Shell has boosted its involvement in the electric vehicle market with the signing of an agreement with charging network operator IONITY to offer charge points across 10
European countries starting with 80 of its biggest highway stations.
IONITY is a joint venture between BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and the Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche, which was formed to create a network of 350-kilowatt chargers next to major highways in Europe.
The company claims the high-powered chargers will take five to eight minutes on average to charge next-generation electric vehicles, making them up to three times faster than any other charger currently available to drivers.
“Customers want to go on long journeys in their electric vehicles and feel confident that there are reliable, comfortable and convenient places to charge them quickly,” István Kapitány, Shell’s global executive vice president of Retail, said. “Demand for electric vehicle charging on Europe’s major highways is set to grow rapidly. We are pre-empting drivers’ need to charge quickly by becoming one of IONITY’s major partners, giving customers access to the fastest charge points across 10 European countries.”
"The agreement is part of Shell’s global drive to provide more and cleaner energy solutions. Following our recent agreement to buy NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest charging providers, and the launch of Shell Recharge fast chargers at selected Shell forecourts in the UK, we are increasingly offering reliable charging solutions for electric vehicle customers – whether they are at home, at work or on the road.
"This is because Shell believes more people will choose to drive electric vehicles if they can access a range of reliable and convenient charging solutions, when and where they will need them.
"Electric vehicle charging solutions is just one of the ways that Shell is aiming to deliver more and cleaner energy to its 30 million daily retail customers. We are also working to enhance efficiency of traditional fuels, and supporting the development of low-emission transport fuels such as hydrogen, biofuels and natural gas."
Dr Michael Hajesch, IONITY’s chief executive said: “IONITY and Shell share a common goal: to enable convenient long-distance travel with electric vehicles across Europe by providing reliable fast-charging infrastructure,” . “Joining forces means combining Shell’s long history and experience in retail with our state-of-the-art technology for fast charging. It will significantly increase the customer satisfaction of EV drivers.”
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