HIGHLIGHTS
- A photo of an advisory apparently issued by Indian Oil is being widely shared.
- The advisory warns people about possible explosion of vehicles on filling fuel tanks to the brim in summer.
- The notice in Hindi advises people to leave space for air in the fuel tank.
CLAIM
An image of an advisory attributed to Indian Oil, warning people about possible explosion in fuel tanks of vehicles on filling fuel to the brim in summer, is being widely shared on WhatsApp.
The photo is of an advisory with Indian Oil’s branding and text in Hindi. The content warns people about possible vehicle explosion in case they choose to fill the fuel tanks to the maximum possible limit in summer and directs them to open the fuel tank once during the day to ‘let the gas escape’.
Here is the photo:
The rumour that fuel inside a vehicle’s fuel tank will self-ignite and explode has been doing the rounds on the internet for years now.
TRUTH
The advisory, made to appear as if it is from Indian Oil, is a fake. The claims made in the advisory are baseless.
Indian Oil, on June 10, 2018, tweeted clarifying that the company did not issue any such advisory. In the announcement, Indian Oil said, “There are rumors in social media that IndianOil has given a warning to the following effect: Due to increase in temperature please don’t fill petrol to the maximum limit of the tank; it will cause an explosion in the fuel tank. If you want petrol, fill half tank and leave the rest for air (sic).”
“Indian Oil would like to disown this statement and clarify as follows: Automobile manufacturer design their vehicles considering all aspects pf performance requirements, claims and ambient conditions with built-in safety factors. The maximum volume specified in the fuel tank for petrol/diesel vehicles is no exception. It is, therefore, perfectly safe to fill the fuel in vehicles up to the full limit (max.) as specified by the manufacturer irrespective of winter or summers (sic).”
Important announcement from #IndianOil. @PetroleumMin @dpradhanbjp @ChairmanIOCL @AshutoshJindalS @RK_Mohapatra pic.twitter.com/v2ZSgruJm2
— Indian Oil Corp Ltd (@IndianOilcl) 10 June 2018
A simple search on Twitter using keyword “@IndianOilCl: rumour” will lead you to the clarification the company tweeted last year.
Self-ignition / autoignition temperature of petrol and diesel, that is, the lowest temperature at which petrol and diesel will be vapourised into a gas which ignites without the help of any external flame or ignition source, is 246 degree Celsius and and 210 degree Celsius respectively. This is way above the highest temperatures recorded in any part of India. Vehicles come up with a fuel tank pressure sensor as part of the Evaporative Emissions System (EVAP) which reads the pressure in the fuel system and detects evaporative leaks.
VERDICT
Times Fact Check found that Indian Oil has not issued any advisory warning people about possible vehicle explosions in case they fill their fuel tanks to the maximum limit in summer. The advisory, made to appear as if it’s from the company, that is being shared widely, is a fake.
