Osprey is to fully fund, install and operate 175kW Tritium chargers under the Shell Recharge brand as part of a new deal between the two companies.
Having been chosen as Shell’s preferred partner for installing electric vehicle (EV) charging at all of its UK franchised forecourt sites, Osprey has now installed the first of these 175kW chargers at Shell Hovefield.
While the installations are fully financed by Osprey, the profits are shared with owners, creating a new risk-free revenue stream according to the company.
Shell Recharge – which was launched in 2017 – is a subscription-free, on-forecourt EV charging service offering chargepoints with a range of charging capacity between 50kW and 175kW. There are now 100 EV chargepoints available at Shell forecourts in the UK.
The company is aiming to increase this to 200 by the end of 2021, with plans to grow the charging network to over 5,000 chargepoints on forecourts and new locations by 2025.
All Shell chargepoints are currently supplied by 100% renewable energy, achieved through the use of Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates.
Bernie Williamson, Shell UK general manager, said that for EV uptake to increase more rapidly “drivers need to feel confident that there are convenient and reliable” ways of charging when 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.”
Osprey currently operates a public charging network in the UK of over 200 EV chargepoints, having secured £50 million of funding in 2019 to deploy over 2,000 rapid chargers by 2024. It is targeting multiple Shell dealer forecourts in 2021 to join the roll-out programme.
Earlier this month it installed the first Tritium RTM75 rapid chargers in Europe, with these located in Gosport, UK.
