Shell Philippines, the local subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, has kicked off its investment foray into electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with the commercial operation of its first facility at its Mamplasan station.
Called "Shell Recharge," the EV charging facility in Mamplasan will be the first for Shell, but the company indicated this suite of electric mobility solution will be scaled up across the chain of its nationwide retail network.
“Shell Recharge will initially be available in Shell Mamplasan starting July and will gradually roll out to more Shell Mobility stations within the next 12 months,” the company said. This will be in addition to the nature-based solutions (NBS) carbon offset service, which can be utilized by drivers. Via the program, the company promotes the practice of “compensating for carbon emissions feasible for everyday consumers.”
As designed, Shell Recharge comes with two EV charging points “with CCS2 connectors allowing two vehicles to charge simultaneously.”
The company specified that “with a 180 kilowatt-hour DC fast charger, the Shell Recharge station at Shell Mamplasan allows an average EV to get a full charge in just 30 minutes.”
It further pointed out that “as the first Shell-branded charger and currently the most powerful DC fast charger located along the South Luzon expressway, it will make EV charging even more convenient and accessible to users.”
Shell’s NBS carbon offset service, on the other, will be initially available in 15 sites, including Shell Mamplasan by July, and 100 sites by the end of year.
The transport sector, which is being served by the oil companies, had been tagged as among the world’s biggest environmental offenders when it comes to carbon emissions and in worsening the dilemma of climate change risks. Hence, industry players, like Shell, have been accelerating initiatives into the decarbonization pathway that had been globally cemented via the Paris Agreement.
According to Istvan Kapitany, global executive vice president for Shell Mobility, they are aiming to become “the Philippines’ leading mobility company,” and its foray into installation of EV chargers “is a testament to the range of its offer to motorists.”
He added “the NBS carbon offset service and Shell’s first EV charger in the country are among the initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and to cater to a growing number of customers whose needs are changing fast.”
Shell emphasized such solutions had both been anchored on its “drive toward decarbonizing mobility by helping customers in avoiding, reducing, and compensating for carbon emissions, as well as its transformation toward becoming the mobility destination of choice for motorists.”
Kapitany asserted they are making sure that Shell sites will become the "go-to place for all customers, whether they drive traditional or EV,” with him noting that their mobility stations will soon feature integrated offers of fuel, EVs as well as convenience retail.
Through these new offerings, Shell will now cater to EV users and customers who are on their carbon-offsetting journey.