]

Continue reading GM's newest incentive - $1.99/gallon gasoline in Florida and California

GM's newest incentive - $1.99/gallon gasoline in Florida and California originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 May 2006 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gas creditgas pricesgas stationGasCreditGasPricesGasStationgeneral motorsGeneralMotorsWed, 24 May 2006 10:44:00 EST