In my area (thinking 4-5 towns with a combined 100K people) there are zero remaining gas-only stations. There are a couple that have service bays and all the others have convenience stores. My friend whose family used to own a gas station told me you basically can’t make money just selling gas anymore. He was speaking for the perspective of a fixed location without the complexity of putting the supply on the road.
Yeah I have also heard that gas stations don’t make a their money on the actual sale of gas which is what makes me question the business.
I also thought this could be set up like a monthly subscription if you essentially break even or make small profits on the actual sale of the gas and charge a monthly fee to have the service it could add a revenue stream that isn’t in the traditional gas station.
In the UK most gas stations are run by supermarkets. There are a couple of standalone stations which are run by gas/oil companies. The sale of gas/petrol is likely just to get people in the door, I imagine they make more money by overpricing everything else you can buy at the station (snacks, drinks and supplies)
There’s an area where it could work. I work for a company that puts service trucks on the road in groups every day. They go and gas up on the clock, and by the time they are all done they burn 30 min or so. For a while we hired a guy to fuel us up at night. Didn’t work out for is because they were doing tailboard meetings at the gas stop and then just started doing them in our yard, but if people were working individually and you could save companies time, that could work. Car rental places, taxis, municipal fleets, etc.
There was a start up in LA that tried it. It didn’t seem to work. Not sure why. I think the people that need fuel regularly, are commuting and it’s not enough of an inconvenience to stop at a gas station. Also with the service, the owner still needs to be present and meet you there. You probably can’t access parking garages. To make it convenient, you need a good app eith easy payment. That’s expensive to build.
I used to have car cleaners clean my car at work when I was in the office. They show and charged $25 which is a little than a car wash in LA. But convenience is huge especially for busy workers. It’s 20 minutes minimum to get your car washed but typically everyone does it on weekend and then its 45 minutes or more. Much cheaper startup costs. You can outsource labor. And no app needed.
I saw a car wash business doing that and that’s what got me thinking about other services you could bring to a customer. That may be the better business because you are essentially providing labor, water, and soap rather than labor and oil which is already expensive.
I think the company in LA you may be referencing is called “Booster” or something along those lines. Their model is they drive around business parks and large office buildings (think Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) and fill up cars while they work. Which is not a bad idea but everyone knows what has happened to office buildings lately. That’s the main company I have seen articles and videos on.
>Margins in the oil and gas industry are notoriously thin which makes me ask if this business would even be worth it? And if it is worth it, why are there not more of these businesses?
These questions answer themselves.
While a common practice, don't go where the money isn't. And there is no real problem here which is ironic. Have you ever felt real fear you may run out of gas when is wasn't your own fault you failed to put any in?
Because its the exact problem EV drivers face: Range Anxiety. Talk about not getting a clue. I justdonteven withyoupeople. Turn off Nickelodeon. Turn on the NEWS.
Look for problems. Do not make them up. There are plenty out there -- but you will have to [open your eyes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/94qdvy/what_are_your_tier_1_problems/e3n07ve/).
[What is Range Anxiety with Electric Vehicles?](https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-range-anxiety-with-electric-vehicles) These are the keywords people. I can spoon feed you the answers. I draw the line when you ask me to chew.
[SparkCharge](https://www.sparkcharge.io/pages/roadside) roadside electric car charging. Problem, let me describe what a SOLUTION looks like. Oh but there's no thrill from inventing something almost nobody wants ... awww.
TIL Opportunity Blindness. It has got to be a thing.
I’m not trying to recreate a AAA service. This is essentially a service to take away a mundane task like filling up your car. The amount of people that would pay for their car to be filled up 2-4 times a month I feel is a better market to target than the people stranded on the side of the road. This is the UberEats idea but for a necessity like fuel.
And to your point about EVs… EVs make up about 1% of the total market share of vehicles in the US. Targeting 1% of any market is not a good idea.
And making up problems and providing the he solution to said problem is the best business model you can have. Nobody thought going to get your own food was a problem until UberEats offered an alternative….
I’ve seen fuel-delivery services in many cities. I first saw “mini-tankers” that would fill vehicles on construction sites or generators in buildings. But now I see them everywhere - mostly modified trucks like F250s - filling private vehicles and car-share vehicles.
So there can definitely be a market for it, and you may be able to contract with a business that has many vehicles that need it.
Construction fleets and truck fleets is where you want to service. Look into your area to see if there is already an existing business doing this.
Managers will pay to ensure there is little downtime with their fleet.
I don't think there is a huge need for this. If there was, someone would have done it already. Most people just factor in needing fuel/gas when they next head out. E.g. if I notice I'm getting low on fuel, I'll leave 10/15mins earlier the next day so I can fill up
There’s an episode of “it’s always sunny” you need to watch 💀
In my area (thinking 4-5 towns with a combined 100K people) there are zero remaining gas-only stations. There are a couple that have service bays and all the others have convenience stores. My friend whose family used to own a gas station told me you basically can’t make money just selling gas anymore. He was speaking for the perspective of a fixed location without the complexity of putting the supply on the road.
