When fueling aircraft we ground the pump to the plane. Why don't we do that with cars?

Question

When fueling aircraft we ground the pump to the plane. Why don't we do that with cars?

Answer 1

Because the FAA is ridiculously over-the-top with safety-rules.

Answer 2

Technically, we should. But the flow rates, the metals used in the filler system, and the pumps themselves are built to deal with this to some degree. Actually, a lot of pumps warn you not to generate static electricity by getting in and out of the car during refueling, or using a cell phone. When you fill a gas can, the instructions on most pumps say you MUST put the can on the ground while filling. In the future, there will be pumps that fill cars with NO human intervention. They have some in Europe now. Ford and some other makes also are starting to sell cars with capless fuel fillers for this reason, as well as trying to end human contact with this toxic substance. Fuel tankers are grounded in several places.

Answer 3

we do.

your car has a metal filler neck.  the pump has a metal nozzle.  The pump nozzle is wired to the pump.

Answer 4

actually not really necessary in an aircraft either. some risk sure. negligable.

Answer 5

The way I understand it, the propeller can generate a lot of static electricity.

The second reason would be because people are too lazy to ground the car.

Good luck...

Answer 6

The short answer is:  We probably should.

There are dozens of cases every year when static electricity ignites gasoline being pumped into a car.  Usually it happens when someone pumps it straight into a gas can that is sitting in the bed of his truck on the bedliner.  In that case there is nowhere for the static to ground to, and a discharge is possible.  This is not urban legend, I actually watched this happen to a guy.  He survived but got some pretty mean burns.