stations

The lack of additives at low-cost gas stations does not keep drivers up at night. That’s why Moeve wants to be more Ballenoil

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Moeve has changed its strategy and has done so in a big way. In just 12 months, the company has converted 50 of its service stations traditional to Ballenoil, its low-cost brand. And since this type of gas stations began to become popular, the ‘lack’ of additives It has not been a concern for consumers who, above all, prioritize their pockets. The transformation has been especially intense since this summer, when the oil company decided to accelerate the process of further prioritizing its low-cost brand in strategic points throughout the Peninsula. Transformation. The old one Cepsa bought Ballenoil in November 2023 with a clear objective: to challenge Repsol for the crown, which maintains the largest share of the Spanish market. But it is not only about growing the number of gas stations. And it seems that Moeve has understood that the future involves being present in two worlds: the premium, where it maintains its traditional brand, and the low cost, where the customer seeks to fill the tank at a lower cost. From Moeve confirm to the Vozpópuli medium that “both premium and low cost are important to respond to the expectations of our customers.” The perfect timing. Although fuel prices have fallen since all-time highs which they reached after the Russian invasion of Ukraine (when they exceeded two euros per liter), continue to remain at high levels. The liter of 95 octane gasoline exceeds 1.45 euros on average and diesel is close to 1.40 euros, according to data from CincoDías. Logically, given the rise in fuel prices, many drivers are looking for specifically economical gas stations, and that is where the low-cost ones come in. All in a context in which traditional oil companies focus on attracting customers through their promises of premium fuel and additives. Figures. The integration of Ballenoil has made Moeve exceed 2,000 service stations in the Iberian Peninsula for the first time, reaching 2,040 gas stations, according to 2024 financial data. The figure is expected to increase before the end of the year. The pace of transformation accelerated in June, when 16 stations changed their image in a single month. Just like affirms In the middle, during September and October the conversions continued, prioritizing territories where the company already has a greater presence. Madrid leads this transformation with nine gas stations that become Ballenoil, followed by Barcelona, ​​Navarra, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Granada, Seville and Badajoz. The Ballenoil network has also allowed Moeve to penetrate areas where it did not previously have a presence, especially in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Andalusia and several regions of Castile. The rise of low cost. Low cost gas stations already represent 20% of all stations in Spain, according to inform the EconomíaDigital medium, with more than 2,400 installations spread throughout the country. As the media explains, the savings for the driver can exceed 0.18 euros per liter compared to traditional brands, a difference that ends up being noticed with each refueling. And the forecasts point high, which could mean a major structural change in the national oil panorama. Ballenoil, Plenergy and Petroprix are leading this transformation, betting on automated systems and simplified infrastructure that allow them to reduce costs. Manuel Sáez, CEO of Ballenoil, declared to CincoDías that the objective is to “exceed 380 operational service stations” in the second half of the year and “reach 500 throughout 2027.” Competence. Ballenoil has reached 350 service stations in Spain, becoming the leader in number of points of sale within the low cost segment. Plenergy follows closely, with 340 gas stations (331 in Spain and 9 in Portugal) and plans to reach 370 this year. However, Plenergy leads in business volume: closed 2024 with 1,385 million liters sold, a growth of 43% compared to the previous year. For its part, Petroprix, with 165 stations in Spain, has opted for a different strategy, prioritizing international expansion in markets such as Portugal, Chile, Panama and Poland. Cover image | engin akyurt In Xataka | Catalonia wants to make variable speed limits a reality. And he is already experimenting to improve the sleep of his neighbors

How to use Ruta-E, the government app to find cheap gas stations and charging points in your city or your route

