The modernization of the State under the leadership of Javier Milei continues to make steady progress, this time in a strategic area: energy. The oil company YPF has launched a time-based differentiated pricing system—with a 5% discount during the early morning hours—as part of an ambitious digital transformation plan based on artificial intelligence (AI) and operational efficiency.
Starting this month, at five YPF service stations, a 5% discount is already being applied for those who refuel between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., using the self-service islands and paying exclusively through the official YPF app. The measure, supported by a sophisticated real-time data analysis system, is part of the company's "micropricing" plan, which aims to optimize profitability and improve the user experience with technological tools.
YPF lanza descuentos nocturnos del 5%.
The project, which has already begun to be implemented at three stations in CABA, one in Rosario, and another in Mendoza, will progressively expand to the rest of the country in the coming weeks. "Over the next few months, coverage with this refueling method will gradually extend to the rest of the country's provinces", YPF stated. In fact, the next station to be added would be Avenida de los Constituyentes 6,070, in CABA.
Currently enabled stations:
Figueroa Alcorta 6608 and Echeverría, CABAAvenida Dorrego and Córdoba, CABAPringles and Córdoba, CABA27 de Febrero and Ovidio Lagos, RosarioMariano Boedo, Acceso Sur, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
The decision is based on compelling data. According to YPF, for every liter of gasoline sold at 3:00 a.m., 40 liters are dispensed at 6:00 p.m. This hourly disparity not only reflects lower nighttime vehicle traffic, but also the high operating cost of maintaining staff during periods of low demand. That's why the solution lies in self-service: a technology that allows customers to refuel without human intervention, with different payment options.
How does the new system work?
During the months of July and August, customers will have in-person assistance from staff to become familiar with the new methods. The procedure requires the vehicle to be properly positioned to ensure safe and efficient refueling. Payment must always be initiated from the official app, and then the user chooses one of the following three methods:
Interactive totem at the pump: Available at Figueroa Alcorta, it allows users to select the type of refueling and payment method directly from a screen.
Payment at Full store: The customer pays at the register and the corresponding pump is enabled.
QR code scanning (system under development): It will allow the entire operation to be completed from a mobile phone by scanning the code at the pump.
YPF apuesta por la inteligencia artificial para transformar el consumo.
The system is supported by an advanced data capture network that monitors real-time traffic and consumption behavior at 1,680 stations. Through this system, the company can detect not only how many vehicles pass by the roads, but also how many actually enter to refuel.
Additionally, the company monitors non-fuel consumption: it sells 2 million coffees per month, 500,000 hamburgers, and more than 600,000 alfajores, figures that reveal key commercial potential to continue optimizing margins and consumption habits.
Meanwhile, as part of this technological restructuring, it is anticipated that some forecourt staff could be reassigned to higher value-added functions, reflecting a structural transformation in the company's service model.
Another relevant fact is that, after the latest price increases in the sector, YPF's fuels are currently 11% cheaper on average than those of the competition, which reinforces the appeal of the new proposal for nighttime users. The accumulated difference for those who refuel at dawn can far exceed that percentage if they take advantage of the app discount.
