SHELL

Leading the Way with Alternative Refuelling SHELL

PRODUCTION: Timothy Reeder

// There can be no denying that the future of travel lies in the fast developing realm of alternativefuelled vehicles. While petrol and diesel-powered cars currently dominate the motoring landscape, the increasing environmental pressure on fossil-fuelled cars is paving the way for electric and hy-drogen cars to provide the ideal futureproof solution.

Also known as fuel-cell cars, the latter are powered by just about the most plentiful substance in the universe, and emit only water from the tailpipe. They can travel as far as a petrol or diesel car, and they’re almost silent. Shell has fully capitalised on the potential of such technology and an-nounced in February the launch of its first hydrogen refuelling station in the UK at its Cobham services. The first fully branded and public hydrogen refuelling site in the UK, it is one of three hydro-gen stations Shell plans to open in the UK in 2017.

As Matthew Tipper, Vice President, Future Fuels at Shell, explains: “Hydrogen has the potential to become a clean and versatile transport fuel for the future, and the Cobham hydrogen site is one of the ways Shell is encouraging the use of alternative fuels to contribute to the energy transition. This will provide customers with hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles the ability to refuel simply and quickly, at one of the largest petrol stations in the UK.” The opening of Shell’s first UK hydrogen site follows the success of its sites in California, as well as in Germany where, as part of a joint venture, Shell aims to open a network of up to 400 hydro-gen sites by 2023. According to Sinead Lynch, Shell’s UK Country Chair: “We believe the journey to a low-carbon economy requires a coordinated and collaborative approach among organisations in the transport sector, including providers of energy and transport vehicles, users of transport ve-hicles, local authorities as well as government.”

“The Cobham retail site is a small but significant first step toward developing infrastructure needed for increased usage of hydrogen vehicles.”

Shell further underlined its commitment to a low carbon world through its first foray into the UK electric car sector. Battery-powered cars now number more than 115,000, a rise from practically zero over just the last decade. In October it announced the opening of Shell Recharge, a new on-forecourt Electric Vehicle (EV) rapid charging service, at Shell Holloway (London), Shell Whyteleafe (Surrey) and Shell Derby, and to be joined at a further seven locations within Greater Lon-don and Reading by the end of the year.

“Shell Recharge provides Electric Vehicle drivers with a convenient way to charge their cars on-the-go. We’re pleased to offer rapid electric charging on the forecourt, allowing us to broaden the range of fuel choices we deliver,” clarifies Jane Lindsay-Green, Shell UK Future Fuels Manager.

“Shell Recharge will soon be available at ten sites in the UK and will offer EV drivers in these areas a reliable, convenient and subscription-free charging service where they can charge their vehicle and take a break from their journey.”

The news came just days after Shell had signed an agreement to buy NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest electric vehicle charging providers which operates more than 30,000 private electric charge points for homes and businesses in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK, and provides access to a network of more than 50,000 public charge points across 25 European countries. “This announcement is an early step towards ensuring customers can access a range of refuelling choices over the coming decades, as new technologies evolve to co-exist with traditional transport fuels,” Matthew Tipper concluded.

SHELL

+31 70 377 9111 @Shell www.shell.co.uk