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We are going to tell you how to use Route-Ethe new application of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, creators of My Citizen Folder among many other apps. It is an application that seeks to help you find the cheapest gas stations and electric charging points. It is a simple but versatile application. You can choose between gasoline or electric chargers, and then you have the options of exploring on the map or trace a route and see all the gas stations or charging points along with the price of fuel, so you know which one allows you to save a little money on your trips. Look at the price of gasoline with Ruta-E The first thing you have to do is download the Ruta-E application, available on Google Play for Android and in the App Store of iPhones. Once inside you will have a map, and at the top right you will have a filter in which you can choose fuel type for which you want to find a gas station or charging station. When you choose the type of fuel, you will see information about all the pumps in your city. But you can navigate the map to explore the entire country in case you want to look at those of some place you are going to visit. In the gasoline pump preview you will see the price of the fuel you have chosen. The app also has an option to trace the route of a trip what you want to do, with origin and destination point. When you do, you will see all the gas stations you have along the route along with the prices of the type of fuel you have chosen, and also the charging points. When you press at a gas stationyou will be able to see their hours and prices, and thus compare the cheapest ones or those that are open. And if you click on a charging point you will not see the price, but you will see the types of plugs available. In Xataka Basics | Gasoline price on Google Maps: how to see nearby gas stations and their prices on Android or iOS

The future is filled with AI work stations so you can have your chatgpt at home

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Acer He has just presented Its Veriton GN100, a small workstation with a single purpose: allow you to train and run local models and without depending on the cloud. The proposal is not entirely new, but points to a future in which the PC mutates to give us that promising ability to have a kind of chatgpt in local. A hardware that sounds like. This team has a GB10 Nvidia chip with Grace Blackwell architecture, and is accompanied by 128 GB of GDDR5 memory and 4 TB of storage. It is practically the same configuration of the workstation NVIDIA DGX Sparkwhich was announced in March but still without being on sale. In that case, the storage was 1 TB, which makes we can have less downloaded models. An upward trend. The new Acer Veriton GN100 is a small step that can confirm an interesting trend: that of being able to enjoy small work stations that are specifically designed so that we can install and even train AI models locally. Flag privacy. That is important above all in privacy: our conversations and use of these models will remain totally private, and there are no data that can end up staying on OpenAi, Google or Anthropic servers, for example. Thus, we can use financial, medical or confidential data without fear to consult with the AI ​​models, because that information does not come out of our team. And potential savings. Not only that: to be able to execute a local AI model allows you to avoid expenses in the use of cloud models, whether we subscribe to plans such as those proposed for example Chatgpt plus As if we use the API and pay for use. With the local model the consultations come out “free” or almost: all we pay is the equipment and its energy consumption. But. The models that we can run at home are open models as call, Deepseek R1, Qwen or The new OpenAi GPT-Oss. With them it is possible to have notable benefits, but it is very difficult to match the quality of the models as GPT-5Gemini or Claude 4 Opus Because these are gigantic models that are executed in data centers with thousands of GPUS. Competing in that sense is practically impossible, but for certain scenarios we simply do not need it, and these Open Source models can be a fantastic alternative. Acer Veriton GN100 Graphic memory to power. The larger the models of the best usually behave, but there is a problem: to be able to use them we need a lot of graphic memory and the current PCs do not stand out in that section. The most powerful graphics for consumers, The GeForce RTX 5090It has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is fantastic in bandwidth but limits the size of the models to be executed. Apple has a winning hand. Fortunately we have alternatives and especially the future points to relevant changes in this area. On the one hand we have the Mac Studio with up to 512 GB of unified memory – and also, with an excellent bandwidth – in which it is possible to execute large models Open Source without problems. System Memory bandwidth (GB/s) NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 5090 (GDDR7) 1,792 Mac Studio M3 Ultra (Unified Memory) 819 NVIDIA DGX SPARK (Unified LPDDR5X) 273 Framework Desktop (LPDDR5X memory) 256 But the PCs also begin to aim high. On the other, Teams such as Framework Desktop that have a similar memory system and that include 128 GB of GDDR5 memory also enable that possibility. Nvidia and Acer’s work stations use a very similar scheme and also integrate 128 GB of GDDR5 memory with a decent bandwidth – but not spectacular – for AI applications This promises. We are thus given the potential takeoff of a trend in the PCS market. Until now the manufacturers had specialized in gaming equipment, but the rise of artificial intelligence allows to glimpse a future in which we have “PCs for AI” that have huge amounts of graphic memory and that are perfect for this area. In Xataka | The B300 GPU is the new Nvidia beast for Ia. And we already know what prepares for 2026 and 2027

