Could this be the start of the turning point for the global oil companies? Electric vehicle usage continues to grow, and with this, drivers who travel a number of Kms per day need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable means of recharging their vehicles.
The number of pure-electric vehicles on roads is steadily increasing in most developed parts of the world. For example, in 2010 in the UK there were around 9,000 ultra-low emissions vehicles, but as of December 2021, this number had risen to 370,000 which is an increase of over 3,000%.
This is great news for reducing GHG’s, but, for electric vehicle use to continue to grow, drivers need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable means of recharging their vehicles other than their home chargers.
One oil company, Shell, now has plans to grow its EV charging network to over 5,000 EV charge points on forecourts and in new locations by 2025. Shell is also opening its first EV charging hub in the UK in Fulham, London, where petrol and diesel pumps at an existing fuel station have been replaced with ultra-rapid charge points. A global pilot, this is the first time the company has converted one of its existing sites to cater solely for electric vehicles. Shell Fulham features nine high-powered, ultra-rapid 175kW charge points which can charge most vehicles2 from 0-80% within 10 minutes – three times faster than more widely used 50kW rapid chargers.
To ensure that customers can use the time they spend charging more effectively, the hub also offers a comfortable seating area for waiting EV drivers. Shell stated this EV hub will have a Costa Coffee store and an extensive Little Waitrose & Partners shop offer so that customers can enjoy a cup of their favourite crafted coffee, grab a snack, pick up dinner, or stock up on essentials while customers wait to charge their EV’s.
The hub also features a sustainable design with solar panels built into the roof that provide around a quarter of the electricity the site needs. Shopfront double glazing with highly insulating properties reduces energy use for both cooling in the summer and heating in winter, and the chargers all run on 100% certified renewable electricity as well.3 The hub’s canopy is constructed from sheets of timber glued together which use much less energy to produce and transport than steel.
This pilot site is scheduled to open this month, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out and if this is the start of the transformation for the traditional service station moving forward.
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