It seems like there are more cars that have the gas cap on the driver's side. I can prove it every time I go to the gas station and either wait in line for five minutes or do a lot of maneuvering for an empty pump.
Why not have a hose that can be used on either side of the car. I envision an overhead slide attached to the roof of the gas station. The slide would extend from the gas pump island over 10 feet. Attached to the slide is a retractable hose reel. The hose could either be dropped down manually or through instructions at the pump. You could gas up your car from the left or right.
I'm amazed that I have not seen this problems solved before by the gas stations. Price and convenience are critical in the business. The gas stations do not have a whole lot of room on price.
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Here in New England, gas pumps used to have hoses that were long enough to reach over the top of a car, so you could pull up to either side of the pump. Around 1992, when they installed the vapor recovery systems, they made the hoses too short for this. Do you really have to have a short hose when you use a vapor recovery system? Gas stations have nothing to gain and a lot to lose by having shorter hoses. So why did they go along with this?
Brilliant! I've actually passed up gas stations because I couldn't even get a spot to wait for 'my side.' I see this designed almost like a self-serve car wash sprayer, where the hose would be able to fall straight down from either side (don't want to scratch my car).
Some chains use 'high mount' hoses that come from overhead and can reach across most cars. Replacing existing hoses with longer hoses is to open them up to being run over and damaged.
The big problem I see with overhead hoses would be the dangers of the gas running through the longer, exposed and potentially leaking pipes where wind, lightning, and other forces can act on them.
Or...have the car companies develop DUAL-sided gas fill-up points on their cars. Again, it wouldn't matter which side of the pump you pulled up to. I guess it depends upon who wants to foot the cost for either gas pumping idea. You're correct, its a pain to A) remember which stinkin' side of the car has the gas cap (if you have two cars that have opposite side gas caps) and B) the ridiculous manuevering at the pump is sill and dangerous in crowded gas stations. Your idea is like car wash overhead wands, a great idea for gas.
The two vehicles I drive most often have filler caps on opposite sides. Yes, it's a nuisance remembering which side it's on. If you have problems remembering which side of the car the filler is on, tape a note to the dash. Yes, I do that.
I also recall gas pump hoses being long enough to reach the opposite side of the car.
An alternative would be to mount the filler tube in the middle of the vehicle, as the old 1960s Mustangs did (just below the trunk lid). On the other hand, this might cause the vehicle to be more prone to fire in the event of a rear-end collision- in fact, those old Mustangs do have a history of fuel tank explosions.
This can not be done. Weights and Measures only allows a set volume of fuel to be trapped in the system, that way the octane grade you pay for is not diluted. Longer hose would violate this.