Reports in the Telegraph that Shell is planning to open the UK’s first ‘no petrol’ petrol station could not be confirmed today as the oil giant declined to comment.

The Telegraph report said the ‘no petrol’ departure was part of Shell’s drive towards cleaner motoring. Apparently, according to sources ‘close to Shell’, a central London site has been chosen for the radical new forecourt but it’s still at a very early stage. The site is expected to offer biofuels, electric vehicle charge points and hydrogen cell refuelling but no petrol or diesel.

This latest development is part of Shell’s alternative fuel strategy, which saw it unveil its first hydrogen cell refuelling operation at Cobham Services on the M25 earlier this year and announce plans to roll out high speed electric charge points across its estate.

The Shell news could just be the start of a new trend as a report in Motoring Research revealed that electric car firm Tesla is keen to launch its own take on a traditional forecourt. Described as a ‘mega supercharging location’, the first is currently being built in California between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Another is expected to be built between Los Angeles and Las Vegas plus there’s the possibility of one near Oslo in Norway. These sites would have up to 40-charge point and a drivers’ lounge where people can sit, have a coffee and relax.