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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

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Fancy, Eco Gas Station Changes to Arco, but Still More Expensive

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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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