Shell UK’s first EV hub
For electric vehicle use to continue to grow, drivers need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable means of recharging their vehicles. That’s why Shell is investing in EV infrastructure to meet the charging needs of electric vehicle drivers – including opening our first EV hub in the UK. Find out more.
The number of pure-electric vehicles on UK roads is steadily increasing. According to the UK Government, in early 2010 there were around 9,000 ultra-low emissions vehicles, or ULEVs, in the UK. By early 2020, ten years later, this number had risen to 317,000. That is an increase of over 3,000%.1
But, for electric vehicle use to continue to grow, drivers need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable means of recharging their vehicles. That’s why we’ve been steadily growing our network of EV charging points since 2017. In the UK, Shell currently provides customers with access to a public charging network of nearly 8,000 EV charging points, including our rapid and ultra-rapid Shell Recharge points on Shell forecourts.
And now, we are pleased to announce that we’ll soon be opening our very first EV hub in the UK.
In Fulham, central London, we’re currently converting one of our conventional fuel service stations into an electric vehicle charging hub that will feature 10 high powered, 175kW charge points. These ultra-rapid charge points can deliver power up to three times faster than rapid 50kW chargers, which typically charge from 0-80% in 30 minutes.2
In Fulham, we’re converting one of our conventional fuel service stations into an electric vehicle charging hub
To ensure that customers can use the time they spend charging more effectively, the hub will also offer a comfortable seating area for waiting EV drivers. We’ll have a Costa Coffee store and an extensive Little Waitrose & Partners shop offer so that our customers can enjoy a cup of their favourite crafted coffee, grab a snack, pick up dinner or stock up on essentials while they wait.
The hub will also feature a sustainable design with solar panels built into the roof that will generate renewable electricity for the site, and the chargers will all run on 100% certified renewable electricity as well.3 The hub’s canopy will be constructed from sheets of timber glued together which use much less energy to produce and transport than steel.
Planning permission for the hub was received in early 2021 and we aim to open it later this year or in early 2022. In the meantime, take a look at the video below to meet Will, an Architectural Designer at Bowman Riley who designed the hub.
Will's designing a Shell first | #MakeTheFuture
Title: Will's designing a Shell first | #MakeTheFuture
Duration: 1:10 minutes
Description:
This video segment features Will, an Architectural Designer, who is part of a project to address future energy challenges by partnering with Shell in their first electric-only station in the UK.
[Background music plays]
Gentle, ambient orchestral notes.
Segment featuring Will
[Title]
Bowman Riley Architectural Designer
Will
I guess I’ve always been quite creative. Once, when my uncle asked me to build a birdhouse for him, I built this extremely elaborate and over-engineered birdbox.
[Video footage]
We open on an extreme close-up of the left part of Will’s face, seen against a blurred outdoor background. The shot tilts vertically downwards to his lap where we see his hands paging through a notebook with a pen held in his right hand. We cut briefly to a high-angle close-up of Will, seen from behind, sitting across from a lake. A pedestrian enters at frame-right and begins to cross the shot before we cut away. We return to a close-up of Will’s eyes as he looks down, then cut to a close-up of his hand sketching on the graph paper of his book.
Will
My artistic licence kind of got the better of me.
[Video footage]
Talking-head footage of Will, speaking to the off-camera interviewer, seen against the blurred background of a workshop.
Will
I’m currently working on developing a design for an EV charge hub…
[Video footage]
High angle close-up of Will’s hands as he cuts a tiny section of wood off a small piece of timber on a green cutting mat. We cut to a series of close-ups of Will working on the model of the EV charge hub at his workbench.
Will
Where electric vehicles can go and charge up their batteries. This is the first time that a full Shell petrol station has been transformed into a full EV charge centre.
[Video footage]
High-angle close-up of Will’s hand controlling a computer mouse, followed by close-up footage of Will sitting at his workstation, seen from behind, his computer monitor displaying computer generated drawings of the Shell station. We cut to an extreme close-up profile view of Will’s face as he looks towards frame-right. Next, we see a close-up of the computer generated graphics, showing the Shell service station, at first in shades of white and grey, then transitioning to a colour graphic, with the petrol station reflecting Shell’s red and yellow branding and signage, with the roadway and parking areas shaded in dark grey and the occasional trees shaded in green.
Will
As a keen cyclist, it’s a real positive thing to work on a project that promotes more electric cars on the road.
[Video footage]
A series of footage shows Will cycling through a suburban neighbourhood, including close-ups of his face as he looks at the road ahead, his feet pumping the pedals, together with occasional low-angle views of blue skies seen through green trees.
Will
What the birdhouse journey taught me was keep designing, keep innovating, because architecture is just all about problem-solving.
[Video footage]
A series of footage shows Will at the site of the Shell service station, wearing hardhat and reflective vest, and we see him unfurl the drawings in his hand and walk across the site. We cut to close-up talking-head footage of Will speaking to the off-camera interviewer, seen against the blurred background of his workshop. Thereafter follows another series of footage of Will at the site, looking around and gesturing to a colleague as they discuss the project.
[Text displays]
Will, Bowman Riley Architectural Designer
Working with Shell
Narrator
Thanks to the innovation of people like Will, Shell’s first electric-only station in the UK is taking shape.
[Video footage and graphic]
As we hear the narrator’s voice, a drafting compass icon and title text display over panning footage of Will standing with drawings in hand, observing the work site around him.
[Audio]
Shell brand mnemonic played on strings.
[Graphic]
Shell Pecten centred on a white background with text displaying below.
[Text displays]
#MakeTheFuture
© 2020 Shell International BV
1 Briefing paper from the House of Commons library on ‘Electric vehicles and infrastructure
2 Charging speed depends on several factors including temperature outside, type of car, size of battery and battery condition.
3 Our renewable electricity is certified by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs), which means that all of the electricity Shell purchases to supply our Shell Recharge sites is matched with the equivalent amount of units from 100% renewable sources in the UK.
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