One of the world's biggest petrol producers has just figured out a ground-breaking electric car charging solution.
Shell produces more than eight million barrels of crude oil a day, but the company is turning the tables with its ‘Triple 10 Challenge’ concept electric car.
It is designed to achieve three goals, which are a 10-minute charge time, a driving efficiency of 10kWh per 100km and a lifetime emissions footprint of 10 tonnes.
Charging times are one of the main talking points when it comes to an EV future.
Brands have been in fierce competition to produce super fast charging cars and infrastructure.
Geely sub-brand Zeekr announced back in April it was prepping a system capable of charging from 10-97 per cent in less than nine minutes.
Shell’s system focuses on improving the efficiency of how vehicles charge as opposed to pumping more power into the charger.
It will use an advanced thermal fluid designed to prevent overheating, which has become the biggest roadblock to fast charging.
The transfer of electricity creates friction, and therefore heat, slowing down the charging process.
The liquid used by Shell is not electrically conductive meaning it is not susceptible to the high levels of friction faced during charging.
Batteries are submerged in this liquid to directly prevent heating up as opposed to conventional cooling mechanisms that only mitigate overheating.
BYD and Geely have approached the issue differently by distributing liquid-cooled chargers in China.
This new system from Shell could change the charging game by using a less powerful charger and still achieving fast charging times.
Many of the ultra fast chargers available boast power of more than 1000kW, but Shell’s system would only need 175kW to achieve similar charging times.
Australia will soon receive BYD’s megawatt fast charging in what will be one of the first examples of ultra fast charging Down Under.
There is no news on where Shell plans to use this technology, but it could be huge in Australia should it get off the ground, given the country’s challenges with adequate charging infrastructure.
Shell’s driving efficiency aim of 10kWh/100km would be a strong performer in the EV world.
Improved driving efficiency means EVs can travel longer distances between charges.
This could be particularly useful for small cars that do not have the space for big batteries, like Shell's concept car.
The similarly-sized BYD Atto 1's 30kWh battery has a driving range of 220km at 15.5kWh/100km, but this would be boosted to 300km at Shell's rate of 10kWh/100km.
This would also bring down the size of batteries needed for EVs, reducing the amount of EV waste and strain on expensive recycling initiatives.
EVs are often criticised for the environmental costs of acquiring precious metal resources and manufacturing the final product.
Shell’s final goal is to have a total emissions value over the life of its concept car being 10 million tonnes.
The company said this is roughly 50 per cent of the lifecycle emissions of comparable vehicles produced today.
It's improved emissions value is down to a smaller battery, simplified cooling circuit and recycled components.
Shell’s project remains in its infancy currently, but the hatchback model showcased demonstrates there is potential for commercialisation.
