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A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar, gas station (U.S.), petrol bunk (India), petrol pump, petrol garage, Petrol Station (United Kingdom) or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold today are petrol (known also as gasoline or gas in the U.S. and Canada, while "petrol" is also known in Canada), diesel fuel and electrical energy. Filling stations that only sell electrical energy are also known as charging stations. Fuel dispensers are used to pump petrol/gasoline, diesel, CNG, CGH2, HCNG, LPG, LH2, ethanol fuel, biofuels like biodiesel, kerosene, or other types of fuel into vehicles and calculate the financial cost of the fuel transferred to the vehicle. Fuel dispensers are also known as bowsers (in some parts of Australia), petrol pumps (in Commonwealth countries) or gas pumps (in North America). Many filling stations also combine small convenience stores, and some also sell propane or butane and have added shops to their primary business. Conversely, some chain stores, such as supermarkets, discount superstores, warehouse clubs, or traditional convenience stores, have provided filling stations on the premises 
The still-operating Skovshoved Filling Station from 1935 in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by Arne Jacobsen 
Filling station and garage, Pie Town, New Mexico, USA 1940 Most filling stations are built in a similar manner, with most of the fueling installation underground, pump machines in the forecourt and a point of service inside a building. Single or multiple fuel tanks are usually deployed underground. Local regulations and environmental concerns may require a different method, with some stations storing their fuel in container tanks, entrenched surface tanks or unprotected fuel tanks deployed on the surface. Fuel is usually offloaded from a tanker truck into the tanks through a separate valve, located on the filling station’s perimeter. Fuel from the tanks travels to the dispenser pumps through underground pipes. For every fuel tank, direct access must be available at all times. Most tanks can be accessed through a service canal directly from the forecourt. 
A Shell gas station near Lost Hills, California, USA 
A small independent filling station in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. Stations like these in the United Kingdom are becoming rarer.
Some countries have only one brand of petrol station. In Mexico, where the oil industry is state-owned and prices are regulated, the country’s main operator of petrol stations is Pemex. In Malaysia, Shell is the dominant player by number of stations with government owned Petronas coming in second. Some companies, such as Shell, use their brand worldwide, however, Chevron uses its inherited brand Caltex in Asia Pacific, Australia and Africa, and its Texaco brand in Europe and Latin America. ExxonMobil uses its Exxon and Mobil brands but is still known as Esso (the forerunner company name, Standard Oil - S. O.) in many places. In Brazil, the main operator is Petrobras but Esso, Ipiranga, Texaco and From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Petrol Stations |
