Ads when you’re pumping gas

Submitted ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨moseschrute@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world⁩

I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas. Since I don’t pump my own gas regularly - only when I’m out of state - I’m not exactly sure when this happened, but all gas pumps seem to play ads now while the pump runs. At least the states adjacent to mine. Like can I not even pump gas in peace? Stop trying to manipulate my purchasing decisions 24/7.

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Empricorn@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas.

You can just say New Jersey. After Oregon lifted its ban in 2023, there’s only one left!

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- Dozzi92@lemmy.world ⁨39⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
  Yes, just say “I’m from the best US state” next time instead, OP, people will know what you mean.
  
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Machinist@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
So, most pump POS used to have a labeled or unlabeled mute button. That has become rare.

So far, I’ve been able to kick all of them into a diagnostic/trouble menu by pressing pairs of keys on each side of the monitor in sequence from the top.

Some of them have a timeout on this screen, but the counter resets when you hit a key.

Passwords can be entered from the keypad, with ok/enter also working. I bet the passwords are the manufacturer default, probably a 5-7 digit number. I was able to find partial training manuals and setup docs from one of the POS vendors but I didn’t find a default password or deeper technical docs for the one brand I looked into.

Fucking ads in my face fucking piss me off.

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- ouRKaoS@lemmy.today ⁨35⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
  12345 works as a default a surprisingly large amount.
  
  2580 is another one I’ve used with success.
  
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  - owsei@programming.dev ⁨24⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
    Why would 2580 be common?
    
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1995ToyotaCorolla@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
The button second from the top on the right hand side of the screen is the mute button(usually).

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- chiliedogg@lemmy.world ⁨56⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
  Most of them in my area have disabled that. There is no non-destructive way to mute them.
  
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  - corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨15⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
    Yes, the chopstick-to-the-grille is plan B.
    
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- Speculater@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
  If not, try all of them, one usually mutes it. If not, hold the top two for ten seconds to force the pump into maintenance mode, gas pumps as normal, then times out eventually to the main screen.
  
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obsidianfoxxy7870@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I HATE this if I am PAYING for a product then I shouldn’t get a god damn ad.

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ReverendIrreverence@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
Small knife/chopstick etc through the plastic grate in front of the speaker does the job too

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BMW_stick@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
You sound tired. You should try Lipton ‘pick me up’ teabags. A refreshing way to soothe the soul. Available now at most retailers. /s

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darthelmet@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Ads are like a gas (the physics kind). They expand to take up all available space.

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- moseschrute@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  You said ads, but I think you meant “late stage capitalism”
  
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  - darthelmet@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    True. That is the generalization of this rule.
    
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- grue@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  And that’s why vandalism to destroy them is ethical.
  
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ivanafterall@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
If I can’t mute them (usually one of the unlabeled buttons on the right), I’ll go to another station. I really hate those. God damn Cheddar TV or whatever. Fucking Maria Menounos, ugh.

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- PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
  One of the benefits of living in shit hole rural America is most of our gas stations use old pumps with either basic digital displays or ones with mechanical meters.
  
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- moseschrute@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Hold up… they have ad stations? That feels worse.
  
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  - verdigris@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Lol he means another gas station
    
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captainastronaut@seattlelunarsociety.org ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Or… hear me out here … we could weaponize them. Most of them are operated by a company called GSTV who sell the ad slots. They could be purchased by activist groups to un-brainwash people who can’t mute them. They could read banned books out loud. Teach science. Explain what’s wrong with the electoral college.

GSTV also offers very precise targeting at specific zip codes or stations. So you could play an ad at your local station about whatever stupid thing your HOA is trying to do.

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- this@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
  Have them play cgp Grey and kurgzkazat videos and the world will become a better place.
  
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- TBi@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  “We are sorry. We cannot show your video as it against the terms and conditions. Please note we will keep your money though”
  
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RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
I never go to Shell, they have a speaker right above the pumps blasting out music and ads. Fuck Shell. Too many other places to get gas.

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Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
One of the side buttons mutes it. It varies though as far as I know.

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- nokturne213@sopuli.xyz ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  A lot of them have been updated so that no longer works.
  
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  - moseschrute@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I bet a piece of duct tape over the speaker would work. Also, whatever money they are paying the gas stations, they would probably still get that money even if you manually muted the speaker. Really feels like a win win 😀
    
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  - Notyou@sopuli.xyz ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Well fuck. That’s terrible news.
    
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- Addv4@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Yep. Most of the time someone has marked it somehow because it’s immensely annoying. That being said, there are a few stations that aren’t able to be muted, so I intentionally make a point to note whatever is being advertised and never buy it.
  
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  - grysbok@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I try to only get gas at one specific local gas station that doesn’t do ads.
    
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  - TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    The speakers are often easy to bust by jamming a key through the slots ☺
    
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  - kamenlady@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Ever came across something you really really wanted to buy, but it was “noted”?
    
