Shell, the world's largest oil and gas company, has opened its first 'EV center' in the United Kingdom, replacing petrol and diesel bowsers with charging stations for electric vehicles. It's the Dutch company's second hub, after a similar structure was built in France.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc is a company that produces oil and natural gas. Exploration and extraction of crude oil and natural gas, production of oil and gas, oil refining into fuels and lubricants, and petrochemical manufacturing and sales are among the company's different businesses. The Royal Dutch Shell Group, founded in February 1907, has a lengthy and often contentious history.
The Fulham-based charging center now has 10 175kW DC fast-chargers, which were formerly reserved for internal combustion engine car pumps. While waiting for their cars to charge, customers can have a cup of coffee at the connected cafe or purchase at the nearby Little Waitrose & Partners mini supermarket.
Shell emphasizes that the station will be powered entirely by renewable energy. It also makes use of a number of solar panels that are positioned on the station's canopy. The new development has a touch of Australian inspiration, with each of the ten chargers coming from Tritium, an Australian company. Christian Hewitt, the firm's head of sales, took to social media to congratulate the hub on its debut.
While most electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home, the EV hub is aimed towards UK EV owners who live in areas with limited parking, making charging at home difficult or impossible. Shell's EV hub and its long-term partnership with Tritium are part of a larger story, in which petrol companies around the world are attempting to build relationships with electric vehicle drivers.
This is especially true in the United Kingdom. Shell has over 9,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country, purchased EV charger business Ubitricity about a year ago, and recently extended its collaborative connection with Hyundai, saying that the alliance would begin to focus more on EV research.
Shell isn't the only one. Chargemaster, the UK's former most prolific charging station firm, was acquired by BP several years ago. Equinor recently upped its windfarm technology investment. In addition, almost every gasoline company in the world currently has an EV charging network. BP's electric vehicle charging network, known as BP pulse, has a goal of installing 1,400 charging stations by 2030. They're working on a partnership with Chargemaster, the UK's largest network of electric vehicle charging stations.
BP Pulse EV Chargers
The British oil and gas MNC's portfolio will now include 6,500 electric vehicle charging points. Apart from that, BP has formed a joint venture with BMW Group and Daimler Mobility to develop Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) for OEMs (each with a 33.3 percent stake).
Hyundai, a South Korean automaker, expects electric vehicles to account for 30% of its sales by 2030. To support this surge, they've partnered with EV charging behemoths to build high-speed charging networks across South Korean highways. Both Kia and Hyundai, which are owned by the same company, are working on wireless electric vehicle charging systems.
And then of course, there's Tesla, the most well-known name in electric vehicles, and their EV charging network is likely the largest in the world. They have over 25,000 Superchargers across the world and claim to be able to fast charge Tesla vehicles in under 15 minutes. They've made it just for Tesla vehicles. They installed their 1000th supercharger in China just a few days ago, marking a significant milestone.
Operators of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are experiencing a boom in demand all around the world. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2040, there will be an additional 300-400 million electric vehicles on the road. And the Asia-Pacific area might account for about 43% of growth.
The IEA’s 2021 Electricity Findings
Strong economic growth, combined with colder winters and warmer summers, increased worldwide power demand by more than 6% in 2021, the highest increase since the financial crisis ended in 2010. The rapid rise in overall energy demand put a pressure on coal and natural gas supply systems, driving up wholesale electricity costs. Despite the phenomenal growth of renewable energy, coal and gas-fired electricity output reached new highs.
The IEA forecasts a 2.7 percent annual increase in power consumption between 2022 and 2024, with rising renewables roughly matching this modest demand rise. However, the Covid-19 epidemic and increasing energy prices increase add to the uncertainties.
