[TorqueAddict]

Hello Everyone!
Hope you and your loved ones are in good health.

Being a Govt. Contractor, my company has developed many Retail Outlets for major petroleum companies in India such as IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, etc. Our company has seen many transformations from time to time in this field.
We recently did 2 major new design projects for IOCL - M/s Centre Half Service Station 2018

and COCO Jungpura 2020
(both located in Delhi).
These 2 ROs are in a long time brought a new look to this whole fuel retail experience.
Our forum contains people from different parts of the country, even outside or our country.
Do share your experience or encounter with any unique or different Petrol Pump.


Thanks.

[WhiteSierra]

Nice designs, they look super cool.

I sometimes wonder, why don't we have 7-Eleven type petrol bunks in India. Like a fuel station with convenience store for food, drinks etc on highways would be cool. I used to fill my own fuel and pay inside the store with my card when I was abroad. Can't Indian fuel stations emulate such methods? It might not be practical in cities due to flowing traffic in petrol bunks, and could also lead to theft and people taking advantage of postpaid system. But this model will be cool on highways. It can also be converted as prepaid with e-wallets and QR codes and UPI payments dominance these days.

There's a petrol bunk in Erramanzil, Hyderabad called Moshin motor needs. When I was a kid, we used to regularly get our vehicles filled up there, even for long distance trips. They used to do quick servicing, quick oil changes, they used to have a convenience store called in & out along with fuel and air, puncture services. Now they too closed the convenience store and other services and are focusing only on fuel. They added Subway though.

Many COCO bunks and normal bunks are also having emergency fluids like engine oils, distill water, coolant, brake oil, etc but self fuel filling service and convenience stores will be cool.

Now with EVs taking over, on highways modernization of petrol pumps should be little different. The property area of fuel / charging station should be huge, with multiple charging points in fuel stations, customers would like to have a decent size AC lounge, clean washrooms, a cafe and a convenience store, along with a small car wash and Air / Nitrogen compressors. Even if it isn't for charging stations, normal fuel bunks can also accommodate the above on highways. I'd call it true modernization instead of only adding aesthetic updates like led lights, new colors and designs.

[TorqueAddict]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Nice designs, they look super cool.

I sometimes wonder, why don't we have 7-Eleven type petrol bunks in India. Like a fuel station with convenience store for food, drinks etc on highways would be cool. I used to fill my own fuel and pay inside the store with my card when I was abroad. Can't Indian fuel stations emulate such methods? It might not be practical in cities due to flowing traffic in petrol bunks, and could also lead to theft and people taking advantage of postpaid system. But this model will be cool on highways. It can also be converted as prepaid with e-wallets and QR codes and UPI payments dominance these days.

There's a petrol bunk in Erramanzil, Hyderabad called Moshin motor needs. When I was a kid, we used to regularly get our vehicles filled up there, even for long distance trips. They used to do quick servicing, quick oil changes, they used to have a convenience store called in & out along with fuel and air, puncture services. Now they too closed the convenience store and other services and are focusing only on fuel. They added Subway though.

Many COCO bunks and normal bunks are also having emergency fluids like engine oils, distill water, coolant, brake oil, etc but self fuel filling service and convenience stores will be cool.

Now with EVs taking over, on highways modernization of petrol pumps should be little different. The property area of fuel / charging station should be huge, with multiple charging points in fuel stations, customers would like to have a decent size AC lounge, clean washrooms, a cafe and a convenience store, along with a small car wash and Air / Nitrogen compressors. Even if it isn't for charging stations, normal fuel bunks can also accommodate the above on highways. I'd call it true modernization instead of only adding aesthetic updates like led lights, new colors and designs.

Cannot say about self service pumps but these petrol pumps do have provisions for EV charger and operational nitrogen as well as regular air at the same time while the car is being fuelled through air dispensers situated next to MPD (fuel dispensers) and portable air dispensers too.

Many highway pumps do have facilities such as driver rest room, driver sleeping and bathing area, truck parking, eatery, etc. Those pumps are called OSTS (by BPCL) and Large Format RO (by IOCL). Only a few of these are currently present as these stations require huge amounts to be incurred and also the extra land for the same.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Nice designs, they look super cool.

I sometimes wonder, why don't we have 7-Eleven type petrol bunks in India. Like a fuel station with convenience store for food, drinks etc on highways would be cool. I used to fill my own fuel and pay inside the store with my card when I was abroad. Can't Indian fuel stations emulate such methods? It might not be practical in cities due to flowing traffic in petrol bunks, and could also lead to theft and people taking advantage of postpaid system.

Such a model exists on many highways such as Mum-Pune expressway.
However, would be great to have such an option in the busier pumps / localities as well.
Breach Candy / Warden Road junction in Mumbai has such a pump - with a noble plus attached and open 24/7. I've visited it multiple times pre-covid - wife / friends go in to pick up random items - whilst l'll be fuelling / checking tyre pressure, etc.

