Shell Buys Into EV Charging Systems

If seeing automotive manufacturers race into the electric vehicle market weren’t enough to convince us that the future of transportation will be dramatically altered by electric drivetrains, this week’s news that one of the largest oil companies in the world has acquired one of Europe’s largest network of electric vehicle charging stations offers further evidence.

Royal Dutch Shell, based in The Hague, has acquired NewMotion, the Amsterdam-based owner of a charging network with over 30,000 of its own charging points for electric vehicles in 25 countries across Western Europe, partnerships with another 50,000 charging points and over 100,000 drivers in its membership network. The company will operate in parallel with Shell’s plan to roll out fast charging points at some of its 45,000 branded gas stations, starting in the Netherlands, Britain, Norway and the Philippines.

Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell, NewMotion started in 2009 with a mission to help eradicate fossil fuels. It will continue to operate under its own brand.

“They’re complementary offers. One is fast charging on the go on the forecourt and the other is a slightly slower rate of charge at the workplace or at home. At this stage there are no plans to integrate the two,” Shell’s vice-president for new fuels, Matthew Tipper, said.

Shell expects about a quarter of the world’s cars to be electric by 2040.