The Royal Dutch Shell or as its commonly known as just Shell is a big oil and gas company, which has centers all around the world, has partnered with Osprey Charging, set up charging stations for all types of EVs.
This announcement of a partnership comes right after the installation of the first-ever Shell recharge EV charging point in the UK. The site of the charging station is a Shell dealer-owned site that is located at the Hovefield Service Station on the A127, Wickford, Essex.
Who Is Osprey Charging?
Osprey Charging is a company that is based in London Bridge, which are a bunch of passionate people with the commitment to deliver the best, most accessible, convenient, rapid charging networks for their customers and landlords who intend to start their hand in EV charging.
Osprey Charging envisions to progress to a world where all road travel is electric, wherein which Osprey would provide customers with means to charge easily and rapidly so that the future generation can have a bright future.
Learn more about the difficulties of EV charging here. Lack Of Charging Stations – The Hurdle For EVs
Companies like Osprey Charging are vital for the future of the world, as people tend to move towards a greener and more electric future, there will be a need for power. This call for power will call upon power providers, like Osprey Charging, who with their expertise can create effective solutions for providing power for customers to charge their electric cars.
Currently, Osprey Charging has a public charging network of over 200 EV charging units all over the UK. Osprey Charging provides people with charging capabilities ranging from 50kW up to 175kW. Osprey has secured £50 million in funding in 2019 for the deployment of more than 2,000 rapid chargers for EVs by the year 2024.
Why Did This Partnership Occur?
The main intent of this partnership is a major part of Shell’s goal to develop an EV charging network at Shell dealer sites all across England, Scotland, and Wales. For the assimilation of this task, Shell launched the Shell Recharge, a subscription-free, EV charging service in 2017.
Shell Recharge charge points range from 50kW to 175kW, just like Osprey Charging. At the moment, there are more than 100 charging stations available at Shell forecourts in the UK. Shell intends to increase this number of EV charging centres to 200 charging points by the end of this year, 2021.
How Will This Partnership Of Shell & Osprey Affect The Market?
Currently, charging is a major hurdle for the EV market, as drivers have to plan and wait for charging at charging stations all around the world, not only in the UK. Companies like Osprey will be able to provide open-access EV charging stations in the UK, and possibly venture into the global market.
They intend to provide charging that is accessible to the driver when they need it. They want to make their network to a situation where an EV driver will be able to charge their vehicle without any delay. To do so, they also intend to build numerous charging stations in multiple locations.
For the assimilations of these aims, Osprey charging is trying to build an extensive network of rapid chargers with the funding that they have. They also believe in partnering with long-term partners so that they will be able to make a greener future.
What Does It Mean For The Future?
Shell Recharge aims to grow its EV charging network to more than 5,000 units in Shell forecourts and new locations by 2025. This means that Osprey will have to fund, install and operate their high-powered 175kW Tritium chargers under a lease, in which all the units will be operated under the Shell Recharge brand.
The charging points owned by Osprey and Shell are supplied with 100% renewable electricity. Both charging companies are certified by the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin(REGOs), meaning that all the electricity that is used by Shell Recharge is matched with equivalent units from 100% renewable sources.
The UK General Manager for Shell, Bernie Williamson commented saying, “For electric vehicle use to grow more rapidly, drivers need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable means of recharging their vehicles when they are travelling. With Osprey supporting the development of our EV charging offer at dealer-owned sites, we will be able to continue serving busy customers at convenient locations as we aim to be the leading brand for on-the-go rapid charging”.
The CEO of Osprey Charging, Ian Johnston also commented saying, “We are delighted to open the first Shell Recharge charge point operated by Osprey at a Shell dealer site. This partnership will help us to reach more EV customers through the Shell Recharge branded network…We’re delighted to be selected as the EV charging network partner for Shell’s franchise dealer forecourts. We are targeting multiple Shell sites in 2021 to join our roll-out programme”.
