https://qz.com/1542499/oil-companies-and-utilities-are-buying-up-all-the-electric-car-charging-startups/ Oil companies and utilities are buying up all the electric car charging startups February 5, 2019 Michael J. Coren
For decades, oil and gas companies and utilities dismissed electric cars. Now, the old petroleum and power giants are muscling into the driver’s seat of the “new fuels” industry. It’s projected to be a big business. McKinsey counts more than 350 new electric vehicle (EV) models debuting by 2025, one of the conditions for mass-market adoption. Global demand for gasoline is set to peak around 2021 thanks to electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel efficiency gains. The energy research and consultancy Wood Mackenzie predicts charging infrastructure investment in the US will exceed $18 billion annually by 2030 for equipment, installation, operations, and services. China is expected to have three times more energy demand from EVs by then. Now, fossil fuel incumbents want in. They’re investing heavily or outright acquiring electrical infrastructure needed to supply the millions of electric vehicles (EVs) expected in the next few years. Although just 2.2% of the world’s vehicles are electric, a record 2 million or so EVs were sold last year amid exponential growth. While the numbers aren’t huge yet—for example, Shell’s $1 billion in renewable energy and EV investments amounts amounts to just 4% of its annual capital expenditures—they’re growing fast. Globally, $334 billion was invested in global clean energy in 2017, reports BNEF (pdf) Public charging infrastructure is ramping up almost everywhere, and each region has its own unique mix of players, says Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). In Europe, 79% of the public charging infrastructure is operated by utilities and oil companies. In the US, 62% of the market is managed by pure-play EV operators. In China, equipment manufacturers control the majority. So far, European firms are making the biggest moves. The most recent move was Royal Dutch Shell’s purchase of Greenlots, a startup offering software and services for EV charging networks. The British-Dutch oil giant says it will use Greenlot’s technology, which combines software to optimize battery charging and grid balancing services in one charging platform, to build the “foundation” of its EV business in North America. The company is pouring about $1 billion a year into such deals, according to BNEF, including the acquisition of 30,000 charging stations in Western Europe, as well as a $31 million investment into EV charging startup Ample in 2018. Last year, France’s Total closed a deal for G2mobility, which offers EV charging solutions, as well as a $1.7 billion deal for Direct Energie, making it a major electricity retailer in France as well. Ultimately, Reuters reports, Total wants to grow its “low-carbon energy assets” from 5% of the total today to 20% by 2035. Most of Europe’s biggest oil firms now have a hand in renewable energy, power trading, energy storage, retail electricity sales, grid management, or EV charging. “In Europe, the line between utilities and oil and gas companies is getting a bit blurry,” said Colin McKerracher of BNEF at its summit in San Francisco on Feb. 4. “The oil and gas companies in Europe see where this stuff is going and want to ensure they are not missing out on it. … It’s not just a downside hedge.” The US is a different story. Companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil are just starting to edge into utilities’ traditional territory. Last year, Chevron participated in a $240 million round for ChargePoint, a network of independently owned charging spots, valued at $1.5 billion, according to Pitchbook. The utility American Electric Power and German automaker Daimler invested alongside the oil giant. Most active are US utilities, with many partnering directly with car companies. Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and New Jersey’s PSE&G have partnered with carmakers to offer thousands of dollars in rebates for BMW, Nissan, and other brands. California’s Pacific Gas & Electric, New York’s Consolidated Edison, the southeast’s Duke Energy Company, and others covering almost every state are lobbying Congress to extend EV tax credits. Pacific Gas and Electric is busy investing in thousands of fast-charging stations around the state. [© qz.com] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-giants-competing-buy-battery-121427788.html Oil giants are competing to buy battery companies February 15, 2019 Shell has also acquired Greenlots and New Motion, electric-car charging companies in the US and Europe, respectively. Sonnen also says that it has developed its own technology for electric-car charging, which will now become part of Shell’s growing portfolio in this area ... It uses lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which are known to be cheaper and longer lasting than the nickel-cobalt-manganese b... ... https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2019/02/shell-buys-sonnen-batterie.html Shell buys sonnen batterie February 15, 2019 With the help of Shell, sonnen will accelerate its ability to offer innovative integrated energy services and electric vehicle ... https://www.cspdailynews.com/fuels/petro-canada-launching-coast-coast-ev-charging-network Petro-Canada Launching Coast-to-Coast EV-Charging Network Feb 15, 2019 CALGARY, Alberta -- Petro-Canada is building a coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations across Canada. The company announced ... https://cdn.winsightmedia.com/platform/files/public/2019-02/background/1800x945/petro-canada_1550260987.jpg?EoMeZ5FANDFPfplw86HazTLdoW1trd7A http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Greenlots-charge-paying-hell-Oil-acquired-another-EVSE-net-tp4692737.html Greenlots charge= paying $hell-Oil> acquired another EVSE.net Shell Acquires Greenlots to Lead North American EV Charging Push Jan 31 2019 [dated] http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-U-S-Exxon-Mobil-EV-charging-network-Game-afoot-tp4674113.html EVLN: U.S. Exxon Mobil EV-charging-network Game afoot ... electric vehicles (EV) around the world. The energy giant is planning to build its own EV-charging network in the US and will start working on the project within six months, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke with Bidness Etc. Exxon Mobil decided to enter the EV market as... Mar 07, 2015 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Shell-shock-oil-company-embraces-EVs-with-Shell-Recharge-charging-tp4688308.html Shell shock> oil company embraces EVs with 'Shell Recharge' charging ... electric charging sphere. Currently, the oil company has more than 30,000 EV charge points in Europe ... Shell’s traditional looking “pump” EVSE> £0.49/kWh... Oct 22, 2017 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/BP-in-talks-with-Electric-car-makers-on-partnering-to-offer-EVSE-their-stations-tp4687590.html BP in talks with Electric car makers on partnering to offer EVSE @their stations ... New Delhi, India, June 15, 2017 / Adnan Abidi LONDON (Reuters) - BP is in talks with electric vehicle makers on partnering to offer battery re-charging docks at its global network of fuel service stations as it seeks to benefit from the move away from diesel and petrol cars, Chief Executive Bob... Aug 07, 2017 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/BP-Fuel-Cards-sez-EV-charging-a-logical-move-use-their-ice-card-to-charge-a-plugin-tp4686324.html BP Fuel Cards sez EV-charging a 'logical move'> (use their ice card to charge a plugin?) Apr 07, 2017 ... move and it will happen within the next year or two.” BP, which operates a branded network of 1,300 sites, has already launched a similar scheme in the Netherlands after multiple fast-charging systems were introduced at some of its service stations in 2011, as part of a nationwide trial. The... For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