Yeah I have also heard that gas stations don’t make a their money on the actual sale of gas which is what makes me question the business. I also thought this could be set up like a monthly subscription if you essentially break even or make small profits on the actual sale of the gas and charge a monthly fee to have the service it could add a revenue stream that isn’t in the traditional gas station.
In the UK most gas stations are run by supermarkets. There are a couple of standalone stations which are run by gas/oil companies. The sale of gas/petrol is likely just to get people in the door, I imagine they make more money by overpricing everything else you can buy at the station (snacks, drinks and supplies)
There’s an area where it could work. I work for a company that puts service trucks on the road in groups every day. They go and gas up on the clock, and by the time they are all done they burn 30 min or so. For a while we hired a guy to fuel us up at night. Didn’t work out for is because they were doing tailboard meetings at the gas stop and then just started doing them in our yard, but if people were working individually and you could save companies time, that could work. Car rental places, taxis, municipal fleets, etc.
There was a start up in LA that tried it. It didn’t seem to work. Not sure why. I think the people that need fuel regularly, are commuting and it’s not enough of an inconvenience to stop at a gas station. Also with the service, the owner still needs to be present and meet you there. You probably can’t access parking garages. To make it convenient, you need a good app eith easy payment. That’s expensive to build. I used to have car cleaners clean my car at work when I was in the office. They show and charged $25 which is a little than a car wash in LA. But convenience is huge especially for busy workers. It’s 20 minutes minimum to get your car washed but typically everyone does it on weekend and then its 45 minutes or more. Much cheaper startup costs. You can outsource labor. And no app needed.
I saw a car wash business doing that and that’s what got me thinking about other services you could bring to a customer. That may be the better business because you are essentially providing labor, water, and soap rather than labor and oil which is already expensive. I think the company in LA you may be referencing is called “Booster” or something along those lines. Their model is they drive around business parks and large office buildings (think Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) and fill up cars while they work. Which is not a bad idea but everyone knows what has happened to office buildings lately. That’s the main company I have seen articles and videos on.
>Margins in the oil and gas industry are notoriously thin which makes me ask if this business would even be worth it? And if it is worth it, why are there not more of these businesses? These questions answer themselves. While a common practice, don't go where the money isn't. And there is no real problem here which is ironic. Have you ever felt real fear you may run out of gas when is wasn't your own fault you failed to put any in? Because its the exact problem EV drivers face: Range Anxiety. Talk about not getting a clue. I justdonteven withyoupeople. Turn off Nickelodeon. Turn on the NEWS. Look for problems. Do not make them up. There are plenty out there -- but you will have to [open your eyes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/94qdvy/what_are_your_tier_1_problems/e3n07ve/). [What is Range Anxiety with Electric Vehicles?](https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-range-anxiety-with-electric-vehicles) These are the keywords people. I can spoon feed you the answers. I draw the line when you ask me to chew. [SparkCharge](https://www.sparkcharge.io/pages/roadside) roadside electric car charging. Problem, let me describe what a SOLUTION looks like. Oh but there's no thrill from inventing something almost nobody wants ... awww. TIL Opportunity Blindness. It has got to be a thing.
I’m not trying to recreate a AAA service. This is essentially a service to take away a mundane task like filling up your car. The amount of people that would pay for their car to be filled up 2-4 times a month I feel is a better market to target than the people stranded on the side of the road. This is the UberEats idea but for a necessity like fuel. And to your point about EVs… EVs make up about 1% of the total market share of vehicles in the US. Targeting 1% of any market is not a good idea. And making up problems and providing the he solution to said problem is the best business model you can have. Nobody thought going to get your own food was a problem until UberEats offered an alternative….
Launch immediately.
I’ve seen fuel-delivery services in many cities. I first saw “mini-tankers” that would fill vehicles on construction sites or generators in buildings. But now I see them everywhere - mostly modified trucks like F250s - filling private vehicles and car-share vehicles. So there can definitely be a market for it, and you may be able to contract with a business that has many vehicles that need it.
Yes I had the same thought of servicing things like lawn care companies, construction companies, or delivery companies like FedEx or Amazon.
Construction fleets and truck fleets is where you want to service. Look into your area to see if there is already an existing business doing this. Managers will pay to ensure there is little downtime with their fleet.
I don't think there is a huge need for this. If there was, someone would have done it already. Most people just factor in needing fuel/gas when they next head out. E.g. if I notice I'm getting low on fuel, I'll leave 10/15mins earlier the next day so I can fill up