Shell says electric vehicles are crucial to reducing carbon emissions

April 19, 2021: According to a senior executive at the oil giant, electric vehicles will play a critical role in Royal Dutch Shell’s efforts to cut emissions.

“If you look at the decarbonization opportunities of this mobility sector, EV plays a crucial role,” said Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director at Shell, adding that the company intends to expand its global electric vehicle charging stations network worldwide.

The oil giant, which has faced legal battles for environmental issues such as pipeline leaks and oil spills, has accelerated its strategy to achieve its target to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

Last month, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Shell jointly awarded a research grant to a consortium led by Eigen Energy. The donation will help the Singaporean solar firm develop its first series of service stations integrated with intelligent energy management solutions by 2022.

“Two years ago, in 2019, we had our first EV charging point in Singapore. Now, one-third of our network already has it,” Vigeveno added. In Europe, the company is already partnering with prominent players in the electric vehicle market.

It announced in April a pilot project with grid equipment maker Alfen to test a battery-backed ultra-fast charging system at a Dutch filling station in the Netherlands. There are tentative plans to adopt the format more widely worldwide to ease the pressures of mass-market EV adoption.

According to Reuters, in January, Shell announced plans to purchase the owner of the U.K.’s most extensive public electric vehicle charging network. The company reportedly has more than 2,700 charge points in the country. Shell also aims to significantly improve customer experience by cutting down charging times at EV stations.

“I have an electric car myself, and if I charge my car at home, it takes hours. Well, that’s not something I want to do when I’m on the go. So I have to offer it to you in a way that I can recharge it in 10 to 20 minutes,” said Vigeveno, without providing further details. Shell said on its website it’s working on intelligent charging technologies to can help ensure the smooth integration of EVs into the electricity system in ways such as adjusting charge times and speed of charge.