Skip to main content

EV drivers prefer to drive longer to avoid bad charging experiences

  • With charging infrastructure exceeding demand in some markets, Charge Point Operators (CPOs) that don’t prioritise experience may struggle to maintain utilisation.
  • Six in ten (59%) European EV drivers would travel further to get a better charging experience.
  • Range confidence is the new reality: More than half of EV drivers across Europe (56%), China (73%) and the U.S. (69%) worry less about range than they did a year ago.

London: Greater emphasis is being placed on the quality of the overall charging experience, according to new research from the 2024 Shell Recharge Driver Programme.

The 2024 Shell Recharge Driver Programme looked at the views of 33,696 drivers across Europe, China, and the USA and, for the first time, non-EV drivers were also surveyed.

Around two-thirds (59%) of European EV drivers and more than seven in ten among those in the U.S. (76%) and China (72%) would be willing to travel further to a site that offered superior amenities such as faster charging, retail options and dining facilities.

With charging infrastructure exceeding demand in some markets, this emerging trend in EV charging behaviour that could dampen utilisation rates for Charge Point Operators who don’t prioritise experience.

David Bunch, Global Executive Vice President of Shell Mobility commented: The willingness to drive further for a better charging experience shows the value consumers place on reliability and efficiency. Today’s drivers aren’t just looking for a charge, they also want an experience that enhances their overall journey. With further investment in fast public charging and improvements in convenience retail and dining options on site, we can ensure that consumers feel like they are making the most of their charging time.”

In addition to driving further for a better charging experience, three-quarters of drivers in the U.S. (79%) and China (78%) would be willing to pay a premium for a faster experience, according to the report.

“Customer expectations on EV charging are rapidly evolving,” Bunch continued: “Charging time is precious time and this is a huge opportunity for the industry to help accelerate the transition to electric mobility.”

The 2024 Shell Recharge Programme also found that:

  • The majority of EV drivers surveyed in Europe (97%), USA (82%) and China (90%) now say that their EV is their main (or only) vehicle.
  • A growing second-hand market is further bolstering demand for charging services with non-EV drivers who would consider an EV as their next vehicle in Europe (65%) and the USA (71%) saying they would consider a second-hand EV.
  • In each region surveyed, EVs were more likely to be fleet vehicles when compared to internal combustion engines (ICE): in Europe (35% EV vs. 24% ICE), in the USA (54% EV vs. 20% ICE) and in China (42% EV vs. 33% ICE)

The research also revealed a notable increase in EV drivers range confidence in the last year. Promisingly, more than half of EV drivers across Europe (56%), China (73%) and the U.S. (69%) worry less about range than they did a year ago, according to the data.

The data also showed the experience of driving an EV exceeded expectations when comparing current and prospective drivers; with only 23% of European EV considerers expecting to enjoy driving an EV, whereas 67% of EV drivers stating the driving experience was a main benefit for them. This was also true of drivers in China (24% expect vs 35% reality) and the U.S. (17% expect vs. 36% reality).

Bunch stated: “Improved range confidence has become a gateway to a newfound freedom and EV drivers now feel empowered to explore new routes and destinations. The reduced range anxiety has transformed their overall experience, allowing drivers to focus on the joy of the journey.”

Whilst the data showed that drivers are reaping the benefits of their EV and becoming more range confident, a notable knowledge gap still exists for many non-EV drivers. According to the research, for non-EV European drivers, around half (47%) are open to purchasing an EV, but this figure drops to just 39% for those who are not as knowledgeable about the charging process.

To find out more about the trends, challenges, and opportunities as we accelerate towards mass EV adoption, please download the Shell Recharge Driver Programme 2024 (PDF, 91 MB)

.

Enquiries

Shell UK / International Media Relations
+44 20 7934 5550

Notes to editors

About the research:

  • Interviews for the 2024 Shell Recharge Driver Programme were conducted in April 2024 using an email invitation and an online survey with our research partner Strive. 
  • We sampled a total of 24,179 BEV or PHEV drivers across Europe, including in Germany (9,397 respondents), the Netherlands (7,089), the UK (4,815), France (1,399), Belgium (1,349), Austria (82), and Switzerland (48). For the first time, we also surveyed EV drivers from the USA (1,500), and China (1,500).
  • A total of 6,517 non-EV drivers were surveyed this year. The national breakdown is as follows: Germany (1,302), the Netherlands (1,082), UK (1,072 respondents), USA (1,000), China (500), France (409), Belgium (401), Switzerland (376), and Austria (375).
  • Respondents were sourced from Shell Recharge’s customer databases (21,679) and consumer access panels (5,500). 

About Shell Mobility:

Shell is one of the world’s largest mobility retailers with more than 47,000 Shell-branded mobility locations in more than 80 markets. With Shell Recharge being present in more than 30 countries, we are also one of the largest EV charging companies globally in terms of country reach.

Every day, around 33 million customers visit our mobility locations for an evolving range of quality fuels, including electric vehicle charging, and convenience and non-fuel products and services. Shell currently has around 60,000 public charge points at retail sites, forecourts, on-street locations, mobility hubs and destinations like supermarkets, which it expects to increase to 200,000 by 2030.

About Strive:

Strive Insight is a London based market research and insight consultancy and is part of the New York based Radius group. Founded in 2015, Strive conducts a wide range of market research projects for major multi-nationals around the world, with a focus on delivering commercial opportunities for its clients using custom research approaches coupled with innovative and creative design outputs.

Cautionary note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The term “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (, b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cybersecurity breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, 16 July, 2024. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI are for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-zero emissions target

Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures

This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

The contents of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.