Shell, Q-Park to build mobility hubs throughout Netherlands
Five facilities will be developed by the companies in four key cities of the country to improve accessibility and liveability as well as accelerating the energy transition.
Shell and Q-Park are teaming up to build five mobility hubs in major cities throughout the Netherlands. The new concepts introduced at car parks will be combined with existing services and expanded with facilities such as fast charging, shared mobility options including electric bicycles, mopeds and car sharing schemes together with logistics services and the sale of fresh food and drinks.
Both companies want to offer solutions to improve city accessibility and liveability in Amsterdam, The Hague, Maastricht and Rotterdam. In 2012, Shell and Q-Park introduced the very first electric vehicle charging point in a car park in the country and ten years later there are almost 1,000 EV charging points installed. The partners aim to increase this number up to 1,400 within the next two years.
“Mobility is evolving faster than we might think. If, in 2030, only electric vehicles will be sold, we must start preparing for these now. We are doing this in various ways, and one is to create an extensive network of EV charging points at homes, in the streets, at shopping centres and our filling stations,” said Jeanine Bakx, General Manager of Shell Mobility in the Benelux and France.
By combining parking facilities with shared mobility, hubs are created where travellers can easily switch between the car and other forms of transport. In addition, offering logistics services can also save customers a trip to the package collection point.
Q-Park and Shell want this initiative to accelerate the energy transition. Research shows that future owners of electric cars take access to EV charging into consideration when deciding whether or not to transition to an all-electric vehicle. Almost 1 in 5 have no access to EV charging at work or at home and therefore have to rely on public charging stations.
