Oil’s glory days are over, and with its traditional business model in jeopardy, Shell is converting its underused fuel stations into EV charging hubs to corner a large portion of the EV charging market.
Shell built its fortunes on fossil fuels, cornering a large section of the fuel market by purchasing real estate. Now, they are using their real estate power to open charging hubs that will serve motorists of the future.
Shell EV charging hubs
From 2030, sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK, leaving only a splattering of new hybrid vehicle registrations. Of course, older ICE vehicles will still need fuel, but the numbers will be greatly reduced.
Shell stands to lose more than 90% of its fuel revenue in the UK by 2030, an amount that would cripple most businesses. But not Shell.
Shell is one of Britain’s oil giants, a legacy company desperately trying to prepare for an electric future, and they are doing a great job.
Big targets, swift progress
In November, the company announced it will install 50,000 on-street EV chargers by 2025 in partnership with Shell-owned Ubitricity.
However, it’s Shell’s EV charging hubs that will drive them to a dominant position in the public charging market.
In December last year, Shell opened its first EV charging hub on Fulham Road, fully converted from fossil fuels. With a solar canopy supplementing grid power, it has 9 ultra-rapid 175kW charge points, plus a seated waiting area.
As of today, Shell has over 150 on-forecourt charging points, a drop in the ocean compared to what they are planning.
Shell’s ambition is to grow its on-forecourt charging points to 5,000 by 2025, a significant number. It will require converting many Shell fuel stations into EV charging hubs, as well as upgrading fuel stations to accommodate chargers.