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- zephorah@lemm.ee ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  That’s no longer a universal thing.
  
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- zerosignal@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  The gas station I prefer has a mute button labeled on the pumps. Their ads are also less annoying because it’s mostly just promos for stuff in store.
  
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Stamets@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Good god… Worst I’ve seen so far here in Canada (granted I’m on an island stuck 20 years behind everyone else) was the pump screen flashing to show a loyalty program like AirMiles or PC Optimum or something and none of them have audio.

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- lemmyng@lemmy.ca ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  No audio is horrible accessibility! What about the blind drivers who need to hear the ads?
  
  /s, in case it’s not obvious
  
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POTOOOOOOOO@reddthat.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
The local one doesn’t play ads. They get my business for it. I live in a not so good place. I’ve had weapons pulled on me several times. The ads make me jumpy.

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- ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Yep doesn’t work anymore. There’s probably some series of buttons you can push to put it into settings mode, but I imagine it’s different by model.
  
  If you can’t mute it with software, then the only remaining way is via hardware. Carry some packing tape in your car and slap it over the speaker - wipe fingerprints off just in case.
  
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  - POTOOOOOOOO@reddthat.com ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I vote with my money. If they have ads I go somewhere else. I tell the employees why. I also pay with cash. Ads don’t work on me. I’m too poor for their products anyway.
    
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njordomir@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
They’re loud as hell too. Makes me want to put a shishkabob skewer through either my eardrum or the speaker. That my be an exaggeration, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I actively the avoid gas stations in my city that have this “feature”.

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- baldingpudenda@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  The buttons around the screen should mute it. It’s usually the 3rd one down on the right of the screen. You can also use the lower ADA buttons.
  
  Image
  
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  - nokturne213@sopuli.xyz ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Many have been updated to make them unmuteable.
    
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  - thejml@lemm.ee ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I’ve tried them all and in the last year or so, none of worked anymore. They fixed the glitch.
    
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foggy@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
In my neck of the woods, gas station owners have sharpies which of the 10 buttons is the mute button.

So as soon as the ad plays you just press mute.

It is God awful though.

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- krashmo@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Most have four buttons on the left and four on the right. The second or third button on the right side has been the mute button on every system I’ve tried.
  
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Kaboom@reddthat.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’m boycotting Valero because of it. None of the gas stations around me seem to do it, it’s just them. So fuck them.

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Alexstarfire@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
It’s still very rare for me to see a pump with ads. Mostly happens at stores with attached gas stations: Kroger, Walmart, etc. I don’t go to those places. Not because of ads though. That’s just a bonus.

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- captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
  I got gas from Sheetz today and it put up a silent and stilla ad on the display while the pump was running.
  
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swizzlestick@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Never understood this. Sincerely hope that any place trying out here is shunned.

EVs will hopefully put the tactic out of business forever. ‘Plug in and fuck off somewhere else for half an hour’ is not a position you can really advertise in.

Unless it becomes ‘watch ad to enable charger’ 😬

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- AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨38⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
  For those of us plugging in at home, ads can never happen.
  
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- CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  I could see a “NetZero” approach to electric charging where you choose to watch ads for free or discounted electricity. Which will then turn into you having to watch ads to enable the charger.
  
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  - swizzlestick@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
    Gotta boil the frog slowly I suppose.
    
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- cdipierr@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Had an electric car for the last 7 years so I got jump-scared when I went to fill up a borrowed truck and an ad started blasting.
  
  The first time I see a video screen on a charger I’m going to start worrying.
  
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  - captainastronaut@seattlelunarsociety.org ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    You should be more worried about the screens in your car…
    
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digger@lemmy.ca ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Well, sure, but not on our gas pumps. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines and movies and at ball games, on buses and milk cartons and T-shirts and bananas and written on the sky. But not on gas pumps. No, sir-ee!

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griff@lemmings.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Can one accidentally disable the annoying shilling screen whilst jostling the nozzle toward the intended vehicular orifice?

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- blargh513@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Press and hold two buttons in each corner. If those don’t work, try the other two. Keep iterating through pressing and holding one button on either side of the screen. Eventually, you will open a diagnostic menu. You can’t do anything here without a passcode, but it will stop the ad.
  
  I’ve only come across a few pumps where I could not figure out the combo before I finished pumping.
  
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  - CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    With the few stations near me that have them, the mute button is the 2nd down from the top on the right side of the screen.
    
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- pHr34kY@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Try jolting the nozzle toward the screen that insists upon your attention. You may find that LCD TFT panels are not as strong as steel.
  
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- DaddleDew@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Point said nozzle towards offending ad dispensing machine, squeeze trigger for a few moments, light a match, tell yourself that it was all worth it while recovering in a jail hospital.
  
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gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Yep. And a lot of the gas stations in my area have the auto-hold latches busted or removed, so you have to stand there and have a super loud ad screamed in your face. Which is why I now have a pack of reusable zip ties in my car that I will slap on the fill handle if I come across a pump like that. And no, that’s not dangerous - the stop mechanism in the pump handle operates such that the handle depresses further when the auto-shutoff engages, so it does not disrupt the safety of the filler mechanism.

