Shell Partners With Toyota To Build Hydrogen Fueling Stations In California

Royal Dutch Shell is one of the world’s largest petroleum companies. So why is it partnering with Toyota to build hydrogen fueling stations in California?  “The enemy of the enemy is a friend,” says Toyota product manager Katsuhiko Hirose. When Tesla took nearly 380,000 reservations for the Model 3 last spring, it sent shock waves through the industry. Musk “threatens the oil companies, and the oil companies respond the other way,” adds Hirose. The other way in this instance is a firm embrace of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Shell has announced it will build 7 hydrogen fueling stations in The Golden State to help support Toyota and its fuel cell Mirai. California has set a goal of 100 fueling stations by 2024. The California Energy Board is considering throwing more than $16 million into the pot to help make that happen. “The Shell-Toyota partnership “shows there’s a lot of interest and that the hydrogen market is poised to move forward rapidly,” said Janea Scott, a member of the California commission. Shell and Toyota will pony up $11.4 million of their own money.

Wait a minute. That’s almost $20 million for 7 stations and someone thinks that’s a good idea? Apparently when your core business is under threat from electric cars, grasping at straws is a logical reaction. At least much of the hydrogen will be made by reforming natural gas, a fossil fuel that can help keep money pouring in to corporate coffers until the final collapse occurs. Shell’s response could be compared to polishing the silverware in the dining rooms of the Titanic as it hurtles toward the iceberg.

“Shell wants to be in the forefront of this technology,” said Oliver Bishop, general manager at Shell for hydrogen. The complexities of producing, storing and delivering the fuel necessitate “the support of governments and of car companies like Toyota to make it work. Hydrogen is clean. It’s flexible and has many applications. What’s not to like about it?” he asks.

Toyota believes that internal combustion engines will be banned one day and so it is planning to eliminate them from its product lineup by the year 2050. It is betting hydrogen fuel cells will replace most of them. “ When no more combustion of fuel is allowed, hydrogen will become one of the major sources of fuel, of that we’re confident,” says Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota’s president of advanced research and development and engineering. He thinks customers will prefer fuel cell cars over plug-in hybrids. The government of Japan is strongly backing the transition to hydrogen power. It will spend $400 million on hydrogen infrastructure before the 2020 Summer Olympics open in Tokyo.

Shell and Toyota are also part of a consortium that hopes to expand the hydrogen fueling network in Europe. Together with French fuel company Total, hydrogen companies Air Liquide and Linde, and 13 other companies, they have formed a global hydrogen council and will invest $10.7 billion in hydrogen related products over the next five years.

The case against hydrogen has been laid out in detail here at Gas2 on several occasions. It’s biggest allure seems to be that refueling a hydrogen powered car takes about the same amount of time as putting gas in a conventional car m(when the pumps work correctly). Billions of dollars are going to be spent because people can’t wait to recharge their electric cars? That makes no sense. The world is facing a full blown climate emergency and people are making enormous investments so drivers won’t suffer any inconvenience? Unbelievable. Not only that but charging times are coming down fast and will continue to fall.

Fuel cells could play an important role when it comes to moving freight and cargo. Container ships are some of the biggest polluters on the planet. Just 160 of those floating behemoths create more pollution than all the internal combustion vehicles in the world combined. Transitioning the world’s fleet of cargo vessels would be hugely important and would only require a hand full of fueling facilities at ports around the world. Hydrogen for passenger cars will need thousands of fueling stations at a cost of a $1 trillion or more.

Fuel cells could also play an important part in replacing diesel engines in heavy trucks, trains, buses, and other vehicles involved in transporting people and goods on a daily basis. But for private passenger cars? Hydrogen is precisely what Elon Musk called in years ago — bullshit. That remark inspired Toyota to create an amusing ad showing hydrogen being made from the methane emissions emanating from fresh cow dung.

While that ad may have provided a few chuckles, the fierceness with which fossil fuel companies and legacy automakers cling to the past in order to stave off the inevitable day of reckoning is, as Donald Trump might say, “Sad. So, so sad.”

Source: Automotive News

UK & Netherlands Shell Stations To Add EV Charging

Sometimes, it’s a good thing to change your spots. Shell is doing a bit of that. Shell is not a name I think of at all in terms of clean air infrastructure. More often, I reflect on the problems of the oil company in places it should not be — rainforests, the Arctic, etc. Changing its spots, Shell is offering a new face with a clean air emphasis. Shell is planning a second choice in how it fuels up cars, and it is a good thing for once. Parts of Europe will see the beginning of the change. Some Shell stations in UK and Netherlands will reportedly be adding EV charging stations later this year.

Gas is not cheap at all in that part of the world. The push towards renewable, clean energy is strong in Europe. One of the benefits of electric cars is the convenient ability to charge at home, or perhaps at your workplace, the grocery store, IKEA, etc. However, installing EV charging stations at gas stations can be helpful to bridge gaps in charging infrastructure for those who are out and about and low on charge.

→ Related: What Will The End Of Gasoline Cars Look Like?

An earlier CleanTechnica story on Shell and solar energy showed an adaptive shift might be planned: “Solar energy will comprise the backbone of the world’s energy system in years to come, according to the CEO of Shell (yes, that Shell), Ben van Beurden.”

