Shell (
www.shell.com) is to install battery-charging points at some European petrol stations, as the oil group reacts to rising sales of electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, Total of France has said it is “studying the viability” of installing charging points at some domestic filling stations. Italy’s Eni Group already has charging facilities at some of its outlets in Italy and central Europe.
According to John Abbott, director of downstream business at Shell, a “selection” of its filling stations in Britain and the Netherlands — the group’s home markets — will be the first to offer the service later this year.
Mr Abbott said: “The gradually increasing number of electric cars on the road will create commercial opportunities for Shell, as drivers look for places to make the half-hour pit stops typically required. If you are sitting charging your vehicle, you will want to have a coffee or something to eat.”
John Leech, UK head of automotive for the KPMG consultancy, said he expected as many battery-charging points as traditional filling stations in Britain by around 2020.
“We will start to see mass-market adoption of electric vehicles early next decade, but it will take until about 2030 for them to form a majority of cars on the road.”