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by zachcb 3391 days ago
That gas station would be empty 95% of the time because it wouldn't succeed.

Most people don't want to spend any extra money on things that they won't directly benefit from.

2 comments

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea. I personally buy from companies like https://us.whogivesacrap.org/ and seek out and pay a premium for sustainably produced food. In a city such as SF or Seattle where many people are wealthy and eco-concious I could see this working. I'm unsure if it would scale though.
I think organics food shows this isn't true. These gas stations would first target the affluent liberal markets. The marketing could be, don't feel bad about buying that luxury BMW gas guzzler, come to Neutral gas station. The station should feel high end, like the Apple store of gas stations.

This is how organic food started with Whole Foods. And the same strategy could work here.

Organic food is successful because a significant number of people believe it is healthier to eat than non-organic foods. The environmental impact is mostly not the reason. (Whether it is true that organic foods are healthier may be debatable, though for some foods the evidence is pretty good that it is.)

It won't work to use that angle for gas. Pure environmental plays are harder to find. There are people who pay more for renewable generated electricity, so that's a good parallel. I don't know what percentage, however, or if it'd be enough to support a chain of expensive gas stations.

This was true years ago, but I think times are different now. Theres a feeling of near panic among many as the effects of climate change become more obvious and the new Trump environmental policies. I think theres strong desire to do something and this could tap into that.

Also by being high end, theres opportunity to be very different. These stations shouldn't even look like traditional stations. They could provide services that appeal to affluent markets and provide good profit margin. This will be necessary at first because raising gas price alone won't be enough to cover costs.

I'm not sure that this is a fair comparison.

Everyone that I know that eats organic does it because they believe the food is better for their health.