Ideally, in my opinion, it would be best to leave it as independent operations to better manage crowd, but having such a set up to provide such an option would make it the preferred pump amongst others.

[sv97]

Indian Oil COCO Jungpura is my preferred bunk for filling fuel.

Nice work out there on the redesigning.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by TorqueAddict

Attachment 2056625

Superb. I am using this bunk for more than 10 years now. The transformation is superb

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by TorqueAddict

We recently did 2 major new design projects for IOCL.

Wow, what a lovely departure from the existing format. Looks more modern, and spacious. Kudos to the work.

Apart from the design, due to the high volume nature of fuel bunks, I would like to know the materials used and how they would age over time due to the movement of vehicles.

Also, having clean washrooms, and a small packaged snack / tea-coffee counter would be fantastic. Unable to make out from the pictures.

Cheers.

[ach1lles]

Originally Posted by TorqueAddict

Attachment 2056625
These 2 ROs are in a long time brought a new look to this whole fuel retail experience

I noticed it a couple of days ago and remember smiling. Anything that undoes the drab and run-down is welcome in my world. This specially looked great. Well done!
Infact there are a few modern stations in that immediate area.

Do walk us through the design process, the challenges, choices etc.

[hserus]

What needs to be improved in these pumps is beyond modern construction -

1. The very crudely painted signboards (eg the one offering free air for two wheelers in the photo above) should be much more professionally done - though I guess these are erected by the pump owner.

2. Parking areas should be demarcated using lines drawn on the ground, for those who wish to use the convenience store, shop for engine oil etc.

3. Oil change and car wash with a lift (or drive through car wash) facility onsite

4. Convenience store, with a prominent display of lubes / engine oil / filters rather than having a single locked display cabinet with a few ten year old oil cans lying in it.

5. Automated credit card billing including with contactless visa card support for transactions under 2000, integrated into the terminal. The same with Paytm or Amazon Pay integration, each pump in the facility should have its unique QR code that you can scan with your phone and the billing is automatically completed. At the very least, the pump's paytm or other QR code should be displayed at several places. Right now, the paytm sticker is often displayed very far from the actual pumps and sometimes not even within line of sight so that I have to either step out of my car or hand the phone to the pump attendant to scan the QR code.

[TorqueAddict]

Originally Posted by sv97

Indian Oil COCO Jungpura is my preferred bunk for filling fuel.

Nice work out there on the redesigning.

Originally Posted by myavu

Superb. I am using this bunk for more than 10 years now. The transformation is superb

Thank you so much!
Means a lot.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Wow, what a lovely departure from the existing format. Looks more modern, and spacious. Kudos to the work.

Apart from the design, due to the high volume nature of fuel bunks, I would like to know the materials used and how they would age over time due to the movement of vehicles.

Also, having clean washrooms, and a small packaged snack / tea-coffee counter would be fantastic. Unable to make out from the pictures.

Cheers.

The basic structure underneath all the flashy cladding such as the driveway, building, BW, Canopy are made to last.

The driveway usually has a profile of multiple layers of GSB(Granular Sub Base) and WBM(Water Bound Macadam) same as used on highways. This process is tedious and long as it requires mechanical rolling thoroughly after laying every layer but sometimes to speed up the process (like in these 2 Bunks) where there is time constraint, Reinforced Concrete can also do the job. After the base is prepared, concrete paver blocks of grade M40 are laid on a sand bed. These paver blocks are tough and long lasting but these too loose their shine and edge in 5-7 years. That’s when the empanelled contractors for repair and maintenance come into play. These contractors are appointed to carry out day to day small repairs and replacement to keep the property into shape.
Fun Fact - Long back (in the 90s), Petrol pumps used to have Bituminous Driveway but due to difficulties faced in repairing of pipelines and other UG components, it was ultimately thought that pavers are easily to remove and reinstall if any repairs are needed.

Thanks.

[TorqueAddict]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

I noticed it a couple of days ago and remember smiling. Anything that undoes the drab and run-down is welcome in my world. This specially looked great. Well done!
Infact there are a few modern stations in that immediate area.

Do walk us through the design process, the challenges, choices etc.

First of all, some pictures of the WIP





















Sir, there are many agencies that come into play when such a project is commencement or even thought of.
Meinhardt (an engineering MNC) was appointed to design the project.
After all the designs were approved and finalised, detailed drawings were plotted.
Then came the part of execution, this is where my company came into play as were awarded the tender for the same.

Being an existing and running pump, it was difficult to execute the job as front available was very limited and construction of each aspect was to be done one by one as IOCL had decided to keep the sales uninterrupted.

