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Comment by HPsquared | Hacker News Reader

People can only fill their tank, so it's self-limiting.

People tend to find creative ways around this. Jerrycans have been used to carry additional fuel for example.

What do you mean by that? They can fill jerry cans or siphon out fuel at home

More generally, people have limited capacity by how many fuel containers they own. I don't think there is a massive supply of unused jerry cans anywhere, and and in any case it would take several cans to equal a single car tank.

Have a buddy with multiple 50 gallon "drums" he fills up with gas anytime he even suspects that gas price is going to go up.

Sounds like a lot of work to maybe save $50, but hey... mostly fun and games (unless you barn catches fire).

Of course some buyers are bigger than others but even your friend (unusual as he is) only has so many drums.

Mm. A Facebook friend in the UK just reported a petrol tout to the police for storing more than 15 litres without a licence.

Depends on where you live. Farmers in the US typically have around 8000 liters petro on their farm in various grades. They have a contract with a local company to keep those tanks full of whatever the correct fuel for the current season is. When it is a long way to town and many vehicles never go to town having your own private fuel station starts to make sense.

They also dye diesel, the dye shows no tax was paid so you get in poo-poo if you try to drive on public roads with it

https://www.ricochetfuel.com/blog/dyed-diesel-fuel-vs-regula...

Farmers tend to have more than one grade of fuel. dyed diesel is the most common grade because there is no road tax. Farmers that aren't close to town (most of them) are likely to have undyed diesel for their trucks as well. Gasoline is somewhat common - though gasoline tractors went out of style around 1960, sometimes there is a car that never goes to town, lawnmowers, ATVs... It depends on the farm what they keep on hand.

This story is about the UK, and in the UK everyone is close to town by American standards. Heck, the tiny rural nowhere I rented for 5 months after Uni was still… huh, Google says 4.4 miles from the University itself.

By UK standards, it was the middle of nowhere.

Gasoline has a shelf life also, particularly modern gasoline blended with ethanol and other additives. Ever had trouble using last year's gasoline in the lawn mower the following spring?

Diesel generally stores better, but it can have problems with algae growth.

Apparently the new stuff only lasts around 30 days before it’s useless.

Well, you can put $1 of stabilizer in and have it last for at least a year.

You can only store 30 litres of fuel at home.

> You can store up to 30 litres of petrol at home or at non-workplace premises without informing your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority (PEA).

https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/petrol-storage-club-...

So what happens when that person brings the 31st litre of fuel home? It instantly disappears? Or maybe people will do it despite the law.

In most states in the US its illegal to put gasoline in improper containers. This hasn't stop people from putting them into trash bins and plastic bags in fuel crunches in the US.

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