The interesting/odd thing is that, to avoid a visit to a gas station and not have to smell gas so closely is one of the reasons some of us prefer EVs. On the other hand, I do think this will help many less adventurous types to feel secure. It will also help to normalize the idea of electric cars. People like familiarity. On a long trip without other options, this is a good additional location, I admit, even if $ is at the root. Ever wonder how much $ gas stations bring in with those high-priced bottles of water and snacks?

Shell sees the chargers as a business opportunity to sell more snacks. “We have a number of countries where we’re looking at having battery charging facilities,” John Abbott, Shell director of downstream business, commented in an interview with the Financial Times. “If you are sitting charging your vehicle, you will want to have a coffee or something to eat.”

Inverse.com highlighted the new Shell story with a focus on Tesla charging, but it’s actually non-Tesla fully electric car drivers who could make more use of EV charging stalls at gas stations — Teslas have the most range by far, and they also benefit from access to a fairly widespread Tesla super-fast charging (Supercharging) network. Nonetheless, more charging stations could even help Tesla drivers. Also, note that Tesla is partnering with gas stations in some European countries (e.g., with Orlen in Poland) to install Superchargers.

Shell Eco-Marathon Winner Earns 3,587 MPG Rating

The Shell Eco-Marathon is an annual gathering of gearheads and engineering enthusiasts with just one task; go as far as possible using as little energy as possible. Innovation is key, and this year some clever Canadians managed to wring an incredible 3,587 mpg from its gas-powered prototype. Nice!

Of course that is estimated mileage, as the contest did not actually require contestants to travel that far. Nevertheless, the 3,587 mpg rating blows last year’s winners out of the water by about 1,300 mpg. Using a low-slung, uber-light gas-powered prototype, the Universite Laval team from Quebec managed to beat out over 130 other competitors to take home the grand prize.

Other strong showings came from the Mater Dei team, which won the prototype EV and urban concept category, going 600.1 miles-per-kWh and earning 849 mpg respectively. Yet even the Canadian’s 3,587 mpg didn’t even come close to beating the 7,148 mpg record of 2008, or the 8,914 mpg record set way back in 2003 by a French team.

In other words, there is apparently a lot of room for improvement.

Source: Gas2.0

Shell progressing LNG for North American transportation sector; partnerships with Wärtsilä, Westport, GE

Shell announced plans to have Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) available for heavy-duty fleet customers beginning in 2012 at select Shell Flying J truck stops in Alberta, Canada as one of a series of steps to increase the utilization of LNG in the transportation sector in North America.

Shell is pursuing engineering and regulatory permits to produce LNG by 2013 at its Jumping Pound gas processing facility in the foothills of Alberta, Canada. Pending regulatory approval, it will be the first investment of its kind for Shell globally and will include production facilities and downstream infrastructure. Until then, LNG will be supplied to the Shell Flying J truck stops from third-party supply agreements.

With an abundance of natural gas and a growing need for low-emission transportation fuels, today signals a very important step for a significant North American resource. Our strong portfolio and worldwide LNG leadership puts us in a unique position to grow LNG in key markets. And, to meet growing demand, natural gas for larger fleet vehicles delivers reduced emissions and offers a cost-competitive alternative to other fuels.<

—Marvin Odum, president, Shell Oil Company

Shell is also actively developing new business opportunities with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to substitute LNG for diesel and propane in a number of industrial sectors such marine, on-road trucking, rail, mining and oil and gas drilling applications. Some of these include:

• As part of its efforts to expand the use of LNG as a fuel beyond the heavy duty road transport sector, Shell also today announced a Joint Cooperation Agreement with Wärtsilä North America to further improve the environmental footprint of the US marine industry, as well as other sectors, by accelerating the deployment of larger engines which use LNG as a fuel.

  Shell will provide LNG to a broad range of Wärtsilä natural gas powered vessel operators and other customers. Under this agreement, the partners will focus first on the US Gulf Coast, and then expand their efforts.

• Shell and Westport Innovations Inc. will launch a co-marketing program in North America aimed at providing customers a better economic case when purchasing and operating liquefied natural gas-powered vehicles (LNGVs) by consolidating key value chain components such as fuel supply, customer support and comprehensive maintenance into a single, user-friendly package.

  Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will leverage their positions in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and distribution for Shell and LNGV systems and technology for Westport, to deliver a superior integrated commercial solution to participating customers, initially in North America.

  Additionally, the companies will collaborate to develop industry standards for LNG as a new transportation fuel.

• A Cooperation Agreement with GE’s transportation division to jointly develop a total solution for railroad including associated infrastructure and a locomotive capable of running on both diesel and LNG. This presents a practical alternative fuel source and delivers the benefits of a secure, low-cost and low-emissions fuel for the rail industry.

• Additionally, in the mining sector, Shell is actively developing energy solutions which utilize liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel for the North American mining industry. These solutions will bring fuel cost reductions and emissions improvements to the sector through focused applications in the form of mobile mine haul fleets and other stationary applications. Shell is currently collaborating with technical partners to develop LNG infrastructure solutions for the mining customers.

Source: Green Car Congress