From music to cars
Boris Golikov is a serial startuper. He is the owner of one of the four metropolitan car sharing companies YouDrive. The company rents out per minute rental Smart cars. There are already 200 cars in the fleet, all purchased under a leasing agreement.
Golikov launched YouDrive in Moscow in June 2015, and in the fall of 2016, his smart carsharing service was launched in St. Petersburg. The mobile application for car rental in both cities is used by more than 300 thousand clients. Last year, the businessman attracted a major partner: the Panavto company, official dealer Mercedes Benz, bought 40% of a car sharing company.
Boris Golikov and his partner at Pump.today Andrey Kuprikov earned initial capital in the field of digital music content. Businessmen created the first content store on the Runet, fidel.ru, in 2005; its digital archive then contained 7.75 thousand titles of audiobooks, games, music, and applications for mobile phones. In January 2008, 51% of Fidel's authorized capital was bought by the RBC media holding for $8.5 million - for the Russian media market the transaction was unprecedentedly large at that time. However, the holding soon left the project, and in 2012 the service itself closed - according to information in the media, most of the proceeds went to the copyright holders, and the service itself brought losses.
Another musical project of Golikov, the Tracks Flow service, became famous for the fact that for quite a long time it was suing Warner Music Russia, which accused the service of violating the rights to the works of the singer Maxim. “We filed an appeal in seven instances, and in the end we were found not guilty,” Golikov claims.
Entrepreneur Boris Golikov (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)
Car sharing and gasoline
Several roadside assistance services in Moscow offer refueling for a car that has unexpectedly run out of gas - “Angel”, “Evakuem.ru”, “Uncle Charlie”, etc. But this service is not cheap - you need to buy an annual card or pay about 1.5 thousand rubles. for calling a car. Golikov is counting on a different audience - people who don’t want to waste time stopping at a gas station.
The service is new and non-standard. Therefore, the first clients of Pump.today were the cars of its own car sharing service. According to Boris, such internal collaboration made it possible to solve one of the significant problems. The fact is that car sharing services usually include fuel costs - some companies give drivers fuel cards, others refund gasoline costs. Cards are often lost or blocked, and in order to get cash back, you need to send a photo of the receipt to the car sharing company. “In a word, complete headache for all. That’s how the idea of delivering gasoline directly to cars came about,” says Golikov.
Part of the money invested in the project went to the development of a mobile application - Andrey Kuprikov, a MAI graduate, was responsible for its creation. Programming an algorithm is quite a difficult thing, says Golikov. It was necessary to create a system that would take into account road congestion and organize a queue for refueling.
Most of the investments were spent on purchasing necessary equipment: pumps, gasoline tanks (they are filled at technical gas stations), fire extinguishers and dry fire extinguishing systems. “In the States, gasoline is transported almost on trucks, but we can only use passenger cars“Without a license, you are allowed to transport no more than 300 liters of gasoline and one ton of diesel,” says Boris. To transport fuel, Golikov bought a couple of new Citroen cars.
While the service is working on request: a potential client needs to go to the website, leave his name and number there mobile phone— you will receive an invitation with a link to download the mobile application. Then it starts Personal Area, to which a bank account is linked to pay for gasoline, using a geolocation service, the user indicates the place where his car is parked, and required quantity liters (most often they choose the “up to full tank” option). At the moment the application for refueling is confirmed, 2 thousand rubles are blocked on the client’s account, and after refueling they are immediately returned. The refueling service costs users 200 rubles, the price of gasoline is the same as at gas stations in the center of Moscow.
On the first day, 800 people downloaded the application, but only 2-3 people a day ordered gasoline; now the number of orders has reached 8-9. The average bill is 1,400 rubles.
“Just leave the hatch open so we can refuel your car,” the creators of Pump.today urge. In fact, this point is weakness service. Not all drivers are ready to leave open gas tank car on the street. For doubtful customers, the service suggests calling about ten minutes before the tanker arrives, so that the owner has time to get out and open the hatch.
Fuel by subscription
To reduce the cost of gasoline, Golikov needs to buy fuel directly from the refinery, and for this it is necessary to increase the number of gas stations and customer base, and buy tank trucks for fuel. Now at technical gas stations the discount is only 2-3%, at refineries it can reach up to 10-12% of the average market price.
While Pump.today carries only 92 and 95 gasoline, from the beginning of November they promise 98 and diesel. But there are territorial restrictions - the service only works within the Third Ring Road. The only exception is for b2b clients. The other day Golikov signed an agreement with AnyTime, a competitor in the carsharing market, to refuel their car park. The share of servicing your own car sharing now accounts for about 50% of total sales, the remaining 50% is sold by subscription.