They are Russian gas stations

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Petroleum prices will rebound again in recent weeks. Brent rose 2.7% and the West Texas intermediate 1.1% this week, According to Reuters. Behind this volatility are the low, presumable expectations, of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. This uncertainty is immediately reflected in the markets, which already discourage tougher sanctions against Moscow and a long war. In fact, while Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump were gathered in Alaska, thousands of kilometers, Ukrainian drones reached a Russian refinery. Suggesting that war is no longer freed in Donbás. Now hits where Kremlin hurts most: oil. Shortage in front of the bombings. In Russia, wholesale gasoline prices have shot at record levels. In a Financial Times report It is detailed That the most common fuel, the A95, reached 82,300 rubles per ton in the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange, 55% more than at the beginning of the year. The climb responds to a double pressure: the seasonal rebound in demand and damage to the Russian energy infrastructure caused by Ukrainian attacks with drones. The population begins to suffer consequences. The drivers are already evidencing it: long lines, empty suppliers and rationing in regions such as Zabaikalsky, Crimea and the East end. According to the Moscow TimesRussia has lost about 13% of its refining capacity since the beginning of August, after attacks that forced the closure of at least four refineries. In Vladivostok, motorists wait up to two hours to refuel. “The suppliers are covered with posters of ‘out of service’,” said a driver to the local press. Scarcity also has a historic echo. In some areas they have introduced “coupons” of fuel, a rationing mechanism that evokes the memories of the last years of the USSR. Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, suffers supply cuts. Sergei Aksyonov, regional chief designated by Moscow, has admitted to FT “Interruptions in some stations” and requested patience “until the end of the special military operation.” However, despite trying to contain the crisis with subsidies and prohibiting the export of gasoline on July 28, domestic demand remains without satisfying. The drone offensive. According to the countryUkraine has launched in August a systematic offensive against the Russian oil industry, hitting refineries and distribution centers to hundreds and even thousands of kilometers from the border. On August 10, Ukrainian drones reached a Lukoil installation in the Republic of Komi, more than 2,000 kilometers, a record record. The attack stopped for days the production of one of Rosneft’s key refineries in Saratov. These attacks are not new, but now they are more frequent and coordinated. The Financial Times He has stressed that unlike 2023 – when the damages were repaired quickly – in 2024 the campaign aims to leave several plants simultaneously for longer. The strategic objective, As the country explainedIt is double: show the Kremlin that it is vulnerable in its own territory and hit its main source of income, hydrocarbons, in the middle of the peace negotiations. The chaos of the drones. Kyiv’s weapon are swarms of low and long -range drones, produced by mass. As my partner has detailed in XatakaUkraine manufactured 2.2 million drones in 2024 and wants to double that figure in 2025. But the battlefield has also become an electronic chaos: up to 60 drones can fly at just a kilometer in front, interfering mutually. Sometimes, Ukrainian countermeasures themselves against Russian drones leave their devices inoperative. In others, operators connect unwittingly to enemy transmissions. Even so, the strategic message is clear: drones allow Ukraine to hit away and erode the Russian war economy. The forecasts. Analysts expect that gasoline prices in Russia will continue high at least until September, According to the Financial Times. Although a generalized national crisis is not anticipated – because the low demand after summer and part of the damaged capacity can be recovered – it is expected that the problems in remote and poorly connected regions are expected. Moscow could resort to imports from refined products from Belarus to cover part of the deficit. However, Ukraine seems determined to maintain his campaign. “There will be more,” warned the Ukrainian General Staff after an attack on the Syzran refinery in Samara. A war laboratory. Beyond the economic, the conflict reveals two long -range trends. On the one hand, the war in Ukraine has become a military innovation laboratory, where drones resistant to interference, platforms with artificial intelligence and new electronic warfters are rehearsed, As we have pointed in Xataka. These lessons learned will mark the armies of the future. On the other hand, within Russia, the appearance of rationing by coupons connects the current war with collective memories of Soviet scarcity, an uncomfortable reminder that the costs of the invasion also reach everyday life. A new front. The war in Ukraine has displaced its most visible forehead: it is no longer only in the trenches of Donbás, but in the tails of Russian gas stations. While Putin insists that Moscow maintains the military initiative, citizens face rations, queues and rising prices. History suggests that shortage hits stronger than any projectile. The tsaries learned him at the beginning of the 20th century, when popular discontent undermined his power. Today, more than a century later, Kremlin see how the internal front can become its greatest vulnerability: if drones continue to attack refineries, the price will not only pay the economy, but also the population. Image | Unspash and National Police of Ukraine Xataka | Less oil ships are scrolled, and there is only one reasonable explanation: Russia’s ghost fleet

