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Prices as seen on Saturday | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
The poshest gas station in Los Angeles--directly abut the Beverly Hills border at Olympic and Robertson--just recently changed its branding from BP to the company-owned and consumer friendly ARCO. Usually, the brand is cheaper or seems so without the 45-cent charge to use a card. But that's clearly not the case here. Catty-corner in Beverly Hills, the listed prices are same, sans credit charge.
Still, is it worth it to support the futurist station called the Helios House? "It’s not a prototype 'station of the future.' It’s a station for today that’s a little better, a living lab where we can try out ideas for other stations and where people can find ideas they might want to bring into their own lives," their website explains. The gas may not be eco-friendly, but the design elements are and hey, it's pretty cool to experience the station at least once. Lights conserve energy by only turning on over a pump when a car is there, the canopy collects water for use in landscaping and the roof is green with native plants and solar power panels, among many other eco-aspects (.pdf).
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Usually, the brand is cheaper or seems so without the 45-cent charge to use a card. But that's clearly not the case here. Catty-corner in Beverly Hills, the listed prices are same, sans credit charge.
It's 45 cents for a debit card only. They don't accept credit cards at all.
They offered a credit option at this one, I was surprised.
Oh wow. Maybe because it used to be BP they still have the card readers.
This one takes credit cards (at no additional charge).
I live fairly close to this gas station and I end up driving past it quite often. I very rarely purchase gas there (due to the price) but I have stopped there for the free air to fill up my tires. A helpful service attendant even came by with a digital air pressure gauge and proceeded to fill my tires for me.
I really disagree with their rebranding from BP to Arco. It's confusing because it's really just the same gas station with a different sign. Also, the new Arco sign is cheaply made in comparison to the original BP one.
Also, I think the whole thing is just a complete attention-getting eyesore. The ideas for a cleaner, greener gas station are good, but that thing is just too severe. The reason everyone crops in on it so closely in photos is because it looks completely out of place with the surrounding buildings. It's really not sexy at all when you're driving south on Robertson.
The absolute worst thing about it are the two giant billboards that flank the property. Why on earth would anyone go through all the trouble of making some new-age, eco-friendly design and then slapping two giant, non-eco-friendly billboards around it? My favorite is when they use the billboards to advertise how green the gas station is. How many watts of power are they using for that?
The most bizarre thing was when they were hosting a party there. There was a white picket fence around the perimeter to make sure no cars pulled in, and the place was bustling with suits and catering. It was a little surreal.
you can sign up for a special debit card that connects to your bank account, and this allows you to skip the .45 cent fee, also comes with points perks if you use it a lot, can be used anywhere.