Shell targets 50,000 public EV charging posts in UK by 2025

Through subsidiary ubitricity Shell will support UK local governments to deliver electric vehicle (EV) charge points for those without off-street parking.

To drive the initiative, Shell will cover the balance of the costs of the charging infrastructure on commercial terms. Currently, the UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) meets 75% of the cost of installing on-street chargers through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme.

More than 60% of households in English cities and urban areas do not have off-street parking, rising to over two-thirds for people living in social housing, and indicating the critical need for public charging infrastructure to support the proposed switch to electric vehicles.

“It’s vital to speed up the pace of EV charger installation across the UK and this aim and financing offer is designed to help achieve that,” said David Bunch, Shell’s UK Country Chair.

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“Whether at home, at work or on-the-go, we want to give drivers across the UK accessible EV charging options, so that more drivers can switch to electric.”

Shell’s acquisition of Berlin-based ubitricity in February has given the company an additional arm beyond its service stations to tap the growing EV market.

ubitricity, which is building a growing presence in Europe, claims the largest public EV charging network in the UK with over 3,600 charge points, representing over 14% market share, using existing street infrastructure such as lamp posts and bollards.

The government’s Committee for Climate Change recently recommended that there should be around 150,000 public charge points operating across the UK by 2025, with further investment needed to support its delivery.

“Shell’s ongoing investment in ubitricity is a significant step in an industry that has a long way to go to make charging points universally accessible,” comments Oliver Shaw, CEO of market intelligence company Kalibrate.

But he advises that going forward, it’s crucial that organisations are guided by data.

“The insights and knowledge that data can unlock, including where charging facilities are in high demand, will not only prepare the UK for the EV rollout but allow businesses to generate the highest ROI and meet the government’s 2030 environmental target.”

In May ubitricity entered into a partnership with the Westminster City Council to repurpose its EV charging infrastructure to supply power for stallholders at a Pimlico street market in central London.

Globally, Shell is aiming to expand its EV charging offer to operate 500,000 charge points by 2025.