Students invent automated car fuel flap to save time at petrol pumps

Three enterprising students of Sandip Institute of Polytechnic (SIP), Sandip University have devised a unique automated car fuel flap to reduce waiting time at petrol pumps. Shubham Kothawade, Jayesh Sangapal and Ganesh Kumbhar students of third year Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at this institute took up the task of modifying the flap of the vehicle fuel refilling system and making it automatic. They received a patent for this project, as they are the first to make a completely automatic fuel flap including the tank lid.

“We had to wait for a long period of time when we were on a trip, as there were many vehicles waiting in queue for fuel. This is when we noticed that they were wasting few minutes in just opening and closing the flap of the vehicles to fill fuel. Shubham came up with this idea to prepare an automated fuel flap that also opens the tank. This was the first time such a system where the tank also opens automatically was developed. All other vehicles including the imported ones do not have a facility where even if the flap is automated the tank lid has to be opened manually,” said Jayesh Sangapal.

“We conducted a few surveys before beginning the project, as per which there are no other vehicles including amongst the imported ones. We visited multiple showrooms and checked varied vehicles. We also observed at the petrol stations that most vehicles waste around a minute to pull the lever by hand and open the flap, and then they remove the lid of the tank by rotating it.

Along with the help of the faculty at the institute, they have designed and fabricated a prototype of the automatic Car Fuel flap. Their aim was to design a mechanism which helps in saving the effort of the workers at the fuel station, save the valuable time of the user and also gives the luxurious effect to the car with help of the automation facility. Both, the opening and closing operation consumes only 1 per cent of the car battery. They have included a software that will help bring in improvisations to the project.

Dr Sandip N Jha, Chairman, Sandip University, said “We are proud that our budding engineers are putting their efforts in such innovative ways towards the betterment of our society. We believe in encouraging them and providing support so that they are motivated enough to accelerate their potentials. I congratulate the students and wish them for their bright future.”