Let's start with Bertha Benz. She had prepared with the not to be underestimated know how of their sons one of the first prototypes of the tricycle in the morning for travelling from Mannheim to Pforzheim. The three planned the trip apparently without the knowledge of the inventor himself, but ultimately, to push the sluggish sales of the vehicle. That they would make a pharmacy in Wiesloch to the first petrol station in the world thereby, they will perhaps have suspected, when they run out of fuel just before the village.

Pushing the carriage, they got the possibility to 'refuel' almost five litres of ligroin from several bottles, because it was a means for removing stains. Petrol did not yet exist and its name is not based on the inventor of the automobile, but is said to have been derived from benzene or benzoin resin.

For a long time, the mostly male motorist had to accept the trial and error method, because as somewhat regularly to be designated point of sale for petrol were not always immediately recognizable in Germany. In the US, there were petrol stations much earlier, some even referred to as 'Drive in'. In any case these came just in time for the development of the Ford-T and its starting mass production 1913.

Such an early introduction was also not possible in Germany because the few, mostly wealthy motorists did not use their vehicles regularly for constantly recurring trips. The car was a leisure and sports object. 'Sport' meant in this case, less direct races but rather long-haul test over several days. Preferably still under severe conditions, for example, in the Alps.

How should there establish a petrol station infrastructure? Were made larger tours instead of the occasional trips, maps with opportunities for petrol intake were essential. And contained these false or outdated informations, not infrequently arrived an automobile behind horse and cart for fun of the rural population in the next village.

Nevertheless, the gasoline had already all in all an important function, because now the suppliers of petroleum knew a way out of the crisis that had resulted from the loss of oil lamps due to the incipient supply of electricity. About the cartels and the attempts of breaking up, please read on here.

France was actually the first country in Europe with a fairly substantial increase in car sales, perhaps because it had more surface area in relation to its population. But although it is said that there were already 75 carmakers in 1900, there is hardly any information on early first petrol stations. Even England overtook Germany until the First World War with almost three times as high vehicle stock.

In this country, motorists were grouped in clubs and were not afraid to stop at the manufacturer of their product when traveling. Petrol was sold completely outside of the subject area until after mid-century. In the picture above can still be seen a restaurant with tank opportunity from 1942. At the beginning it was more a trade in the backyard or beside the road. Because the tank was usually arranged up front above the possibly hot engine, there were often fires, but usually got off lightly for people due to the mostly open construction of the vehicles.

Until 1930, three main sources of petrol had established themselves:
1. American, British, Dutch and French oil concerns,
2. German processing of coal deposits,
3. Processors e.g. of Romanian oil.

It goes without saying the complete inequality of the three sources, but got growing importance for Nos. 2 and 3 with the later beginning of arming. The ordinary motorists relied on No. 1. Whereby we must not forget that a lot of the cars were steered by at least semi-professionals, as a chauffeur or taxi driver.

If you drive past an Aral petrol station today, then that's still a, albeit stately remnant of the former coal monopoly. For a long time the petrol stations were called BV-Aral. What the abbreviation still means except B enzene Vand and how it is originated, you can very well read here. We, of course, are interested in the term 'benzene', the rather produced suspicion among potential consumers.

From the perspective at the time, there was no reason for suspiciousness as Aral stressed in its advertising. Because benzene gave the engine a higher knock resistance. The octane number of gasoline was initially at only 40, so pure 'pinking water'. Compression and performance are correspondingly low, high the consumption. And instead the knock resistance to increase by (unnatural) lead compounds as with petrol, at Aral was added from coal obtained benzene.

One was running late and had to hurry to catch the competitors. In addition, the amounts obtained as by-products in coke ovens would have been far from enough when using pure benzene. By the way one had an advantage in distribution channels, because one could fall back on the coal dealers, while the competitors had to use various 'depots'. It is supposed that even pharmacies were among them.

So primitive the first experiments may have been, the tank to fill no longer out of canisters. After all, there was a glass container to control the quantity and a tube that could allow the fuel achieve safely into the tank. In United States the opportunity to commit fraud was less. There, the petroleum was already always sent in a large wooden box with two 20-liter cans to the customer, as later then the petrol.

We can not decide whether the first American gas station originated in Pennsylvania in 1905 or in Seattle 1907 or anywhere else in between. In Germany it's easier with the Raschplatz in Hannover in 1922. Incidentally, the first Aral petrol station in the picture above dated from 1930. 11/15