“The subscription model is now the most popular in many areas; it is the most convenient format for users of mobile applications,” says Ksenia Zagoskina, co-founder of the CrocoDie evacuation warning service for motorists. — I think in Russia the guys will develop new market- this is their main advantage. It is already actively developing in the States.”
American investors are eyeing the promising market. In 2015, the Yoshi startup received $120 thousand from the Silicon Valley business incubator Y Combinator.
View from the outside
“It will be difficult to make this product mass-produced”
Ksenia Zagoskina, co-founder of the CrocoDie service:
The service has significant risks. The first is the unfavorable price. Most drivers use bonus programs of gas station networks, thereby reducing the cost of a liter of gasoline. In this service, the price of gasoline is the market price, and taking into account paid delivery it becomes even higher.
It is unsafe to leave the hatch open - there is no guarantee that attackers will not pour something else in there besides gasoline.
Finally, there is no trust that they will fill me with exactly the class of gasoline that I order, or that they will not mix it up, for example, diesel fuel and gasoline.
And most importantly, in my opinion, there is no massive problem with gas stations. I think this application is relevant for those who powerful cars with high fuel consumption, in this case, spending time on refueling is significant; usually people refuel their car once a week. It will be difficult to make this product mass market.
“Road assistance car clubs should not be considered competitors”
Andrey Rukavishnikov, managing partner of the marketing agency EBITDA Marketing:
Pump.today is a service at the level of mobile tire fitting, a very convenient thing. The risk of running out of fuel in the gas tank is a classic case of what can happen to a driver. On this moment this problem does not have a convenient solution, so well done guys for catching this need.
Roadside assistance car clubs like “Angel” should not be considered as direct competitors: they will help only if you have an expensive annual service card, and the cost of one-time assistance is several times higher than the price of gasoline. Comprehensive services- not competitors to focused service.
If the creators intend to continue on the path of maximum customer satisfaction, the next step should be the possibility of refueling different types fuel, otherwise the startup will continue to look solely like a niche story. From a promotion point of view, it makes more sense to use the capabilities of social networks - this is clearly not enough.”
“The service will be interesting”
Ekaterina Zhuravleva, representative of the car sharing company Car5:
The service will be of interest to all companies that do not have their own refueling service. Saving the client's time and saving our refueling costs are the main advantages. And the main risks are abuse of authority and poor quality of services provided by service employees.
“Not everything that works well in California can be transferred to Moscow”
Konstantin Sinyushin, founder of Untitles Ventures:
Any on-demand (upon request. — RBC) services we consider promising direction, but not everything that works well in California can be transferred to Moscow. We have completely different external conditions. For example, heavy metropolitan traffic makes the cost of supplying a gas station over long distances very expensive. Some parking arrangements make it difficult for gas station workers to access vehicles. And open tank caps can provoke street hooliganism.
Ideally, it would be to see among the main consumers not so much car sharing, but car fleets, rental companies and services on a subscription basis. The parking for these cars is more organized and safe than for private individuals.
“The service is unlikely to be of interest”
Marina Nazamutdinova, head of the PR and internal communications department of the OZON.ru online store:
For a company whose fleet, albeit a large one, is operated over short distances, the service is unlikely to be of interest. And this is the risk of the project.
OZON.ru has its own fleet of 67 cars in Moscow alone, but the Pump.today service is irrelevant for us. Our couriers work within one area or even part of the area, and refuel themselves at the nearest gas stations. Even if there are a lot of orders, the cars still don’t travel far, their route is the next house, a parallel street. Therefore, the services in our case can only be of an ambulance nature - if the courier suddenly runs out of gas.
“The main thing for us is that the machines are always ready for use”
Yulia Beimler, managing director of the AnyTime car sharing company:
Pump.today is a competitive service and a great help to car sharing companies. We have already begun to cooperate: at the end of October, our fleet will be refueled using the new service.
The main thing for us is that all our machines are always ready for use. And in this sense, Pump.today will help us make our service more convenient for customers. Other advantages of the project include: fast receipt us the relevant documentation. In addition to Pump.today for refueling, we involve two more companies involved in fuel cards, but there is no talk of competition.
A mobile gas station undoubtedly has many advantages. Situations often occur when it is necessary to refuel motor vehicle right at the place of work. As a rule, such situations arise at construction sites located outside the area where stationary gas stations are located.
Application of mobile gas stations
Thus, it is clear that this station can be used anywhere in its installation. Powering a mobile gas station can be carried out with ease at powers such as twelve and two hundred and twenty volts. The volumetric dimensions of a mobile gas station can vary in different ranges, it all depends on the model of the station itself and its volume can be from three to fifteen cubic meters.
