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Yoshi (YC S16) launches “set it and forget it” vehicle re-fueling service in SF

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Re: Yoshi (YC S16) launches “set it and forget it” vehicle re-fueling service in SF

#3

Post by danhak »

I've never owned a car in a city as dense as SF or New York so maybe it's different in places like that, but this strikes me as yet another example of the "Uber-For-X" SV startup that doesn't solve any real problem. Stopping by the gas station once a week on my way home is simply not a big enough annoyance for me to subscribe to yet another service.

I'm also skeptical of the long-term prospects of this business model based on the rise of transportation-as-a-service and the inevitable demise of gasoline in favor of EV's. Both of those factors will be especially pronounced in the Bay Area, where this startup hopes to gain a foothold.

Re: Yoshi (YC S16) launches “set it and forget it” vehicle re-fueling service in SF

#4

Post by Alupis »

> The company has engineered its own gas delivery trucks with a proprietary system, called the Fuel Vault, which allows Yoshi to access any car’s tank, even if the gas flap is locked

I'd like to know what a glamorized fuel cell has to do with somehow circumventing the lock on many gas caps.

I imagine it's some sort of tool that somehow defeats the locks on such gas caps and flaps, which poses interesting questions about legality (as they acknowledge in the post). I certainly would not signup for a service that risks breaking or damaging my vehicle, nor am I about to hand over keys to my vehicle either.

How large of a market is there for this really? Frankly, is this a problem really needing solving? This company must charge a premium for the service, which makes your fillups cost more than if you just spent the 2 minutes it takes to pump your own gas.

Re: Yoshi (YC S16) launches “set it and forget it” vehicle re-fueling service in SF

#5

Post by cdibona »

trevorcreech wrote: post #2

"... allows Yoshi to access any car’s tank, even if the gas flap is locked." Very curious how this works.

Crowbar. It's super high tech. Seriously though, I'd like to know too. everything I can think of is either expensive/time consuming (syncing generic new wireless keys, copying physical keys), potentially damaging to the car, or require the provisioning of something that you leave plugged into the obd-2 port. That latter one you could do with 15$ in parts and a cavalier disregard for the cars security, so that could be it?

Re: Yoshi (YC S16) launches “set it and forget it” vehicle re-fueling service in SF

#8

Post by physcab »

I've seen Booster Fuels trucks around at a company I used to work at. To me this makes the most sense as a perk offered by a company not in a major city, that has huge parking lots of cars. I used to commute to Santa Clara 3x a week from SF and needed to re-fuel every week. If the company offered the service as a perk with me just paying for gas, that would be pretty convenient no-brainer.
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