Diesel Key earns Thatcham TQA
On the 25th November 2009 Thatcham announced certification of a device to prevent the mis-fuelling of diesel vehicles. Mis-fuelling is a growing problem in the UK and is estimated to costs British motorists over £800million per year in repair bills. According to research from The AA, over 150,000 cars are filled with the wrong fuel every year equating to more than 400 cars a day.
Tullman Design’s ‘Diesel Key’ is the first product of its kind or purpose to successfully gain TQA (Thatcham Quality Accreditation), having met the exacting standards of safety and usability established by the insurers’ research centre, as well as the stringent requirements for robust and repeatable manufacturing required by the rules of TQA.
The ‘Diesel Key’ device, which replaces the existing fuel cap, provides an addition to the filler neck designed to prevent the insertion of an unleaded fuel nozzle. In testing the device proved successful in line with Thatcham’s robust criteria.
Initially, the product was proven to meet the established overturn test criteria for fuel systems in 70/221/EEC section 6.2 which verifies that the product would prevent excessive fluid leakage should the tank be overturned. The product was then subjected to severe life cycle testing including vibration, temperature cycling and refuel process cycling, followed by further simulated overturn testing to ensure the basic 70/221/EEC requirements would still be met after an estimated 10 year life cycle.
The product was also evaluated by engineers in a real world refilling scenario using multiple vehicles and multiple filling stations to ensure that the product was of high quality, easy to use and fit for purpose.
Dean Lander Thatcham’s accreditation manager stated “Mis-fuelling is a major issue for consumers and fleet operators, the result of which can be very expensive and time consuming. Our criterion has been developed following a great deal of research in to this area and I am extremely pleased that a device has finally been proven to meet our high standards. This is the first device of its kind in the market to have met the requirement and prove itself to be safe, fit for purpose and useable through compliance with our criteria.”
Paul Sleeman, Product Designer and Managing Director of Tullman Design, said, " With over 2 years of development at a cost of nearly 1 million pounds, I am delighted to say we have the "worlds first" fully certified aftermarket misfuelling prevention device that has been through the most stringent testing available. We have had some difficult times throughout the extensive testing period and had to respond rapidly on occasions. This testing has been invaluable in allowing us to identify areas which we have been able to improve - making the product more robust.
The challenge to meet the technical criterion as well as the conformity of production demands was only made possible in partnership with our chosen manufacturers Formaplex who's speed and commitment to this project has been incredible. It is quite humbling seeing your small product being produced, by a world class 1st tier manufacturer, alongside components for McLaren, Bentley, Aston Martin and most F1 teams.
Thatcham have been firm but fair, giving continuous communication and support throughout the testing period, the direct result being the product is much improved and can be fitted with confidence.