The main objects and places where a mobile gas station is most often used are, as a rule, field work in agricultural activities, construction works and road repairs, as well as many other similar objects.
"In this article I will consider certain aspects
selection, configuration, installation,
operation and features
container mobile or mini gas stations"
Kolesnikov M.V.
What is a container or mobile gas station?
In 2012 the car gas stations were removed from the control of Rostechnadzor, which fundamentally changed the possibility of operating all types of gas stations.
At the moment, the principle of construction and operation of container gas stations is regulated only by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but with one caveat, if the gas station is not located on the territory of a hazardous production facility (Rostechnadzor is additionally involved here). Only the Ministry of Emergency Situations classifies different kinds stations in their main documents NPB 111-98 and in the set of rules “Car filling stations. Requirements fire safety" dated July 1, 2014
There are currently many products on the market that have different names, but essentially perform the same functions. These include: container gas stations, mobile gas stations, fuel modules, fuel refueling modules, etc. The Ministry of Emergency Situations subdivides and unites them as container gas stations (KAZS), namely: “A container gas station is a gas station, the technological system of which is designed to refuel vehicles only with liquid motor fuel and is characterized ground location tanks and the placement of fuel dispensers in a container for storing fuel, made as a single factory product." And I want to decipher this classification: a container gas station does not have to look like something located in a container and at the same time be called a container gas station, the main thing is that it must be a single factory product A container gas station is both an open ground tank with a built-in technological compartment for a fuel dispenser, which collectively means a fuel storage tank, and a tank built into a container, called a “fuel module” - all these are container gas stations. It doesn’t matter how they are designed and called. It is important that they appear as a single product.
Any design that meets these parameters and has all the necessary certificates for a single factory product must and will be classified by fire inspectors as a container gas station and nothing else. Only the customer can choose, based on the factors of further operation, how the gas station should look: sewn into a “container” or remain with an open tank (norms do not regulate this). Calling such a gas station “Mini gas station” is not entirely correct, because among specialists in this industry, “Mini gas station” is the name given to an ordinary traditional gas station with one filling island and a compact canopy. It would be more correct to formulate small stations as “Mini container gas stations”, and leave the name “Mini gas stations” for traditional compact gas stations.
Design Features
Single wall or double wall tank
In accordance with the rules of the Ministry of Emergency Situations approved in the Russian Federation, the possibility of operating a filling station with a single-wall tank is very limited. Such a gas station can only be operated outside settlement, a single capacity should not exceed 10 m3. It is necessary to build a tray under the gas station that can accommodate the volume of possible spillage of the entire fuel gas station, which in itself will be quite expensive and reduces the possibility of mobile transfer of the gas station to another location, since it will be necessary to build a new pallet. For a calm and comfortable operation KAZS has no alternative to a double-walled tank.
Equipment
The filling station must have its own pump for receiving fuel from a fuel tanker with automatic shutdown when filling the tank (it is prohibited to pump fuel into the filling station using a fuel tanker pump). A system for monitoring the inter-wall space of the tank with warning of depressurization is required. Technological compartments must be fenced off from the tank by a non-flammable (metal) partition of the first type.
To refuel your car, you need to drive to a gas station. How can you do this if there is no fuel? And even if there is? At least once a week, each car owner spends up to an hour of personal time refueling his steel pet. And this is in the 21st century, when electric cars are already conquering outer space! Perhaps an English startup will soon change this injustice, but this is not certain.
Arriving at a gas station to refuel a car, we are faced with a series of waits and many small actions. Queue to the fuel pump; standing in line at the cash register; We wait until the required amount of fuel enters the tank. And this happens all the time as long as we own the car.
“Everyone who doesn’t have a car dreams of buying one. Everyone who has a car dreams of selling it. And he doesn’t do this only because if he sells it, he will be left without a car. » It was said in the famous comedy film “Beware of the Car”. And in some ways the filmmakers are right. A car gives us significant time savings and freedom of movement, but its maintenance takes up almost all our free time. Where, one wonders, is justice?
Startup company " Zebra Fuel", located in London (England), offers all car owners of the city unheard of convenience in refueling their steel horse. Anyone who downloads the Zebra Fuel application has the opportunity to order fuel delivery directly to their car. To do this, through the application, you need to select a place and time convenient for the owner to refuel. Payment via non-cash payment cards.
After the first refueling, where the presence of the car owner is mandatory, all subsequent ones can occur without him. It is enough to order fuel delivery to the car again and simply leave the fuel tank flap open.