The Process
-So the first job was to provide 2 MPDs at the front side of the Pump so that we could get the rear space for ourselves to start with work.
- After the shifting of the dispensers in front, as per NGT guidelines, the area we were occupying was barricaded and the demolition of existing canopy and building began and the debris was carted away.
- This is the part where the main job starts, now it’s to start the construction of footings for buildings and canopy, while the canopy structure is being fabricated in our workshop. Also, the laying of the UG tanks are started which hold the product.
- After all the UG work has come upto FGL(Finished Ground Level), HDPE pipelines are laid and connected to the tanks as well as the MPDs. Also, all the electrical cables laying and allied works are started as well canopy structure starts erection works.
- At this stage, where there is almost no UG work left, the driveway works are started running parallel with finishing work of building and as well as the roofing and ceiling of the canopy.
- This is the part, where utmost care is required as everything has taken shape and it is time for finishing that the outer world would notice the most. During this part, almost the major works are finished and laying of paver blocks on the driveway has also completed.
- After the previous step, only knick knack jobs are left.

[kamilharis]

Great work TorqueAddict, good to eyes!

For me the benchmark for petrol pumps are SASCO from what I have seen here.

You will have a small workshop for oil change and some quick repairs if any, a well equipped tyre shop, 2-3 ATM machines, 1 supermarket, 1 hotel (or a cafeteria at the least), toilet with bathroom facility , prayer room etc.

Happy to say that here the Saudi government had made these things a mandatory now for all petrol pumps to operate from Q2 of 2020 onwards.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by TorqueAddict

my company has developed many Retail Outlets for major petroleum companies in India

Looks good!

Just curious, does the Govt. or company (IOCL etc.) have any mandates related to sustainability in such projects? Be it rain water harvesting or solar panels. These measures could help the pump in being green.

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

I sometimes wonder, why don't we have 7-Eleven type petrol bunks in India. Like a fuel station with convenience store for food, drinks etc on highways would be cool.

As a kid, I remember several pumps with convenience stores or food outlets: for eg. HP pump had US Pizza and/or Cafe Coffee Day, IOCL had In-and-Out and a flower shop if I remember right. BP had something too, while Reliance and Shell had/have a convenience store. There are a few petrol pump owners/operators on the forum, perhaps they can talk about why these couldn't sustain. Perhaps, patronage or financial viability.

[TorqueAddict]

Originally Posted by kamilharis

Great work TorqueAddict, good to eyes!

For me the benchmark for petrol pumps are SASCO from what I have seen here.

You will have a small workshop for oil change and some quick repairs if any, a well equipped tyre shop, 2-3 ATM machines, 1 supermarket, 1 hotel (or a cafeteria at the least), toilet with bathroom facility , prayer room etc.

Happy to say that here the Saudi government had made these things a mandatory now for all petrol pumps to operate from Q2 of 2020 onwards.

Attachment 2057271

Attachment 2057272

Thank you, Sir!
This Pump looks amazing and is functional too. Hope this concepts make it to oir country as well.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Looks good!

Just curious, does the Govt. or company (IOCL etc.) have any mandates related to sustainability in such projects? Be it rain water harvesting or solar panels. These measures could help the pump in being green.

Yes Sir, they do have norms for solar panels as well as rain water harvesting but I’m sad to say that the dealers just do it to avoid any clearance issues or permit problems, just for namesake.

[landcruiser123]

Nice designs, they do look really nice. I hope there is provision for Electric Charging and possibly Hydrogen storage in the future.

My only wishlist for all local gas station is a simple one:
1. Work a working air station that is properly calibrated. This is such a rarity in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

why don't we have 7-Eleven type petrol bunks in India. Like a fuel station with convenience store for food, drinks etc on highways would be cool. I used to fill my own fuel and pay inside the store with my card when I was abroad. Can't Indian fuel stations emulate such methods? It might not be practical in cities due to flowing traffic in petrol bunks, and could also lead to theft and people taking advantage of postpaid system.

You answered your own question - theft is the reason. Even in the USA, I've had to pay inside the store before filling up. In which part of the US can you fill up and then pay?

Also, having fuel attendants generates jobs. Labour is still cheap in India compared to developing countries. Still, there are a few places in Oregon and New Jersey where local rules mandates that attendants should fill fuel.

But this model will be cool on highways. It can also be converted as prepaid with e-wallets and QR codes and UPI payments dominance these days.

Why bother with all this when there is a man who can handle this? (Pandemic might change a few things though)

Also, I'm sure there's a lot of black money converted to white at fuel stations by processing bogus transactions. (One has to be a local politician/highly influential person to own a fuel station and you know what such people do in our country)

Many COCO bunks and normal bunks are also having emergency fluids like engine oils, distill water, coolant, brake oil, etc but self fuel filling service and convenience stores will be cool.

Even if they did, what would most Indians do with these fluids? A few enthusiasts/cabbies excluded, most Indians are incapable/ignorant to learn working on their own cars. I used to remember that many petrol pumps would sell 2T oil back in the day, but that was out of necessity.

Now with EVs taking over, on highways modernization of petrol pumps should be little different. ... size AC lounge, clean washrooms, a cafe and a convenience store, along with a small car wash and Air / Nitrogen compressors.

If I were in the business, I'd never have an AC lounge as it is wasted space. I'd have a restaurant on the highway side or a small coffee shop in the city.