• More convenience for drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) for their on-the-go charge via the nationwide coverage of Osprey’s rapid chargers
• Partnership adds 259 DC 50kWh rapid connections to Shell Recharge Solutions' ever growing public roaming network, which recently connected the 170,000th charge point
• Open Access for EV drivers is centrally ensured by Hubject's intercharge platform, the largest B2B eRoaming platform in Europe

London, November 2, 2020 – Leading European smart charging solutions provider, Shell Recharge Solutions, has today announced a roaming partnership with UK charge point operator Osprey Charging, formerly Engenie. Under the partnership, 259 rapid connections are added to Shell Recharge Solutions' public charging network. Shell Recharge Solutions recently connected the 170,000th charge point to its roaming network and now counts over 3,000 charging locations in the UK.

Osprey Charging operates a nationwide network of rapid DC charge points that charge at 50kW, with higher power chargers coming soon. These rapid chargers can provide 80-100 miles of range in 20-30 minutes, depending on the model of electric vehicle (EV). In comparison, an AC 7-22kW charge point can take 4-11 hours to fully charge an EV battery. As such, DC charge points are highly valued by EV drivers whilst on-the-go as they offer a quick and reliable service.

Shell Recharge Solutions and Osprey Charging are part of Hubject's international intercharge network, the leading platform for B2B interoperability services with over 750 partners worldwide. Hubject provides open and standardised interfaces for its partners to onboard and start roaming with other, cross-country and cross-operator industry players.

Expanding the network with rapid charge points

Alan McCleave, UK General Manager of Shell Recharge Solutions, said: "“We are extremely excited to be partnering with Osprey and grow our public roaming network further. Drivers value fast charging when they are on the go, and together we can now offer a first class charging experience whether drivers are at work, home or out and about. It’s great to see roaming partnerships are becoming the norm here in the UK as our EV market continues to mature and the need for easy access to charging infrastructure grows. Using Hubject’s intercharge platform to facilitate this roaming partnership offers a reliable connection to the Osprey network. We’re always looking for more partners with open networks, who want to make EV charging easy for drivers.”

Making rapid charging even more available

Ian Johnston, Osprey Charging CEO, says, “Osprey Charging is a totally open access public charging network, so it’s important to us to be available in the e-mobility services that drivers turn to when they need a charge. The partnership with Shell Recharge Solutions enabled via Hubject allows more EV drivers to discover our rapid chargers across the UK, and to easily start and pay for a charge. Whilst we offer contactless payment as standard, we appreciate and embrace the added benefits to customers that belonging to a reliably connected roaming service brings.”

Connecting the industry stakeholders

Melanie Cao, Senior Manager Market Development at Hubject says*, "We are well aware of the major challenges in interoperability in the UK, namely to provide EV drivers with the most seamless and transparent access to charging networks and at the same time to enable our partners to offer such charging services via a central platform. Therefore, we are more than thrilled to provide the structural foundation to Shell Recharge Solutions and Osprey Charging's roaming partnership and to support both partners to expand their reach in the UK.*

The availability of public charging infrastructure is a key consideration for drivers when making the switch to driving electric and so roaming agreements help with EV adoption. Roaming, or interoperability, is the creation of an open network where drivers access the charging services of all operators in the network with just a single charge card. As such, the roaming partnerships create a more connected charging network for drivers and help ease the pressure of range anxiety. In effect, roaming partnerships help make EV driving and charging more practical and easily accessible for drivers.