Shell stations to offer charging for electric vehicles

MANILA, Philippines – Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation will install the first 100 electric vehicle fast-charging stations in its gasoline stations across Metro Manila, in a bid to encourage the adoption of zero-emission vehicles.

The listed oil refiner told the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Tuesday, October 10, that it signed a memorandum of agreement with QEV Philippines – a joint venture between the Philippines’ Endika Aboitiz and Spain’s Enrique Bañuelos – for the deployment of the first electric vehicle fast-charging infrastructure network in the country.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. “You come up with a better, safer vehicle for the public. Drivers will earn more so it’s a win-win for all,” he said.

According to Pilipinas Shell, the first installations of the charging stations will happen in December this year. (READ: ‘One million electric vehicles in PH by 2020’)

The agreement requires that the initial 100 pilot sites for the charging stations will be strategically located in Pilipinas Shell’s retail stations in Metro Manila.

Pilipinas Shell said the charging posts will be supplied by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), a Swiss multinational firm specializing in robotics power and automation technology. ABB has installed electric vehicle charging posts all around Europe and in many parts of the world. 

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) has a target of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2020.

Local universities and property developers are also playing their part in reducing greenhouse emissions by adopting electric vehicles as shuttles.

Lack of charging equipment is one of the main reasons for the slow uptake of electric vehicles in the Philippines. To address this, QEV is also in talks with SM and Ayala for the deployment of more electric vehicle charging posts. 

Aside from the Philippines, Shell has already been adding electric vehicle charging posts to its stations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the Financial Times reported.

An executive of the oil giant told the Financial Times that this move would create commercial opportunities for Shell due to the waiting time usually experienced when charging electric vehicles. – Rappler.com