I am aware recently that there has been much interest in refuelling vehicles by taking the fuel to the car in customer’s’ homes or at places of work. We had a presentation on the possible operation of these systems at our APEA Live Conference a few years ago, and I am aware this process has been successfully operated in some countries although at present there appears to be a legal barrier in the UK.

The reason for this apparent legal restriction goes back quite a few years to a case which was part of my training programme as a young petroleum officer. In the UK in the 1960’s an entrepreneur called Mr Jackson from EP Petroleum converted a petrol tanker and placed a couple of petrol pumps on the back and then took the equipment to a motor racing event in Kent and started selling fuel.

This caused great consternation at the time and the Trading Standards Department who were the Petroleum Licensing Authority were called, took the necessary samples and then on legal advice took Mr Jackson to court. He was prosecuted under the Conveyance Regulations and I understand the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 and the practice was effectively banned and in subsequent regulations involving the conveyance of petrol the dispensing into vehicles was not permitted.

With electric vehicles now in the news and the recommendations of hazardous areas and the publication of the “Code of Practice of Electrical Vehicle Charging Installations at Filling Stations” I was somewhat surprised to come across an old Bulletin photograph that I published while editor. The photograph above shows a petrol tanker which appears to have been designed rather like the electric milk floats that were common some years ago and was submitted by Rob Green a petroleum inspector from London, on his holidays in Denmark. He thought it was a rather novel way to dispense petrol at the time and like nothing we had experienced in the UK. For those who introduced mobile deliveries it seems that “nothing is new” in this industry. This tanker had two grades of fuel and looking at the hose closer to the cab it had a blender for different octane ratings of petrol The tanker which was Shell branded, plied its trade along the line of vehicles waiting for a ferry. Perhaps this was before “risk assessments” were thought of with the chloride battery immediately under the hoses and nozzle.