What's the news?
So, let's assume for a moment that you're stinking rich and have just purchased a Bentley. You're most likely a Premiership footballer, or perhaps a hedge fund manager or maybe dear old dad has just popped his clogs and left you the family mansion and the mooring rights in Monaco. Whatever, you're simply not going to want to mix it with the great (and sometimes literally) unwashed down the local petrol station, dodging the stale sandwiches and 2-for-1 deals on Hula Hoops. But how, in that case, are you going to get fuel into your Bentley, which you'll need to because 25mpg is a best-case scenario.
Well, Bentley has a possible solution. The maker of gorgeous and powerful British luxury cars has teamed up with a US app-based company called Filld Together they have created the Filld for Bentley app which allows owners in California to sign up for a trial run of the system. Simply log into the app on your (gold-plated?) smartphone and order a tank of juice and it will be delivered to you. The app can communicate with the car's on board electronics so it can pop the fuel filler flap without unlocking the rest of the car. The attendant will arrive with a van full of fuel, pump it into your car, relock the flap and you're all juiced up without a loyalty card nor selection of freshly baked donuts in sight.
Bentley's Director of Product and Marketing, Christophe Georges, said: "Bentley ownership is about more than just the vehicle - it's the entire luxury experience. We are continuously investigating ways in which to offer our customers tailored, convenient, smart services that afford them the greatest luxury of all: more time. Our Connected Car strategy will continue to expand and innovate in order to further enhance the Bentley lifestyle."
Cofounder and CTO of Filld, Christopher Aubuchon, added: "Filld and Bentley share a vision for leveraging powerful connected car technology - to one day eliminate the need for customers to refuel their cars themselves, removing inconvenience, and giving them more of their valuable time back."
One question - how will you manage to buy flowers for your significant other if you're not stopping at petrol stations anymore?