Huh Se-hong, GS Caltex President, "We Will Promote Logistics Services Utilizing Gas Stations"

GS Caltex Demonstrates Drone Delivery of GS25 Convenience Store Products
President Heo Se-hong Accelerates New Gas Station Business

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Heo Se-hong, CEO of GS Caltex, is accelerating new business ventures utilizing gas station infrastructure. Following the opening of new gas stations equipped for electric and hydrogen vehicle charging, demonstrations to use gas stations as logistics hubs are being held one after another.

On the morning of the 8th, CEO Heo attended a drone delivery demonstration event at Musucheon Gas Station in Jeju Island, stating, "Gas stations are suitable as logistics hubs because they allow easy access for logistics vehicles, have ample cargo space, and are distributed nationwide," adding, "We will continue to develop various logistics services utilizing gas stations, including drone delivery."

This drone delivery demonstration event was held with technical support from the 'Public-Private Joint Drone Logistics Consortium,' led by the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute to foster the drone industry, and administrative support such as permits from Jeju, which was selected as the country's first 'Drone Regulatory Sandbox Special Zone.'

When customers order products through GS25's 'My Own Refrigerator' app, GS25 convenience store products near the gas station are loaded onto drones at the gas station and delivered to the destination. By utilizing gas stations as drone delivery hubs, GS Caltex enables more convenient and faster logistics services in the future.

Additionally, it is expected to greatly help residents living in logistics blind spots by enabling rapid delivery of daily necessities such as bottled water, lunch boxes, ingredients, and emergency medicines to island areas where access to existing distribution infrastructure is difficult.

GS Caltex's decision to start drone delivery services at gas stations is part of a strategy to transform existing gas stations into future-oriented stations. With the rise of the mobility industry and energy transition, the role of gas stations is expected to change, aiming to evolve from places for refueling gasoline to logistics hubs.

Prior to this demonstration, GS Caltex held a drone delivery demonstration for fuel samples at the Incheon Logistics Center in April. Until now, small vessels have transported fuel samples for product verification before unloading fuel from tankers docked at maritime piers. This process is planned to be replaced by drone delivery, with efforts underway for commercialization within this year.

Since 2015, GS Caltex has also been using drones at the Yeosu plant to inspect corrosion and cracks on equipment tops that are difficult for personnel to access.

GS Caltex is steadily redefining gas stations as ‘Mobility & Logistics Hubs’ that provide not only typical services such as refueling, car washing, and maintenance but also mobility services including car sharing and electric/hydrogen vehicle charging, as well as logistics services like parcel and drone delivery.

Earlier, GS Caltex, in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company, installed a 100kW electric vehicle fast charger in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and started operating a 'multi-energy station' where gasoline, diesel, LPG, hydrogen, and electric charging are all available in one place. The 'H Gangdong Hydrogen Charging Station GS Caltex' is the first hydrogen charging station installed on private land within Seoul city.

A GS Caltex official explained, "Drone delivery is not yet legal and there are many hurdles to commercialization, but we saw business potential through this demonstration," adding, "We plan to explore ways to expand synergies among affiliates by expanding drone delivery hubs centered on Jeju, a regulatory special zone, utilizing the affiliate network including GS Retail."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.