On-Demand Fuel Delivery Market Drawing a Crowd
NATIONAL REPORT — The days of motorists searching for a gas station to fill up may be coming to an end. Several businesses have launched across the country that bring fuel to the consumer, and not the other way around.
One such business is Mobile Fuelz, which Jeff Lucas launched in Murfressboro, Tenn., in December. According to the Daily News Journal, clients pay $15 per month for Lucas and his mobile gas truck to come to their location and fill up their gas tanks. Mobile Fuelz services Rutherford County, Tenn.
He is offering an introductory price of $10 for the first 100 clients. For non-members, there is a delivery fee of $5 per vehicle, plus the regular price of gas.
"If you've ever had pizza delivered, it's like that. It's an added convenience," Lucas told the news outlet.
According to the Mobile Fuelz website, clients sign up on the site with their credit card information and vehicle information. They also enter the address where the vehicle will be parked, what day of the week they want a fill up, and the best time of day where the car will be sitting the longest.
Clients receive a reminder email or text when Mobile Fuelz is coming. Once the gas is delivered, the company enters the gallons pumped in the tank and the day's gas price per gallon. Clients' credit cards are then billed and a receipt is emailed.
Also in Tennessee, competitor company Yoshi operates a similar business in Nashville. The concept began in Palo Alto, Calif., and chose to launch in Nashville as its second market four months ago, according to the news report.
California's Silicon Valley also gave birth to Filld, an on-demand fuel startup co-founded by Scott Hempy. Filld has plans to expand nationally and has secured more than $3 million in seed funding.
According to a report by The Fuse, users download the Filld app, set the location of the car and then, often overnight, a Filld truck will come and fill the gas tank — which the owner must remember to leave unlocked. Users pay the average price of the five nearest gas stations plus a $5 service fee for each fueling.
The company is currently piloting its program in the San Francisco area and has plans to expand within the next nine months.
"There's going to be a gas market for a long time. That's not necessarily because of how easy it is to get gas. At the end of the day, that's dependent on the lifecycle of cars," Hempy told the news outlet. "We've called it 'on-demand fuel delivery' and not 'on-demand gas delivery.' This is just as much an infrastructure play as a product play. We're building out an infrastructure that is more efficient and can span all sorts of fuels. Whether it's hydrogen, electric — there needs to be a more effective way to deliver fuel in public places."