你要是能上英语的维基百科
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_station上不了，我给你剪贴在下面，凑合看吧。汽油在北美叫gas (gasoline的简写，加油站叫 gas station)。很少在北美听到filling station. 在英国，汽油叫petrol（petroleum的简写）。 不知澳新是用哪一个，大概是petrol。第三段有关于地区用词的解释。
Filling station/Gas station/Service station/Gas pump
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A filling station, fueling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants (润滑油）for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel（柴油）.
Some stations carry specialty fuels such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG，液化石油气), compressed natural gas (CNG，压缩天然气), hydrogen（氢裂物）, biodiesel（生物柴油）, ethanol（乙醇）, or kerosene（煤油）. In recent times filling stations have also begun to sell butane （沼烷气）and added shops to their ‘primary business’（主营业务）, and ‘convenience stores’（便利店） are now a familiar sight alongside pumps（加油泵）.
The term "gas station" is mostly used in the United States and Canada, where petrol is known as "gas" or "gasoline." In some regions of Canada the term "gas bar" is also frequently used. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world the form "petrol station" or "petrol pump" are used. In the United Kingdom the single noun garage is still commonly used, even though the petrol station may have no service/maintenance （维修服务）facilities （设施）which would justify this description. Similarly, in Australia, the term service station ("servo") describes any petrol station. In Japanese English, it is called a "gasoline stand". In Indian English, it's called a Petrol Pump. In some regions of America, filling stations usually have a mechanic on duty, but this is uncommon in other parts of the world.
1 History of filling stations in the United States
2 Types of filling stations in the United States
2.1 Premium brands （高级精品牌）
2.2 Discount brands （经济型）
3 Filling stations outside the United States
4 Features of gas stations in the United States
4.1 Payment methods 付款方式
4.2 Full service vs. self service 全面服务 和 自助服务
4.3 Minimum service vs. full service 简易服务 和 全面服务
4.4 Other goods and services commonly available
5 Price at the pump
5.1 Gasoline prices in North America
5.2 Petrol prices in Europe
5.3 Petrol prices elsewhere
6 Service stations
7 Octane （汽油标号）
"RON" (Research Octane Number研究式标号法) and "MON" (Motor Octane Number动力式标号法)，美国是两种的混合（87，89，91，93），中国引用英制的研究式标号法 （95，97，100；95大约相当美制的87）.
8 Differences in fuel dispensers
9 Risk of accidental ignition
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
History of filling stations in the United States
The first places that sold gasoline were pharmacies, as a side business. In fact of this, the first petrol station was the city pharmacy in Wiesloch, were Bertha Benz refill the tank of the first automobile on the maiden voyage from Mannheim to Pforzheim.[citation needed] Henry Ford's use of mass-production techniques to manufacture automobiles made it possible for consumers to purchase cars at an affordable price. This increase in car ownership resulted in a greater demand for filling stations. The world's first gas station was built in St. Louis, Missouri in 1905 at 412 S. Theresa Avenue[1]. The second gas station was constructed in 1907 by Standard Oil of California (now Chevron) in Seattle, Washington. Reighard's gas station in Altoona, Pennsylvania claims that it dates from 1909 and is the oldest existing gas station in the United States. Early on, they were known to motorists as "filling stations". Standard Oil began erecting roadside signs of their logo to advertise their gas stations.
Types of filling stations in the United States
There are generally two types of filling stations in the US: premium and discount brands.
Premium brands
Filling stations with premium brands sell well-recognized and often international brands of gasoline, including Exxon, Citgo, Chevron, Mobil, Shell, Sinclair, BP, Valero and Texaco. Non-international premium brands include Petrobras, Petro-Canada, ESSO and Pemex. Premium brand stations accept credit cards, often issue their own company cards (a.k.a. fuel cards) and may charge higher prices. These stations have numerous locations and more available pumps. They tend to be more modern and cleaner and tend to have brighter lighting. For ease and convenience, many of them have fully automated pay-at-the-pump facilities. Premium gas stations tend to be highly visible from highway and freeway exits, utilizing tall signs to display their brand logos.
