Shell to install hundreds of EV chargers
Giant multinational oil companies are sniffing the winds of change, and noticing that they don’t smell much like petroleum any more, with Shell set to install electric chargers outside supermarkets.
It’s not happening here yet, of course, but it’s about to happen in the UK in a big way, with Shell announcing it will install 800 EV chargers at Waitrose shops (Waitrose is a kind of posh super market based in England) across the country, thus increasing its number of of chargers eight-fold.
It’s all part of Shell’s global plan to increase EV charging.
Shell will start rolling out its plans for what it calls “destination charging” next year, where drivers can charge their EVs at a location that they’re primarily visiting to do something else, like shopping. This makes more sense, in a way, than having them at service stations, because they are often not the kind of place you want to wait around for 30 or 40 minutes.
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“This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose,” said Bernadette Williamson, the general manager of Shell UK Retail. “We want to make EV charging as hassle-free as possible and support our customers wherever they want to charge.”
It’s interesting to note, there, that EV drivers are now Shell’s customers, not just the people who buy their fuel in huge quantities every day. One oil company, at least, is seeing that change as vital to its future.
There are already 108 Shell Recharge points in the UK, with almost half of those in London, where the incentives to drive an EV are prominent (you don’t have to pay the Congestion Charge for driving in the centre of town the way ICE vehicles do, for a start).
The world’s most progressive EV country, Norway, has an extensive charging network that incorporates service stations, major carparks and shopping centres. Even the airport has floors of parking dedicated to EVs, each with its own charge point.
Shell also recently bought an EV-charging company, Ubitricity, and has announced plans to install a total of 5000 charge points in total by 2025.
“We’re also delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network,” said Waitrose executive director James Bailey.
