Shell's David Bunch tries out first ultra-fast charger in France

by David Bunch, Global Vice President Retail Marketing & Chairman Shell Brands International

Powering an EV in under 10 minutes sounds like a no-brainer to support mass adoption, but the technology must come first says David Bunch, Global Vice President Retail Marketing & Chairman Shell Brands International.

One week ago, I drove to Paris with my family to explore the city and visit the many amazing sites. This week I made the trip again, in an electric vehicle this time (certainly quieter and not just because there were no kids in the car!) and was delighted to visit another amazing site – Shell’s first ultra-fast charger at our Chartres Bois motorway station, where next generation electric cars can charge in up to 10 mins!

Paris is a fitting venue for our first ultra-fast charger at a major motorway site. Of course, it was in Paris, almost exactly three years ago that a vision for a cleaner energy future were agreed. This is one small step in our drive to make that vision a reality.

The first 12 Shell-IONITY chargers are now open for business, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The chargers will soon form a major pan-European network across 10 countries at 80 such Shell stations with our fast charging partner IONITY.

It is a big moment and a huge accomplishment. This isn’t just another place to charge an EV, this is the future of electric mobility – a 350kW high powered charger - to put it into perspective a ‘fast charger’ was traditionally considered to be a 50kW charger.

These chargers have seven times that power and will enable the cars of tomorrow to ‘refuel’ in around the same time it takes you to fill up your standard car today.

What made the event even more memorable for me was the presence of my South Pole Energy Challenge buddy, Barney Swan. He came over to see for himself how we have progressed our commitment to make more and cleaner energy technology available.

Unfortunately, we won’t be taking fast chargers on our next expedition… but with the pace of technological progress I doubt it will be long before we do!