Currently the startup " Zebra Fuel» is testing the service of on-demand fuel delivery. Delivery service is only available within London and fuel selection is limited to 5% biodiesel. But, even with this limitation, according to the company’s owners, refueling through the application is quite competitive in prices with traditional gas stations; and the service, frankly speaking, is in demand.
Perhaps we are witnessing complete change automotive world and its service infrastructure. And we are not talking about self-driving cars or electric cars. We are talking about those utilitarian services that we now go for - to a gas station, a tire service or a car repair shop. Services that have not changed since the last century, when there was one gas station, one car service station per city, and tire fitting was done by hand. Today, mobility is valued most highly, and a car gives us this value by saving us time. So why limit our possibilities to archaisms from the past?
The business niche for direct delivery of fuel to the car appeared in 2015. It was in this year Thomas Morson from California (USA) launched his company providing mobile gas station services. In the first year of Morson’s company’s operation, 6 similar startups started operating in the United States. There was no end to clients. Experts explained this by the fact that companies began to operate in Silicon Valley, where its residents always welcome any technological innovation with great interest.
But how will they explain that since 2016, similar companies began to open all over the world, including Russia? And, surprisingly, the demand for such services is stable. Both from clients and from those wishing to start a similar business. After all, the launch mobile gas stations no capital construction is required, it is enough to purchase a certified car with refueling equipment and you are already a company delivering fuel to the car. By the way, the owners of such businesses make money not only on the difference between the wholesale and retail prices of a liter, but also on the delivery itself. In Moscow, the average tariff for fuel delivery is 200 rubles per call.
Let us remind you that in Russia mobile gas stations must meet the requirements GOST R 50913-96. This standard applies to automobile vehicles, intended for refueling and transporting petroleum products. By the way, several startups are already operating in Russia, using a scheme for delivering fuel and refueling cars.
I love the romance of gas stations on country roads, but I hate filling up in the city. When traveling, even a small one, it’s so nice to go and look for a more comfortable gas station, go out to warm up, pour yourself some tea and stock up on sweets. And in the city, especially if you live in the center, it’s a complete hassle - they are never on the way, they are always annoyingly offering help, washing headlights, some kind of bonuses and impurities. Auto mechanics also give conflicting recommendations on where to refuel so that there are fewer problems with the engine.
As a result, I avoid all these gas stations so much that I often find myself in a situation where I drive with the message on the display that there is “_ _ _ _ km” of gasoline left. And I just hope that I don’t have to walk to the gas station, like Jim Carrey in the movie “Always Say YES.”
In general, when I found out about the Booster mobile gas station, I immediately decided to try it and, I’m sure, will remain their regular customer. I’ve already buzzed my friends’ ears, so I’ll write answers to frequently asked questions here too.
Mobile refueling - how is it?
Imagine, you can no longer go to gas stations, but call a gas station directly to your car while it is parked near your home, office or, for example, a cafe where you communicate with friends. I have downloaded mobile app(iOS | Android | and on the website too), indicated there:
Number of the car,
- Bankcard number,
- the number of liters I want to fill up with,
- your location
- and the time interval during which the car will remain there.
10 minutes before arrival mobile refueling, I received a message. In our Peugeot, the tank is opened with a key, so I have to go down and open it (they say you can leave it open in advance, but I haven’t tried it), but if your car’s tank can be opened without your participation, then you don’t have to be distracted from your work at all.
The driver of a mobile gas station opens the door, and behind it is a real gas pump, a hose and a gun, through which good fuel flows.
Immediately after refueling, the required amount is withdrawn from the card, and the refueled car is ready to drive. Well, aren't they miracles?!
Where does the gasoline come from?
Unlike gas stations, where fuel, as I now know, comes diluted with all sorts of additives, or even kerosene, this Booster uses premium fuel three best factories in Russia, they have learned to maintain fuel parameters from the factory to the gas tank.
At each stage of transportation, they analyze and test the fuel, and if it does not meet GOST standards, they send it back to the manufacturer without mixing it with good fuel.
Why is it more economical and environmentally friendly?
Most engine breakdowns occur due to low-quality gasoline. Poor quality gasoline consumes more and produces more emissions. Therefore, switching to good mobile fuel is not only convenient, but also economical and environmentally friendly.
The price of gasoline from Booster is comparable to most regular gas stations, but due to the fact that it is not diluted with anything, it lasts for longer kilometers. In addition, it saves fuel and driving time to refuel. Anyone who lives in the center of St. Petersburg and knows all one and a half central gas stations, I think, will especially understand me.
In the long term, I think this difference will also become noticeable for the engine, otherwise at the last maintenance the mechanics were already shaking their heads and saying that everyone comes to them with the same problems, because gasoline is useless everywhere.
