The future of gas stations will require the stations to look to the past. These gas stations won't have time travel at their disposal, but they will need to once again embrace the idea of "service stations" to ensure they remain relevant. Mind you, there are 150,000 of these stations across the US today.

The National Association of Convenience Stores says 120,000 so-called "C stores" also sell fuel, accounting for the majority of gas stations. While the gasoline brings you in, the C store makes the business really work. But the entire business starts to look a bit like a house of cards when you inventory the threats. Boston Consulting Group calculates that between 25% and 80% of gas stations could be unprofitable by 2035.