Since the creation of the automobile, there have been many changes to many different systems that help them to run. This has made them more efficient and safer to operate, as well as made them more widely available to a good portion of the population. One thing you may not have thought about evolving is the use of gas caps. Believe it or not, they haven’t always been the way they look today. Here is some information about their history.
Automobiles were first produced in 1970, and at the time the “caps” used to keep the fuel in these automobiles were simple plugs. They still served their purpose of keeping contaminants from getting into the tank. Some caps were made of metal and had vent holes so that the pressure inside and outside the tank was kept equal as the fuel was used. However, the design became important to evolve due to concerns about safety and with the environment. For safety purposes, the idea was to keep the fuel inside the tank so that there was less risk of fire danger. The environmental concerns were similarly with keeping gas in the tank, as well as reducing fuel vapors escaping the tanks and causing air pollution.
Gas caps evolved significantly over the next few decades, later being designed to keep their seal on the tank even if they were broken. There were many different tests done to make sure that these caps would stay intact during a variety of situations including crashes. In the mid-90s, regulations became stricter to reduce evaporative loss of the fuel to the atmosphere.
One interesting change that was made to the caps was the Prevent cap. When the weather was hot, pressure would build up in the fuel tanks and could spray out when the caps were opened. The Prevent caps allowed this pressure to release gradually during the opening of the cap to prevent this from happening.
The locking cap has been another great development, helping to reduce the likelihood of people siphoning gas out of your tank. There have been other changes to them over the years, as well. Now, you hardly think about that item that makes sure all of your fuel stays where it belongs and stays relatively clean, and many people take for granted how far this simple invention has come. With the evolution of gas caps, the environment as well as the drivers of these vehicles can now be safe. For more details, visit the website.
