The big tanker truck rolls into my local gas station; the driver connects the huge hose and the gas pumps into the underground tank. Are there embedded (soldered-in) microprosessor chips that go into action when I start pumping gas into my car? Do they also "report" how much is needed to refill? Will the concrete over that underground tank have to be ripped up, for someone to get at the embedded chips and re-program them? Should I ask my local BP station manager about this?

-- Holly Allen (Holly3325@juno.com), August 03, 1998

Answers

I don't think so. Besides I'm sure the station manager wouldn't know anything.

Just because there is an embedded system in a machine does not mean that it has a Y2K problem. Microprocessors are used in many applications where dates are not even part of the program.

-- Buddy Y. (buddy@bellatlantic.net), August 03, 1998.

Rather than embedded chips being a problem at the gas pump, I suspect that lack of electricity and gas deliveries would be more likely to cause disruptions. Underground tanks contain no chips that I am aware of, hence the long wooden stick used to check the level of fuel remaining in the tank.

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), August 04, 1998.

Holly,

Certain pumps have been found not to be compliant. The status of individual pumps is provided by the manufacturers. I have heard that some gas stations do not have a manual pumping system but this is not confirmed. I would think that they would have manual pumps for safety reasons.

-- Incognito (Mountain@dew.com), August 04, 1998.