Source: ABB
Two of the biggest old-world oil and gas supermajors Shell and BP announced separate EV charging plans late last week, partnering with ABB and Volkswagen, respectively, to roll out large-scale EV charging networks.
The two announcements, made separately, underline the continuing shift being undertaken by traditional power and fuel companies towards electrification and renewable energy, and comes after Ampol unveiled its own network in Australia.
Shell is partnering with ABB to use it full portfolio of charging solutions – including the Terra 360, described as the world’s fastest all-in-one electric car charger – with the two companies are aiming “to bring flexible and quality charging to millions of electric vehicle drivers.”
“In line with our mutual involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, both ABB and Shell are innovating to drive progress in e-mobility,” said Frank Muehlon, CEO of ABB E-mobility.
“We have been working together on the roll-out of public charging infrastructure since 2019 and this latest agreement takes that collaboration to the next level.
Shell aims to operate more than 500,000 charge points around the globe by 2025 and 2.5 million by 2030 – at either residential, commercial, or Shell retail sites.
BP, meanwhile, unveiled a strategic partnership with Volkswagen to boost the adoption of EVs across Europe through the deployment of public fast EV chargers.
Volkswagen and BP celebrated the launch of their strategic partnership by unveiling the first public fast charger in Dusseldorf, Germany, the first of up to 4,000 charge points planned to be deployed over the next 24 months in Germany and the UK.
Source: BP/Volkswagen
The planned charge points will utilise Volkswagen’s Flexpole 150kW charging units, which features two charge points, integrated battery storage system, and connect directly to a low-voltage grid, removing the requirement of a dedicated substation as well as expensive construction work.
Volkswagen’s Flexpole nevertheless still provide fast charging speeds of up to 150kW, enough to deliver up to 160-kilometres of charge in as little as 10 minutes, depending on the vehicle in question.
“EV charging is one of the key engines driving bp’s transformation to an integrated energy company. That’s why we’re so excited by our partnership with Volkswagen,” said Bernard Looney, BP’s CEO.
“When you bring together one of the world’s leading car makers and one of the world’s leading energy companies – the opportunity is huge. This is a significant step-forward on our journey to accelerate the electrification of transport in Europe.”
The first phase of the Flexpole roll-out will see up to 4,000 charge points installed at BP’s Aral retail sites in Germany and BP retail sites in the UK. By the end of 2024, the two companies expect that up to 8,000 charge points could be available across Germany, the UK, and other European countries.
In Austraia last week, local petrol refiner Ampol announced it will create its own EV charging network in Australia, named “Ampcharge”.
Keyword: Oil giants push deeper into EV charging with ABB and VW