I'm with the hippie on this one.

Rubbish, publicity stunt if you ask me.

20 years? Try never.

My uncle had one of those at his filing station in 1970. It was a hose hooked to pneumatically powered bell. It worked well.

Oops, typo: filling station, a now defunct establishment that flourished prior to the advent of self service gasoline. Believe it or not, there once was a time when you did not fill your own tank.

<...there once was a time when you did not fill your own tank...>

Ooooh, yes! How technology has advanced......

More like the cost of labor. Full service these days would probably add another $.25 to $.50 to the cost of a gallon of gas.

Hocker Oil has some gas stations in Rolla, Missouri area that are cash only full service stations. The gas is usually $0.25 cheaper. They also don't have a store or any vending machines at them or public restrooms (meaning they only have gasoline). It is also probably the worst gas I have ever seen (e.g. clogged fuel filters twice in one year on a friends new car).

Back to the subject of power generation: What a waste! I agree with the "feel good" marketing statement. As long as the customer feels good about idling in the drive through, they will continue to come.

Always wondered why... when self-service came about... why didn't someone get together with auto manufacturers to devise a filling system that could be automated?

When you pull into a 'stall', the filler-upper determines where your cap-cover is; moves from above to open the lid, remove your cap, and then pump the exact amount that you enter on a keypad (as at an ATM).

Such collaboration might EVEN have prevented the log-jams at places like Wal-Mart's ("Murphy") filling plazas, with cars lining-up from BOTH sides wanting to be next at the SAME stall! (fillers on opposite sides of cars)!

Might have prevented numerous "cell-phone-ignitions", "static-discharge-ignitions"... and, who knows(?)... could have even incorporated prevention of Drive-Away-Without-Paying. A simple jack-system to raise tires off ground until paid in full.

Just day dreaming.....

In New Jersey it is illegal to pump gas for your own car. Unless of course you are the attendant.

I saw a documentary on a company that did exactly that. (Can't recall the name)

In the end it was doomed by cost and liability concerns.

Feel good stunt for the greenies. Cost more than it will ever return. Pure publicity stunt, like most of the money being "spent" of renewables today.

I think if we outlawed vegetarians we'd kill more CO2 producing animals and harvest fewer CO2 converting plants.