Shell pulls the plug on hydrogen stations in the UK
The mobility company has shut down the prototype sites and looks to turn towards chargers for EVs as battery costs go down.
Shell has closed three hydrogen filling stations in the United Kingdom earlier this year and looks to redirect its alternatives strategy into electric vehicles (EV). As battery costs go down, the mobility company seeks to leverage on the new models being developed by manufacturers in replacement of the quick filling capabilities of hydrogen.
According to a recent report by Forecourt Trader, the firm has shut down sites at Beaconsfield, Cobham and Gatwick Airport, located in southeast England. The facilities were operated by ITM Motive, a subsidiary of ITM Power, and acted as prototypes for studying the impact of the alternative fuel on cars and vans.
The BloombergNEF agency also compared recent sales of alternatives-fueled vehicles, with 16,300 hydrogen cars sold last year against approximately 4.6 million EVs. Shell has confirmed it will switch its focus for hydrogen into powering the heavy-duty sector.
ITM Motive stated that the £2.23 million yearley it had invested in sustaining these sites was no longer viable to continue. Shell has also confirmed that it will seek opportunities in the UK to build multi-energy hubs for the transport industry, a similar model already built in California.
