COMMENT September 2020


Automation Fuel and snacks, anyone?


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he days of the petrol station as we know it today are looking numbered. Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the march, and they will change these facilities. According to market research house Frost & Sullivan, global cumulative sales of EVs will reach 34 million in five years from now, rising to a staggering 636.7 million by 2040. All these vehicles will need their ‘juice’, and the new-dawn ‘fuel’ stations will suitably provide. After all, these places are already conveniently positioned, all they need is to evolve to charging electric vehicles instead.


The petrol station has not changed much over the years. There have been incremental changes, but not without some negative effects. One such example is the pay-at-the-pump service. Fast and convenient for drivers, pay-at-the-pump damaged shop sales since footfall declined – sales of impulse-buy products, such as drinks and snacks, dropped, and so did revenues.


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Pundits see this trend reversed through a click-and-collect facility at the self-service fuel pump, where interactive advertising displays will encourage the person refuelling to buy drinks and snacks, ordered via the pump’s touchscreen. Ideally, EV charging will take between 5 and 10 minutes, allowing drivers and passengers plenty of time to peruse the shop’s wares.


And, now, we are seeing a picture emerging of the future ‘fuel’ station:


Pull up at the recharge station, plug in your EV, and, whilst waiting, either saunter over to the shop, or check the interactive display for what’s on offer. Additional items – food, beverage, etc. – can be ordered at the pump via the touchscreen. Dare I say, instead of click-and-collect, the items could be brought out by a drone or a service robot, and dropped off in the boot of your car. In the end, EV and snack stocks suitably re-fuelled, the station is ready to service the next vehicle in line.


We can anticipate quite the evolution at the fuel station, where sensors, touchscreens, wireless technologies, automation, secure payments, robots, and more, will provide an entirely new user interface and experience. For me, however, it may just offer a way out of my unescapable impulse to buy chocolate each time I refuel my car, as I do today.


Svetlana Josifovska, Editor


Editor Svetlana Josifovska Tel: 01732 883392


SJosifovska@datateam.co.uk


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Topics in the October 2020 edition include:


• Machine Building & Frameworks


• Machine Safety • Drives, Controls & Motors


Industry Focus: • Automotive Supply Chain • Renewable Energy


Special Supplement: • Robotics & Motion Control


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