The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution has issued a new circular advising vehicle owners not to completely fill their fuel tanks.

According to the Ministry’s circular, the Legal Metrology Division received complaints from Petroleum Dealer Associations about incorrect tank capacity listed in service manuals for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The fuel tank capacity stated in the booklets is said to be 15 – 20% less than the actual volume.

The reasons for the extra spare volume include some security measures, such as – preventing Volatile Organic Compounds from being leaked in the event of volume expansion, underground tanks at fuel pumps have lower temperatures than the atmosphere Gasoline requires space for vapor creation, and if this space is not provided, engine performance will suffer. Unburned fuel will also cause excessive hydrocarbon pollution.

If a vehicle is fully loaded and parked on an inclining or declining surface, there may be leakage, which can be dangerous because fuel is a highly flammable substance.

The ministry has urged automakers to advise drivers not to fill their petrol tanks to the brim, but rather to keep them within the declared amount.

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