August 14, 2008

UK investor teams up with private inventor to save motorists £millions each year

A Somerset inventor has teamed up with engineering and business specialists at technology giant Caparo to help motorists save millions of pounds a year. Together they have developed a simple, low-cost device that physically stops diesel cars being filled with petrol – a simple mistake that happens to around 400 motorists every day, costing from a few hundred pounds to drain and replace the fuel and filters, to many thousands for engine and fuel system repairs. For business drivers, missed meetings and deliveries can add millions more to the total cost of misfuelling.

The solution was developed by retired naval commander and amateur inventor Martin White after misfuelling his BMW. “The first prototype was built partly while on a camping holiday with my wife, a small tool kit and lots of pieces of curved metal,” he says. “Eventually I fabricated one that worked and showed it to innovation specialists at the Caparo Innovation Centre at Wolverhampton University, who helped me refine and validate the design. After talking to several potential investors, it was presented to Caparo’s CEO Angad Paul who immediately saw the potential and agreed to back it through to production.”

Martin’s invention will be launched mid-September as the Caparo Rightƒuel and is the only retro-fit device that completely blocks the delivery of the wrong fuel type. Moulded in tough engineering plastics, it is light-weight and totally corrosion proof. Because it fits on top of the filler neck, it does not rattle in the fuel pipe and is suitable for straight and curved filler necks.

Paul believes that Rightƒuel is the most effective and the most thoroughly validated product on the market. “Our system has spent eighteen months at our technical centre, undergoing the same rigorous development and validation processes that are required by our prestige vehicle manufacturer customers,” says Paul. “It provides the same levels of durability, performance and safety as the rest of a high-quality modern car and will not corrode or rattle. It is thoroughly developed and currently in the final stages of production testing before delivery of the first batches to vehicle fleets, who’s professional managers have already recognised its potential to save time and money.”

Background to misfuelling

It is almost impossible to pump diesel fuel into a petrol car because the larger diameter of the pump nozzle prevents it being inserted into the smaller filler neck of a vehicle designed for petrol. However, for various reasons it does happen occasionally, particularly when refuelling from emergency tanks. While creating large amounts of smoke, diesel in a petrol engine does not normally cause much damage if the fuel system is drained as soon as the symptoms are noticed.

The impact of misfuelling is dramatically different the other way round. Modern diesel engines use common rail or electronic unit injector systems operating at very high fuel pressures, with many of the high precision components lubricated only by the fuel. While diesel fuel lubricates, petrol washes away the lubrication, so the damaging effects can be fast and catastrophic. Even a litre of petrol added to the tank of a modern diesel car can cause irreversible damage to the injection pump, which can cost several hundred pounds. More serious damage can cause cheaper cars to be written off, often without insurance as misfuelling is not covered by some policies.

Rightƒuel, which replaces the vehicle’s filler cap, uses the difference in nozzle diameters to protect diesel vehicles. If the correct diesel nozzle has been presented, Rightƒuel’s patented mechanism disengages its prevention flap, allowing fuel to be pumped into the tank. If the petrol nozzle has been selected, the prevention flap mechanism remains locked and the fuel cannot be pumped into the tank. Only Rightƒuel provides a physical barrier that prevents the wrong fuel entering the tank.

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