Europe Robotic Refueling System Market Size, Share, and Analysis by 2028

The main focus of robotic fuelling is to explore improvements over existing systems (manual) mainly by cost reduction (personnel cost) through automation. Simplification in robotic fueling can be achieved by the redesign of the vehicle positioning and fuel dispensing systems. The latest refueling systems use a laser scanner to determine the vehicle position as opposed to expensive video imaging equipment used by previous designs. Fuel dispensing can be improved by a nozzle redesign and less complicated mating process of the fuel nozzle and the fuel port, which reduced the number of autonomous tasks that needed to be performed by the robotic arm.

Automated/robotic fuelling systems can eliminate operation personnel’s exposure to flammable liquid and repetitive strain injuries. As this system helps in reducing interactions between vehicles and personnel, risks such as tire burst exposure, falling objects, and collision with other vehicles can be averted. Additionally, in the construction industry, refueling cars, trucks, machinery, or other vehicles is a common activity, but it can be an awfully hazardous job if done imperfectly. Not just improper fuelling can cause fires, burns, or explosions, but the diesel or petrol itself is also a hazardous material with the potential for spills and leaks.

Three major hardware components in robotic refueling system are: control system (user interface and logic), vehicle positioning system (sensor system), and the automatic controlled dispensing of fuel (fuel nozzle). The vehicle positioning system uses a laser scanner to detect the vehicle’s orientation in the fuel area as opposed to expensive video imaging equipment used by old robotic refueling systems. The laser scanning solution also allowed for real-time updating of the vehicle’s position from the moment of entry in the fuel station. This allows the system to guide the driver to the proper fueling position for the robotic arm to ensure it can reach the vehicle’s fuel port.

Gasoline is the most common fuel used by the transportation sector. More than 53% of the cars operating in the European region are powered by a gasoline engine. Thus, gasoline is considered to be the most accounted fuel of choice for the transport sector in Europe. However, gasoline is expected to lose its dominance in the future owing to the advent of electric vehicle in the market. Though, an electric vehicle is not exactly going to replace the gasoline-powered vehicle during forecast period 2021-2028, however, few percentages of the market share of the gasoline-powered vehicle is going to be robbed with the electric vehicle revolution.

Several robotic refueling systems were developed in the last few years. Shell Oil Co. has developed and market-tested the SmartPump, a robotic refueling system that could fuel from either side of a vehicle, using a three, track overhead gantry, open the fuel door and dispense fuel using the robot’s manipulator. The system also requires a special spring-loaded gas cap for customers to purchase and recognizes vehicle by a transponder located on the vehicle’s dashboard or relative interior. A 3-D camera was used to detect the position of the vehicle in the fuel area using video imaging software. The system was removed from market testing due to reliability and cost issues.

In recent times, vehicles entering a robotic refueling station are generally controlled by humans. Nonetheless, autonomous driving utilizing prescriptive or predictive analytics would leave human drivers redundant and make driving even more reasonable and safer operations. With the advent of autonomous vehicles, the vehicle would be directed by humans to enter a fuelling station. However, with the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with autonomous driving will extend beyond independent drive, and it will also aid in autonomous ongoing refueling operations, which will decipher the current issue of manually instructing the car for refueling and negate the need for human intervention.