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- walden@sub.wetshaving.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  It’s safe until it’s not. I worked at gas stations throughout high school and college and saw a few gas spills caused by the auto-shutoff system not activating. In all cases the amount spilled was minimized by the pumper being able to turn it off quickly (even with the built in trigger holder engaged. A zip tie would take a bit longer, but you’d probably still be fine. Jamming the gas cap in would also be quick to remove. I’ve seen rubber things sold for this purpose, too.
  
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- Canonical_Warlock@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  I just jam my gas cap in the handle.
  
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butwhyishischinabook@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
You can just say you’re from NJ lol, it’s not like any other state has an employment scam where you’re legally required to hire people to perform the simple, relatively safe act of pumping gas. At least not since WA finally trusted people to pump their own gas a few years back.

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- JayleneSlide@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Oregon. And at least half the pumps must still be staffed. Washington has had self-serve for at least 30 years (when I moved here).
  
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  - butwhyishischinabook@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Ahhhh gotcha, didn’t realize that, my mistake!
    
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- BossDj@lemm.ee ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  “You’re legally required to hire people…”
  
  When you’re writing from the business’s perspective as “us”
  
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  - butwhyishischinabook@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Yeah my annoyance at having to pay more is totally from the business’s perspective you dumb piece of shit
    
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derry@midwest.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Go ad lite for 5.99 a month or full ad free for 12.99. terms and conditions apply* Meaning they will be changed to be worse when we want more money.

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ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
It started happening a few years ago in my area. Maybe like right before the pandemic?

For a while some of the stations had a hidden option where you could hit one of the unmarked selection buttons and it would at least mute the ads. But starting around the end of last year they took that option away.

The only stations I know of that don’t show ads are Costco (and I assume Sam’s Club too, but idk). Plus they have slight discounts on gas because they are member only. But my local Costco station is such a headache to get through these days - even at around 9pm after the main store closes - that I not just go to a local Shell or Valero and resentfully try to ignore the fucking ads that always play.

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- moseschrute@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  It’s crazy how there are just more and more reasons popping up to go to Costco (e.g. supporting DEI, infinite return policy). I’m gonna get a membership.
  
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  - 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    You’re going to get membership at a bigbox store? I’m not sure Dwight would approve…
    
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bacon_pdp@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Well, think of it as positive engagement to stop buying gasoline vehicles.

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- moseschrute@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Last I checked electric still required a significant amount of emissions for power generation. Only the car itself is “clean” energy. There is also a significant amount of emissions in manufacturing the electric car. I believe we should start phasing out gas cars asap and build a more green power grid. Personally, I bought a used gas car which I believe is more economic and better for the environment than a new gas car. And I live in a more walkable area now, so I do much more walking than I used to. I know I’m still contributing to the problem, but I’m trying to be better.
  
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  - lemming741@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    If you charge overnight, the base load is less likely to be fossil fuel. If it is fossil fuel, emission controls on a power plant are far more effective than anything with wheels.
    
    The average car emits 400g CO2 per mile
    epa.gov/…/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passen…
    
    My power company emits 364g per kWh, which will take an EV about 3 miles. So that’s about 120g CO2 per mile, about one third.
    climatiq.io/…/65ad9f91-28a1-45b2-bbab-3dcdd5de6a4…
    
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  - PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I agree - I’m not expert but I know that the mining of rare earth metals and the disposal of some EV components are problematic. It’s not a perfect solution.
    
    That said, better solutions such as fuel cells or hydrogen are still 10-15 years away, and “better” shouldn’t be the enemy of perfect. I’m not particularly car proud and cars tend to last me twelve-fifteen years so I went for an EV hoping that an even better tech will be available by the time I need a car next time round.
    
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hansolo@lemmy.today ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I haven’t lived in the US in a while, and every time I visit and one of these things starts shouting at me, I wonder how anyone tolerates this shit.

Occasionally you’ll see one button that’s more worn, maybe bottom right iirc, that mutes it. Doesn’t always work, though.

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Blumpkinhead@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
The screens on the pumps (around me at least) have a mute button on the screen.

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thingAmaBob@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
It’s like that at every gas station where I live; every single one. All of the small gas stations have been bought and sold within the last couple of years and upgraded to this stupid video ad model.

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Baaron87@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Every single gas station in my state has gas pumps with screens and ads. Honestly one of the most annoying things today.

I have one gas station that I frequently use and found one of the pumps has a blown out speaker. Even though the ads still play, I hear nothing! The infuriating part comes when that pump is already in use when I arrive. I’ll have to try some of the other comments suggestions here about pressing a side button to mute it

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Greg@lemmy.ca ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
That sounds frustrating, you should buy a pair or Ray Ban sunglasses to reduce the glare from the ad screens. Never hide - Ray Ban.

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