It all started with a tweet. The filler cap indicator icon got another five minutes of fame. It is the perfect occasion to remind ourselves that innovation and human-centered design can have an extremely useful impact on our lives – no matter how simple it might look at a first glance. Here’s its story, as it was told by Ford’s CEO Jim Farley himself.
There are a lot of things that go into our cars. Metal, plastic, software, hardware, rubber, glass, magnets, and the list could continue to go on until we reach even more fascinating stories about components that make our vehicles run properly and take us from one point to another or on interesting, memorable journeys.
But nothing is ever perfect. Innovation and determination are the contributing factors that nurture the continuous struggle to make cars, trucks, vans, and even semis become better, more efficient, cleaner, more reliable, and even increasingly connected to our daily lives and habits. It’s this idea that we must keep going forward that makes all kinds of vehicles so interesting. From motorized carriages to huge, powerful engines and insanely fast electric motors, we witnessed how the need for personal and commercial transportation has changed societies and improved lives.
But from time to time, among the breakthroughs and the amazing developments, we find a couple of small ideas that had a huge impact on how we relate to operating our beloved machines. One of these is the filler cap indicator. It’s just a small icon. Its use, however, is very important. Upon looking at it, you will immediately know on which side you should park in a gas station to fill up without needing further maneuvers. After all, we know how embarrassing it feels to have other traffic participants waiting for you to figure things out. It happened to everyone at some point.
There’s no need for doubt
The story behind its appearance on dashboards across the industry starts in the United States, and more specifically with Ford. The company’s current CEO explained how it all began in a short tweet that was accompanied by a scan of a letter sent to the American automaker. In the document dated April 17, 1986, we find the words of James N. Moylan.
Photo: Mark Chan on Unsplash
Moylan was an engineer from Ford’s Plastics, Paint, and Vinyl Division. He made the appearance of this little indicator possible, even if over the years the icon has been simplified. It has been reduced to a triangle-like arrow, but it still does the trick. Originally, he proposed showing a drawing of a car with the filler cap open next to the side petrol pump icon.
“I would like to propose a small addition to future I/P cluster graphics in all passenger car and truck lines.
The indicator or symbol I have in mind would be located near the fuel gauge and simply describe to the driver on which side of the vehicle the fuel fill door is located.
Based on personal experience, when approaching the fuel pump island in Company pool cars, I feel that this little indicator would remove the guesswork of which side I want to park,” wrote Moylan to P. M. Ross.
The man argued even further and said he believes a “minor investment” would turn into a “worthwhile convenience not only for two-car families but also pool car users and especially car rental customers.”
A small, yet important victory
The Michigan-based auto manufacturer listened. The first car with this icon was the 1989 Ford Escort. It proved to be a wise decision. Afterward, the idea spread to other automakers as well.
Photo: Anglia Car Auctions on YouTube
Surprisingly enough, this talk about the filler cap indicator started after Stephen Fry himself admitted on Twitter he didn’t know what that little arrow next to the petrol pump icon was until recently. He decoded the meaning of it “after 64 years on the planet shrouded in ignorance,” said the British actor and comedian. Looking at the car’s dashboard, he shared with his followers that this discovery changed his life “forever”.
It might seem like a trivial thing to many drivers out there but finding out something new about an existing feature in almost all cars for over 30 years might prove to be an exciting discovery.
It is such an obvious, simple solution to a possible problem that drivers might meet when renting or buying a new car. And it began with an idea from someone that thought about it and acted. Thank you, Mr. James N. Moylan! Thank you for listening to engineers, Ford!
. @stephenfry, thought you’d appreciate this backstory. The idea for this indicator icon was recommended by a @Ford engineer named Jim Moylan in 1986. Here’s his original letter pitching the idea. It was such a useful idea it eventually spread to other manufacturers. https://t.co/KMmw9XwIHqpic.twitter.com/TGPhGE4dcM
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News