Japan has just found a way to drastically accelerate the construction of train stations: print them in 3D

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3D impression continues to make way in the world of architecture. After seeing the first houses and even data centers 3D printednow is the turn of rail infrastructure. The latest novelty It arrives from Japanwhere they have already installed a train station built with this technology. According to those responsible, the main advantages against traditional methods are speed and sustainability. As can be seen in the images, we are not facing a station that impresss its size or monumental design. On the contrary: it is a simple, functional and compact construction. At first glance it may seem plastic, but in reality it is printed in concrete. The structure, of less than 10 square meters, is based on several reinforcement bars and has two openings for the passage of passengers. The first 3D printed station in the world The structure was printed a few kilometers and was subsequently transferred in a truck to Hatsushima Station, in the Wakayama Prefecture, about 96 kilometers south of Osaka. There the final assembly was carried out. Naohiro Ohashi, spokesman for Jr West Japan, explained to NHK that “Normally it takes about two months in building a station of this size ”, and that in this case the priority was the speed to complete the work. The assembly of the structure was completed in about two hours with the help of a crane, and all the work ended before the first train departure to Wakayama. The pieces, of several tons, were manipulated by only six operators, including the crane operator. With this experience, the company already has a more precise estimate of the time necessary to install this type of stations, which are part of future projects. From now on, the company will evaluate the profitability of both construction and maintenance. Depending on the performance of this first station, they consider Extend the use of this technology to other locations. They point out that 3D impression facilitates a planned renewal of the railway facilities, especially before the Crecent labor shortage. The objective, they point out, is to move towards a more sustainable rail infrastructure. According to Nikkeithe current building of the Hatsushima station was built in 1948 and currently functions as a station without staff. The oldest structure, larger, showed a remarkable deterioration and its maintenance had become increasingly expensive. Jr West decided to replace it with a new 3D printed version, more adjusted to the actual level of use and also useful to assess the impact of saline air that blows from the sea. Images | @handakunihio (x) | JR West Japan In Xataka | We have discovered (again) the secret of Roman concrete. Is less impressive than it seems

In the emptied Galicia there are municipalities taking care of gas stations and shops. THE OBJECTIVE: Don’t run out of services

