S-OIL Monday launched a pilot service based on automatic identification technology at one of its gas stations in Seoul.

The refiner began to provide the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) service at the station in western Seoul. S-OIL said it is the first time that a local refiner has used the identification technology in service stations.

The RFID system adopted by S-Oil is composed of three systems: wireless payment and point accumulation, customer management and mixed-gasoline alarm.

Through an RFID tag attached to customers' vehicles, the wireless payment and point accumulation system automatically reads vehicle and customer information, and supports wireless payment and bonus point accumulation.

The customer management system provides customized services meeting specific needs of customers while the mixed-gasoline alarm system prevents putting an inappropriate type of fuel into vehicles.

Customers need to have a specific credit card and have an RFID tag attached to their vehicles to try out the service.

``If we get good responses from the service, we'll consider extending the service to our entire service stations soon,'' an S-OIL official said.

hckim@koreatimes.co.kr