Shell turned an old gas station into an EV-only charging hub with free WiFi and solar panels

[hridge2020]

Oil giant Shell turned an old gas station into an EV-only charging hub with free WiFi and solar panels in its timber canopies. Take a look around.
Stephen Jones

Shell Recharge in Fulham, London, opened in January 2022. Stephen Jones

• Oil giant Shell converted one of its gas stations into an EV-only charging hub.
• It features nine charge points, a supermarket, a coffee shop, and free WiFi.
• Shell said it's the first time it has converted one of its old gas stations in this way.

You won't find any fossil fuel-powered cars filling up at Shell's old gas station on Fulham Road, London, UK.

What was once a run-of-the-mill gas station is now something rather different. Shell has converted the site into a charging hub exclusively for electric vehicles (EVs).

The Shell Recharge station opened in January 2022. According to Shell, it's the first time it has converted one of its existing gas stations into an EV-only charging hub.

Demand for new EVs is outpacing charging infrastructure. Some 190,000 new EVs were registered in the UK in 2021, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders – yet there are just under 29,000 EV charging points in the UK, according to ZapMap, whose figures are cited by the UK government.

Campaigners say the mismatch could hinder the mass adoption of EVs, making it hard for the government to meet its goal of phasing out sales of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2030. President Joe Biden wants EVs to represent half of US new car sales by the same year.

So companies including Shell are investing to meet EV demand.

Oil giant Shell turned an old gas station into an EV-only charging hub with free WiFi and solar panels in its timber canopies. Take a look around.

 

[LoudMusic]

I had an article in one of my news feeds recently that went on and on about "Oh no what's going to happen to all the gas stations!? All those businesses and employees going out of business!"

No not really. And even if they did, good riddance.

 

[kabin]

Lets give credit where credit is due. Good for Shell and all the other companies helping to transition away from oil. They all will likely need to also assist with beefing up the electric grid. There lots of infrastructure work to be done.