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The Emptied Spain It is depopulated Spain, but also the one that is emptied from companies and services. Both, the Lack of neighbors And the absence of businesses that cover their most basic needs, are part of the same vicious circle that in the long run the peoples to abandonment. In Galicia They have decided Breaking that loop with a curious movement. To avoid running out of supermarkets or gas stations there are municipalities that are taking care of their management. The objective: that the neighbors should not move kilometers for something as simple as buying the bread. Even at the cost of the City Council itself assume private services. The ghost of depopulation. The depopulation He is one of the great ghosts of the rural of Spain. And Galicia is no exception. A few months ago his Consello de Contas He issued A report in which he warned that in the community (especially in the provinces of Lugo and Ourense) there are almost a hundred towns in ‘danger of extinction’, a status that is explained by a combination of factors: a register below the 5,000 inhabitants, a low population density (less than 20%) and more deaths than births. INE himself calculates that in 2021 there were almost 25,700 Gallegos residing in municipalities that do not pass from the thousand registered. According to his nomenclator, in the community there are also around 1,900 depopulated villagesmany of them in Lugo. Only in 2023 it is estimated that the province lost about 40. Other populations are still alive but with a handful of hundreds of neighbors and having lost much in a short time. To name a case, Murasin the Terra Cha, I had 1,151 neighbors In 2000. In 2024 were 600. A vicious circle. We commented before. The localities of emptied Spain do not remain alone without neighbors. They often do it also without businesses that cover their needs. And one and the other, that of inhabitants and services, feed a vicious circle that ends up accelerating the emptying of the peoples. Although there is experts That they conclude that at general “accessibility to services” in Spain is good, especially if we talk about health and education, they also recognize that differences arise when the provincial scale is lowered. A quick search arrives on Google to find Complaints of populations about the public transport or lack of something as simple as bars and shops. And how to solve it? A question similar to that was asked a while ago in Pol and Ribeira de Piquíntwo localities of the rural of the province of Lugo that together barely go from the 2,000 residents. The first, Pol, has 1,542 registered, 27% less than in 2000. The second, Ribeira de Piquín, had about 500 residents, 80% less than at the beginning of this century. Both municipalities share Another featurein addition to the province and a diminishing census: given the loss of basic businesses their respective municipalities have decided to step forward and guarantee the continuity of private services. A kind of municipalization which aims to prevent your neighbors from having to look for life for issues as basic as buying bread. Their cases have attracted the interest of media such as The voice of Galicia either Eldiario. A “municipal” supermarket. In the case of Pol the Consistory he found the risk that The only supermarket From the town, located in the population of Mosterio, closed. Its owner retired and in the absence of relief or other shopkeepers that would like to transfer it, the panorama was complicated for the neighbors who reside there. “No one was interested in carrying it. It was deserted,” explained in December Its mayor, Lino Rodríguez, Progress. The City Council solution: Buy the super To keep it open. It is not yet known How will it manage, through a foundation, attracting a franchise or with an autonomous, but the goal is clear: to guarantee the continuity of the service. “We acquired the entire block, which has an area of ​​about 800 m2, for a total of 150,000 euros,” Rodríguez added In December. The project went ahead with the support of the Diputación and aspires to go beyond trade: Pol wants to recover an old sausage mark and create social housing at the top. At the end of last year the town had already paid 75,000 euros for the premises, it hoped to pay a similar sum of 2025 and already thought about furniture and facilities to serve customers. “We need to acquire the material goods of the interior, such as refrigerators, freezers and cold cameras. But throughout 2025 we will try to prepare the charcería,” He reported. OBJECTIVE: Refers in the town. In Ribeira de Piquín, the City Council has also moved to preserve a key service, although in this case the focus is on a gas station. At the end of 2024 the Consistory was in process for rent an already built service area but it carries more than a decade closed The idea is reopen it in 2025 and that the neighbors do not have to move to another town to replace or look for fuel. The project is carried out through the Terreo Foundationparticipated by the City Council, and with support of the Diputación de Lugo, which provides funds through an agreement. The rent will be done through a direct award procedure, Precise Progressand once completed the idea of ​​the City Council is to adapt the station to the regulations to register it. In the budget they also reserve funds to hire full -time personnel who can take care of the suppliers and serve users. Is it an isolated case? No. The gas station will not be the only (or first) project that is promoted with the terreo lever. Before it was launched A fish farma livestock exploitation and even a kiwi plantation. “The municipalities as small as we have many difficulties for the private initiative to come and invest. Hence we have no other option … Read more

There is an “anti-musk” movement in the US. And the concessionaires, cars and load stations of Tesla are paying it with fire

