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As an avid Zipcar user I routinely drive a wide variety of cars, from hybrids to SUVs, all from different manufacturers; it depends on what's available in the lot when I need to go pick something up. All of the manufacturers have designed the same refueling requirements—pop the lid, unscrew the cap, stick the nozzle in—except for Ford, as they've gotten rid of that middle step.
For those of you who've never heard of it, a few years ago Ford quietly introduced their Easy Fuel system, which is a minor-sounding but brilliant piece of engineering. Instead of unscrewing a cap, after flipping the fuel door open you simply stick the nozzle through a little spring-loaded gate that automatically seals shut when you're done. It's so simple and intelligent that it makes screwing and unscrewing a cap seem silly, and I wonder why the other manufacturers haven't all followed suit. Interestingly enough, the Easy Fuel was initially designed because some Ford customers were apparently putting the wrong fuel in their cars. The Easy Fuel aperture is designed to detect the differently-sized diameters of a regular or diesel nozzle and only admit the correct one.
For those interested in the actual engineering behind the Easy Fuel, here's Ford's original press release from '08.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Simple Innovation: Ford's Easy Fuel System
Dumb idea. How to take a simple $1 cap and make it into a $300 headache. Speaking from experience when it fails you can't fill the gas tank making you car into a 3,000lb paper weight.
question about this, i have a 2010 explorer and i too have the easy fuel system, not a fan of it but i can live with it. anyways.. the plastic/rubber part that sits around the no cap part, what is it called? is there a replacement, the rubber tore and is loose & would like to see if I can avoid having to go to the dealer....
Other than that, a typical "Why didn't I think of that?" innovation, very nice!
My point is there must be something else than meets the eye in this Easy Fuel system. Capless refuel is nothing new.
Yes people do steal gas.. especially when it's only going to go up. Also prevents people from putting crap down your tank if they want an easy revenge!!