Discount brands
Discount brands are often smaller, regional chains or independent stations, offering lower prices on gasoline. Most purchase wholesale gasoline from independent suppliers or from the major petroleum companies. In some cases, discount brands accept cash only; others may accept credit cards. Often the customer must walk inside the store or up to the window to pay, and obtain a receipt later. Discount stations tend to have few locations and, in some cases, use outdated technology (e.g., non-digital readouts on pumps) and are less well kept than premium stations. Additionally, these discount gas stations are often located well away from highway and freeway exits; many are tucked away in obscure commercial and residential neighborhoods. An exception to these trends is the discount brand ARCO (a division of BP), which maintains a combination of modern and outdated stations.
Examples of discount gas station chains in the USA are Valero, Rotten Robbie, and USA Gasoline. Lower-priced gas stations are also found at some supermarkets (Albertsons, Kroger, Safeway, Vons, Meijer (Detroit area), Loblaws/independent grocer's/Real Canadian Superstore (Canada) and Giant Eagle), convenience stores (7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms), discount stores (Wal-Mart) and warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's). At some stations (such as Vons, Wal-Mart, Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club), consumers are required to hold a special membership card in order to receive the discounted price. Some convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, have co-branded their stations with one of the premium brands.
Filling stations outside the United States
Like many gasoline stands in Japan, this Hiroshima Shell station has hoses that pull down from above.Some countries have only one brand of petrol station. In Mexico, where the oil industry is state-owned and prices are regulated, the country's main operator of petrol stations is called Pemex. In Malaysia, Shell is the dominant player by number of stations with government owned Petronas coming in second; the operator is also moving overseas with the aim of becoming a multinational brand. Most multinational brands such as ExxonMobil and Shell use their brand worldwide, except Chevron which uses its inherited brand Caltex in Asia Pacific, Australia, and Africa, and its Texaco brand in Europe and Latin America. In Brazil, the main operator is Petrobras but Esso, Ipiranga, Texaco and Shell are also big.
Features of gas stations in the United States
Payment methods
A Shell gas station near Lost Hills, CaliforniaIn small towns and rural areas, gas stations sometimes allow customers to pump gas first and pay afterwards. Due to the higher incidence of crime in large urban areas (especially drive-offs), customers must generally pay before pumping fuel.
Modern gas stations have pay-at-the-pump capabilities — in most cases credit, debit, ATM cards and fuel cards are accepted. At some stations, cash is also taken at the pump, although customers must collect their change at a cashier window which is often bullet-proof. Occasionally a station will have a pay-at-the-pump-only period per day, when attendants are not present, often at night, and some stations are pay-at-the-pump-only 24 hours a day.
Full service vs. self service
Map showing the states that do not allow self service gas; New Jersey and Oregon (colored red)Traditionally most United States filling stations have offered a choice between full service — in which an attendant operates the pumps, often checks the vehicle's oil level and tire pressure, and wipes the windshield, then collects payment (and perhaps a small tip) — and self service, in which the customer pumps the gas. Until the 1970s full service was the norm, and self service was rare.
Today, few stations advertise full service, and those that do usually only provide mini service unless a manager is involved. However, full service stations are common in wealthy and upscale areas. The cost of full service is usually assessed as a fixed amount per gallon.
Minimum service vs. full service
A typical Valero gas station in Mountain View, CaliforniaAll stations in New Jersey and Oregon, however, are mini service; attendants are required to pump gas because customers are barred by statutes in both states from pumping their own gas. Both states prohibited self service in the 1940s due to fears that foolish customers would handle gasoline improperly. Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality has also ordered a ban on self-service gasoline due to inexperienced pumpers being a significant source of groundwater and air pollution. Oregon's state fire marshal has also ordered a ban on self-service gasoline. Today, these states enforce the law because of the rapid increase of drive-offs[citation needed], where people fill up their car and drive away without paying for gas. In 1982, Oregon voters rejected a ballot measure sponsored by the service station owners, which would have legalized self-service gas.
