Apple Watch, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus users to pay for fuel with devices
Paying for your fuel could soon become much easier if Apple has its way. Beginning from this year, if you happen to be filling up at a Chevron station, you can choose to purchase your fuel using Apple Pay.
The move was recently confirmed by Chevron who tweeted: ‘We are working alongside Apple to develop solutions to integrate with Apple Pay at the pump by early 2015.’
The California-based energy firm, however, did not mention when exactly its roll out of Apple Pay would be taking place.
Chevron has so far supported Apple Pay in its convenience stores and under its Texaco brand since the launch of the mobile payment platform in October.
This year, Apple Pay is expected will be available on the Apple Watch as well as the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
The service works by holding the phone up to a card reader and pressing a finger on the TouchID button.
Article 115 of the General Traffic Regulations prohibits “keeping the engine, lights, as well as electrical systems such as the radio or devices that emit electromagnetic radiation turned on.”
But mobile phones are low-power radiofrequency transmitters (between 450 and 2700 MHz), with a peak power value that ranges between 0.1 and 2 watts, according to Telefonica. Because these devices use a tiny amount of energy, the company said that it was unlikely it would trigger an explosion unless it had a defective battery.
BP, however, claimed that if you drop your mobile phone, a spark can be produced when the batteries are knocked loose. This could be hazardous because of the flammable vapours produced by petrol products.
The United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association (UKPI) also said mobile phone are dangerous at a petrol station as they can distract a driver.
It said: “Mobile phones are not designed and certified for use in explosive atmospheres which exist temporarily around the pump and nozzle during refuelling as well as around the fill and vent pipes during petrol deliveries.
“Whilst the risk of incendive sparking from mobile phones is low, they are not intrinsically safe devices and should not be used in those hazardous areas that exist on a forecourt.”
This confirmed the person’s identity, and the payment will be made as if the user had presented and signed their card. All details are encrypted and the system stores payment information securely.
If an iPhone is lost, users can suspend all payments via the Find my iPhone service.
There remains, however, some debate over whether the use of mobile phone is safe on a petrol station forecourt.
When Apple Pay launched in the US last year, the tech firm was tight-lipped about when the service would roll out to other regions. But a recent job listing inadvertently let slip the service is on its way to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, India and Africa.
The listing, first spotted by iClarified, has since been taken down, suggesting either the position has been filled, or Apple wasn’t ready to make the announcement.
Apple boss Tim Cook announced Apple Pay at the launch event for the firm’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September.