A claim has been made regarding how much fuel should be added to a vehicle’s tank in light of Pakistan’s sweltering summers and escalating oil prices.
According to a viral photograph credited to Pakistan State Oil (PSO), motorists should not fill their gas tanks to capacity due to rising temperatures, as doing so could cause an explosion. Drivers can fill their tanks halfway and leave the remaining space for air.
In contrast, there has been no official statement from the oil company about this matter; however, a similar image went viral years ago when PSO clarified that filling fuel tanks to capacity poses no risk to vehicles or passengers.
In 2018, the statement was made after a Whatsapp message went viral online. In light of rising temperatures, the message incorrectly claimed that PSO had advised against filling gas tanks to capacity.
According to the PSO statement, the auto-igniting temperature of gasoline is far greater than Pakistan’s hottest summer temperatures. Filling a gasoline tank to its fullest capacity causes no risk to the vehicle or its occupants and is regarded as completely safe and beneficial to the vehicle’s performance.
In addition, the notion that filling the gas tank to capacity will trigger an explosion defies logical sense.
This is due to the fact that the auto-ignition temperature for gasoline is 495°F (257°C), which is the lowest temperature required to ignite a gas or vapour in air without a spark or flame. The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.7°C (134°F), measured at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California, United States, on July 10, 1913.