There is a widespread belief that mini-serve is more expensive. However, a comparison between gas prices in Portland, Oregon and its suburb of Vancouver, Washington show prices at mini-serve stations in Oregon are on average 3 to 10 cents cheaper than their self-service counterparts in Washington, suggesting the net effect of adding attendants to the price may be small or non-existent. This comparison may be skewed by the difference in state gasoline taxes between Oregon and Washington. Likewise, New Jersey almost always has cheaper gas than its neighbors New York and Pennsylvania; such a difference could be explained by the presence of six refineries that produce 50,000 barrels per day or more of refined petroleum products, or more likely the state's low gas tax, the third lowest in the country behind Alaska and Georgia, at just 14.50 cents per gallon.[1]
The constitutionality of the self-service bans has been challenged. The Oregon statute was challenged in 1989 by ARCO, and the New Jersey statute was challenged in 1950 by a small independent service station, Rein Motors. Both challenges failed. In addition, throughout the rest of the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that the equivalent of "mini-serve" be provided to any individual displaying a disabled parking placard.
In both New Jersey and Oregon, it is legal for customers to pump their own diesel (although not every station permits diesel customers to do so; truck stops typically do). The intent of the Oregon Law is that diesel is not as flammable, and therefore poses less of a hazard to Oregon Citizens.[citation needed]
Other goods and services commonly available
Many gas stations also have convenience stores which sell food, beverages, cigarettes, lottery tickets, motor oil, and sometimes auto parts. Prices for these and other items tend to be higher at convenience stores than they would be at a supermarket or discount store.
In many U.S. states, beer, wine, and liquor are sold in gas stations, though this practice varies according to state law. Nevada allows the sale of beer, wine, liquor, and the operation of slot and video poker machines at gas stations.
Many gas stations also provide squeegees, towels, and toilet facilities for customer use, but a large number of discount gas stations do not provide these amenities. Many gas stations have air compressors with tire gauges and water machines. Some machines are free of charge, while others charge a small fee to use (usually around 50 cents). In many states of the U.S., state law requires that paying customers must be provided with free air compressor service. In most cases, a token provided by the attendant is used in lieu of coins. As late as the 1960s, many service stations in the U.S. provided free maps to customers.
Some gas stations are equipped with car washes. Car washes are sometimes offered free of charge or at a discounted price with a certain amount of gas purchased. Conversely, some car washes operate gas stations to supplement their businesses.
There are a number of gas stations with a fast food outlet inside, such as McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, Sbarro, Taco Bell, or Wendy's. These are usually "express" versions with limited seating and limited menus, though some may be regular-sized and have spacious seating. In Canada, it is common to find a small Tim Hortons outlet inside gas stations.
Price at the pump
Gasoline prices in North America
Pay-at-the-pump gasoline pump in Indiana, United States during the price spike in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.The gasoline market in North America is very competitive. Nearly all filling stations in North America advertise their often-changing prices on large signs outside the stations.
In the United States and Canada, federal, state/provincial and local sales taxes are usually included in the price, although Petro Canada has started to provide a complete tax breakdown on purchase receipts. Gas taxes are often intended to fund transportation projects such as the maintenance of existing roads and construction of new ones.
In the United States, the states of California and Hawaii typically have the highest gasoline prices. while the lowest prices can be found in oil producing states like Oklahoma and Texas. In Canada, prices are typically highest in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, and the lowest in the oil-producing province of Alberta. The provinces of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia have instituted gasoline price regulation. At times, PEI has had the lowest cost of gas in the country but studies have shown that this is due to the provincial sales tax not included in the price.
Price regulation in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia is intended to protect small rural gas stations from low profit margins due to low volume.
