GS Caltex Expands to Include Electric Vehicle Rental Car Charging Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] On the 23rd, GS Caltex signed a business agreement (MOU) for service partnership related to 'electric vehicle rental car charging' with Lotte Rental, the No. 1 rental car company in Korea, at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, expanding the scope of electric vehicle charging customers.

GS Caltex, which owns 46 rapid chargers of 100kw or more at 40 locations nationwide, will provide discount benefits at the lowest rapid charging rates and car wash discount coupons to Lotte Rental's individual long-term rental car customers, who have about 8,000 electric rental cars, through this business agreement.

In addition, Softberry, the No. 1 electric vehicle mobile platform company providing simple QR payment services and charging station information, jointly participated in the business agreement, and GS Caltex and Lotte Rental will also share various data generated from electric vehicle charging facilities and electric vehicle rental cars.

GS Caltex, Lotte Rental, and Softberry plan to enhance customer satisfaction through the synergy of each company's electric vehicle platforms (charging, rental, payment) and cooperate to discover various new businesses related to the distribution of eco-friendly rental cars and infrastructure construction.

A GS Caltex official said, "As the spread of electric vehicles expands, the number of customers who prefer electric vehicle rental cars is rapidly increasing," adding, "We will expand the construction of ultra-fast charging infrastructure so that electric vehicle customers can quickly charge and enjoy various convenience services in easily accessible urban areas."

Meanwhile, GS Caltex began its electric vehicle charging service business at gas stations in earnest in January 2019 by signing business agreements with LG Electronics, the electric vehicle mobile platform (Softberry), charger manufacturer (Signet EV), and electric vehicle sharing company (Green Car). It plans to install rapid chargers at 70 gas stations by the end of this year.

Also, in July, GS Caltex signed a business agreement with LG Chem to develop battery-related services by utilizing big data generated during the electric vehicle charging process. GS Caltex plans to continuously promote cooperation with related industries to build an electric vehicle ecosystem.