GS Caltex opens futuristic gas station with car sharing, drones

GS Caltex's Energy Plus Hub in Seocho, southern Seoul. [GS CALTEX]

Oil refiner GS Caltex opened its first “Energy Plus Hub” in Seocho, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. The hub will include a gas station, electric vehicle (EV) charging station, car sharing collection point and logistics facilities designed for drone delivery.

With the demand for fossil fuels declining globally, oil refiners have been looking for ways to develop new growth engines. Part of that search is developing new ways to use gas stations across the country.

GS Caltex’s Energy Plus Hub, which the company says is a futuristic take on a gas station, is one example.

Like other gas stations, the facility has pumps, EV chargers and services for washing cars and maintaining vehicles. In the future, these Energy Plus Hubs will also provide stops for mobility services like car and scooter sharing, as well as offering drone delivery from convenience stores.

Four fast-speed EV chargers in the Seocho location were provided by LG Electronics, including one 350-kilowatt high-speed charger that can charge an EV battery to 80 percent in 15 minutes, GS said.

LG’s equipment is also capable of automatically receiving payments and assessing the state of the battery as soon as an EV is connected to the charger. However, the user has to register their name and personal information upon first use.

“[Energy Plus Hub] will offer an experience that changes the energy in vehicles and in our customers’ daily lives,” GS Caltex CEO Hur Sae-hong said during a Wednesday event to celebrate the Seocho branch opening.

Starting with the Seocho branch, the company plans to establish two more Energy Plus Hubs in Korea this year, one in Seoul and one in Busan.

The oil station is part of GS Caltex's Energy Plus brand. The name will be attached to the company’s future-oriented businesses outside the traditional realm of oil refining, including a new credit card for GS Caltex customers and other projects to diversify the usage of gas stations.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]