How Fast Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle?

While electric vehicles boast serious eco-friendly credentials, they often fall short when it comes to driving range. Currently, the average chare time for popular EV models like the Nissan LEAF sits at around seven hours, with most owners plugging into a home charge station overnight. Though with a range of just 150 miles, the car isn't suitable for longer trips and can't be charged on a whim.

Now, Shell has challenged perceptions of electric vehicles and launched an ultra-fast EV charge stations across Europe. Three times faster than regular models currently available to drivers, the new EV charge stations can add up to 150 kilometres of driving range to a car battery in just five minutes. The move marks an exciting step forward for Europe's electric vehicle infrastructure, with 80 of the next-generation charging stations set to hit Western Europe by 2020.

Shell launches ultra-fast 100kW chargers

While current EV models will be unable to harness the benefits of the ultra-fast charge stations, new offerings like the Porsche Taycan do have the capability to handle 100kW chargers. This could slash total charge times to as low as 10 minutes, which is remarkably close to the overall time required to manually refuel a car at a conventional petrol station. Existing EV owners will still be able to use the stations, though older battery technology means total charge times will exceed 10 minutes.  

Shell isn't the first major oil company to show interest in the electric vehicle market, with BP recently purchasing the UK's biggest charging firm network for £130 million. National Grid, the utility company that powers the UK's electricity transmission network, is also investing in EV technology, with recent talks to construct 50 350kW charging hubs across the UK.

Evolving with consumer demand

David Bunch, vice-president of retail at Shell Europe asserts that the EV revolution is here and that companies need to evolve with consumer demand.

“One in 12 new cars in the UK is an electric vehicle and one in 10 in the Netherlands. From our perspective, it is planning a little bit for the future. But the pace of acceleration is such that it’s prudent to do so and we see great value in that.”

It's not just the transport industry that’s pioneering eco-friendly innovations, with shale producers also championing environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. For a closer look at the movement don't miss 'A paradigm shift for shale: the environmental, financial, and litigative impetus for produced water recycling.'