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It all started with some stickers. He continued with demonstrations. And ended with attacks on cars, dealers and load stations. The political positioning of Elon Musk has raised the anger of people who are clear that their way of protesting against one of the most controversial voices of the United States government is to directly attack its most recognized brand. And the owners of their cars. A first warning. “I bought this car before Elon went crazy.” That was the message that the owners of some Tesla began to send in November 2024. At that time, the United States elections had already occurred and Elon Musk was outlined as one of the singing voices of the new government of the country. Elon Musk vs Jeff Bezos: The Galaxies War However, the figure of the owner of Tesla was going to fit in the new administration of Donald Trump. Had promised that I would lead Dogethe Government Efficiency Department dedicated to cleaning all expenses (supposedly) superfluous within the administration. But, in addition, during his electoral campaign he already defended that They will withdraw the aid to the purchase of electric cars and all support will be dismantled to jump to this type of technology. A measure that, in the short term, should benefit Tesla given Leadership in the market. “Extremely Hardcore”. They were the Words used by Elon Musk to define the future of his work at the head of Doge and the application of his measures in the state administration. But it could define, without a clipper, everything that has been experienced since Donald Trump took power in the White House. Let’s remember quickly: Concentrations. All these decisions have been heating the atmosphere in the streets. A week ago the movement Tesla Tekadown. The movement encouraged to get rid of Tesla’s actions to make them go down and try reduce the richest man portfolio in the world. Little by little they started join repentant to the campaign like those of those stickers on the political turn of Elon Musk. The movement also encouraged to concentrate in front of the company’s dealers and even has A map where you can see future demonstrations against the company. In Europe only four are counted for the next few days but in the United States there are dozens of them. And to this we must add the viral campaign in the United Kingdom where Elon Musk was compared with Hitler and pointed to Tesla as the company that would take you from “0 to 1939 in three seconds”. Click on the photo to go to the original tweet Of less to more. But of concentrations and messages in concessionaires (and even In the company factory in Berlin) It has gone to more violent actions. Messages of “Kill Elon” in a concessionaire who was broken all the crystals. The superior image corresponds to an Oregon dealership (United States) but also Cases have been given in Europe. In France, for example, an anarchist group has claimed the Fire of a dealership which has ended with several partially calcined cars. In California, a few weeks ago, a group of students published their notice: “The Tesla hunting season opens”. A few days later, in Florida, a good number of vehicles waiting to be delivered They vandalized. And if that were not enough, Seven Load Stations In the United States they have been burned as a boycott measure against the company. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet Pulling creativity. To avoid being victims of possible attacks, the owners of some Tesla have chosen to “disguise” their cars from other brands. Thus, it is possible to see Tesla Model 3 converted to Audi, Mazda U Honda cars. And instead of damaging cars, there are those who have opted for more creative solutions: project images in the Tesla Cybertruck found on the street. Taking advantage of the night, they use the rear of the electric SUV to launch messages that remember the number of vehicle reviews or the political drift of Elon Musk. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Polarized. All this has caused the community to divide even more among those who support Elon Musk, who are shown in favor of this type of protests and who simply, They try to separate the artist from the work. Other acquaintances influencers, Like Jerry Rig Eventhing (9.2 million followers on YouTube), they have assured that undoing all Tesla They have on their property. Chopped. At the moment, all this does not help improve the image of the company that has been facing a very hard correction in their actions. A fall that only time will say if it is the bad sales resultsadded to A 2024 that did not finish please to investors, and how much is related to Elon Musk’s political support. The drop in sales has a lot to do with the update of the Tesla Model andits great superventas, which is very likely that the plans to buy potential customers have delayed. However, the figures In China they are being bad And in Germany, the first electric car market in Europe, are being poor, with A 76% drop. Photo | Elon Musk in X and David Geitgey Sierralupe In Xataka | Tesla sales in Europe have sunk 45% and their shares are paying expensive. It’s not even your worst news

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