APPARATUS FOR AN AUTOMATED FUEL AUTHORIZATION PROGRAM REQUIRING DATA TO BE DYNAMICALLY EXCHANGED WITH A FUEL VENDOR DURING FUEL AUTHORIZATION USING AN INFRARED DATA LINK

A fuel authorization system enables data to be exchanged between vehicles and a fuel vendor, to verify that the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel. In an exemplary embodiment, each fuel island is equipped with a motion detector, a short range radio frequency (RF) component, and an infrared (IR) receiver. Participating vehicles are equipped with fuel authorization component including an IR transmitter and a RF component that can establish a data link with the fuel island's RF unit. When the motion detector senses a vehicle in the fuel lane, an RF query is sent to the vehicle. Participating vehicles respond with an IR transmission. An RF data link is then established between the enrolled vehicle and the fuel vendor to verify that the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel. Once the verification is complete, the fuel dispenser is enabled.