To broaden its range of EV charging solutions, Shell has agreed to buy 100% of the charging network ubitricity. This is in line with Shell’s efforts to support drivers as they switch to electric vehicles.
Ubitricity is one of the UK’s largest public EV charging networks and operates charge points on behalf of local authorities and private businesses. You can usually find these installed in lamp-posts and bollards along streets, particularly in urban areas.
These charge points are easy to use on a pay-as-you-go basis by scanning in a QR code found on the charge point. This takes users through to a payment page, controlling the start and end of the charging session.
Ubitricity operates in a number of European countries and has over 2,700 charge points in the UK (currently over 13% market share). The company has also established emerging public charging points in Germany and France and has installed over 1,500 private charge points for fleet customers within Europe.
Commenting on the acquisition, István Kapitány, Executive Vice President of Shell Global Mobility, said:
“Working with local authorities, we want to support the growing number of Shell customers who want to switch to an EV by making it as convenient as possible for them. On-street options such as the lamp post charging offered by ubitricity will be key for those who live and work in cities or have limited access to off-street parking. Whether at home, at work or on-the-go, we want to provide our customers with accessible and affordable EV charging options so they can charge up no matter where they are.”
This acquisition marks Shell’s expansion into the fast-growing on-street EV charging market and will help Shell to scale their overall EV charging offer. This already includes over 1,000 ultra-fast and fast charging points at approximately 430 Shell retail sites plus worldwide access to over 185,000 third-party EV charging points at a range of public locations.
Explaining why Shell was the ideal company to support ubitricity’s growth strategy, Lex Hartman, ubitricity’s CEO, said:
“What excites so many people about ubitricity is that our integration of EV charge points into existing on-street infrastructure makes EV charging easy and accessible for everyone who needs it, where they need it. Particularly in larger cities where there is limited access to off-street parking, this is the solution many people have been waiting for to allow them to transition to EV ownership. Combining this piece of the puzzle with Shell’s existing range of EV charging solutions gives EV drivers access to a full range of charging options, making Shell and ubitricity a perfect match.”
Once the deal is completed towards the end of this year, ubitricity is expected to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell.
