Inventor Of Fuel Gauge ‘Moylan Arrow’ Dead At 80

By Gary Gastelu |

Dec 24, 2025

James Moylan belongs in the rental car hall of fame, if such a thing exists.

The former Ford engineer who came up with the idea of putting an arrow next to the fuel gauge to show drivers what side of the car the fuel filler died Dec. 11 at age 80.

“I would like to propose a small addition to future I/P cluster graphics in all passenger car and truck lines,” Moylan wrote in a letter to Ford’s employee idea submission line in 1986.

“The indicator or symbol I have in mind would be located near the fuel gauge and simply describe to the driver on which side of the vehicle the fuel fill door is located.”

There is no standard for which side the door needs to be on and it is determined by other design and engineering factors.

“Based on personal experience, when approaching the fuel pump island in Company pool cars, I feel that this little indicator would remove the guesswork of which side I want to park,” the letter continued.

“Even if all Ford product lines eventually locate on the same side, for the minor investment involved on the company’s part, I think it would be a worthwhile convenience not only for two-car families, but also pool car users and especially car rental customers.”

Ford management loved the idea and first implemented it in the 1989 Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, but the innovation quickly spread across the industry and is a standard feature on all vehicles today. Even electric cars have started to adopt it to indicate the location of their charge ports. It has become colloquially known in the auto industry as the Moylan Arrow.

Moylan worked at Ford for 34 years, according to his obituary, but didn’t consider the arrow his crowning achievement. “Jim would have said his greatest career accomplishment was the friendships he built with many colleagues along the way,” it said. Moylan’s passing took place at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

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