Individual gas stations in the United States do not have much control over gasoline prices. The wholesale price of gasoline is determined according to area by oil companies which supply the gasoline, and their prices are largely determined by the world markets for oil. Individual gas stations are unlikely to sell gasoline at a loss, and the margin—typically between 7 and 11 cents a gallon—that they make from gasoline sales is limited by the fact that the market is highly competitive. A gas station which charges significantly more than the wholesale price will lose customers to other gas stations. Because of this, most gas stations sell higher-margin food products inside their convenience stores.
During holiday weekends, when American road travel is at its peak, gas prices tend to soar and then drop again as the holidays come to a close; this is due to a fluctuation in demand. Boycotts against individual gas stations to protest against perceived high gas prices have largely failed.
Even with oil market fluctuations, prices for gasoline in the United States are among the lowest in the industrialized world; this is principally due to a difference in taxes. While the price of gasoline in Europe is more than twice that in the United States, the price of gas excluding taxes is nearly identical in the two areas. Some Canadians and Mexicans, close to the U.S. border, drive into the United States to purchase cheaper gasoline at gas stations in border communities.
Due the heavy fluctuations of gas price in the United States of America, some gas stations offered their customers the option to buy and store gas for future uses, such as like the service provided by First Fuel Bank.
In order to save money, some consumers in the United States and Canada inform each other about low and high prices through the use of gasoline price websites. Such websites allow users to share prices advertised at filling stations with each other by posting them to a central server. Consumers then may check the prices listed in their geographic area in order to select the station with the lowest price available at the time.
Petrol prices in Europe
Old gas pumps from the former Soviet UnionIn European Union (EU) member states, gas prices are much higher than in North America due to higher fuel excise or taxation, although the base price is also higher than in the U.S. The high fuel prices are unpopular (particularly after inflationary or retail increases), and have led to harsh criticism of taxation policy from some quarters. Occasionally there are national protests, although in the UK a large-scale protest in the summer of 2000, known as 'The Fuel Crisis', caused wide-scale havoc not only across the UK, but also in some other EU countries. The British government eventually backed down by indefinitely postponing a planned increase in fuel duty. This was partially reversed during December 2006 when Gordon Brown (UK Chancellor of the Exchequer) raised the fuel duty by 1.25 pence per litre. It is also planned that he will increase UK fuel duty further in March 2007.
[edit] Petrol prices elsewhere
In other energy-importing countries like Japan, petrol costs are higher than in the United States because of fuel transportation costs or taxes. On the other hand, some of the major oil-producing countries such as the Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, and Venezuela provide subsidized petrol at well below market prices. This practice tends to encourage heavy consumption. Hong Kong has some of the highest pump prices in the world, but most customers are given significant discounts as card members.
[edit] Service stations
U.S. service station (1950s)In the U.S., a filling station that also offers services such as oil changes and mechanical repairs to automobiles is called a service station. Until the 1970s, the vast majority of gas stations were service stations; now only a minority are. This kind of business provided the name for the U.S. comic strip Gasoline Alley, where a number of the characters worked.
In the UK, a 'service station' refers to much larger facilities, usually attached to motorways (see Motorway service area (UK)) or major trunk routes, which provide food outlets, large parking areas, and often other services such as hotels, arcade games, and shops in addition to 24-hour fuel supplies and a higher standard of restrooms (UK: toilets). Fuel is typically more expensive from these outlets due to their premium locations. UK service stations do not usually repair automobiles.
In New Zealand, a filling station is often referred to as a service station, garage, or petrol station, even though the filling station may not offer mechanical repairs or assistance with dispensing fuel. Various levels of services are available in New Zealand, including full service, for which assistance in dispensing fuel is offered, as well as offers to check tyre pressure or clean vehicle windscreens. This type of service is becoming uncommon in New Zealand. There is also help service or assisted service, for which customers must request assistance before it is given, and self service, for which no assistance is availab