SAN FRANCISCO -- Some luxury car owners can now enjoy a new perk through their vehicle manufacturer: gasoline delivery on demand.
Both Volvo and Bentley are partnering with Filld Inc., an on-demand fueling provider that operates in the San Francisco Bay area.
Volvo is piloting a new program, Volvo Concierge Services, which has integrated with the Filld platform so that select owners in the San Francisco area can order a fill-up from their smartphone. Customers place their order through the Volvo Concierge app, which communicates directly with the Filld platform to determine the best time and route for the Filld driver to locate the car. The Filld driver would also be able to unlock and open the Volvo’s gas flap upon arrival. Vehicle owners can track their fueling orders through their smartphone.
"Volvo Concierge Services will mean that you never have to stand out in the rain to fill your car again," said Lex Kerssemakers, president and CEO of Volvo Car USA. "At Volvo Cars our mission is to make life less complicated, and this is a great example of how in-car technology can be used to deliver this."
"Our vision is to bring back the magic of driving by merging connected-car technology with an automated fuel delivery service—saving consumers time, money and the hassle of refueling their cars," said Michael Buhr, president and CEO of Filld, Mountain View, Calif. “Thanks to Volvo's dedication to creating quality driver experiences, we are a step closer to achieving our goal.”
Meanwhile, Bentley Motors signed a partnership with Filld in October to provide fill-ups for its customers. The partnership involved both hardware and software development to make the service effortless. Bentley owners can order a fill-up on their smartphone through a Filld for Bentley app. There is also the ability for automated deliveries. Here, Filld receives a signal when the fuel tank of a vehicle participating in the program falls to one-quarter full, and places a fuel delivery to the car in its queue. The Filld driver can locate the car and unlock and open its gas flap. The service is currently available to select Bentley owners in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley markets.
Filld’s commercially licensed drivers transport gasoline in Department of Transportation-certified trucks. The service provider says it matches the lowest price of the three nearest gas stations to the customer’s car. Customers also pay a small delivery fee for the fill-up, typically $3 to $5, depending on the time and location of the delivery.
"For our clients, time is money—and stopping to buy gas is one of their biggest nuisances," Paul Jones, director of product management for Bentley, told The Street. "Our owners aren't necessarily concerned with how much gas costs.”
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