They do. But if the container isn't touching the tank, the flow of gasoline can build up a static charge. I've filled and first hand seen filled many hundreds of race cars over a 50 year period. All but one were non-events. The one was inside a trackside race shop and the owner was fueling it at the trunk. No smokers, grinding, etc. going on anywhere around. A ten foot fireball enveloped the car. Thank God the guy took two giant steps out of the shop, rather than just reflectively flinging the jug. He was in his race suit and balaclava and didn't get a mark, but the nearest bystander lost some hair and got second degree burns on his arm and shoulder. The fireball was gone in a blink, but it left stray bits of tire 'marbles' smoldering all the way forward to the radiator grill. The shop had a policy of requiring a tank ground strap on any cars they serviced, but his one wasn't 'officially' on their roster and was ungrounded.Circlotron wrote:Partially conductive anti-static plastic is very widely used in the ectronics industry for packaging of some sensitive components. One wonders why they can't also use this or similar kind of plastic for fuel containers.
Ever since whenever I'm near a refueling operation , I pick up an extinguisher and watch like a hawk to be sure the container spout is in contact with the tank.
Gonna have to keep my head screwed on tight.
. From a brief skim it doesn't seem easy to verify whether or not any regulating body's approval of a plastic fuel jug includes insuring sufficient conductivity to prevent static build up. Perhaps the safest course would be to use a metal can and clip a ground lead between it and bare metal on the vehicle. 
