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Improving accessibility and liveability of cities and accelerating the energy transition

Q-Park and Shell are teaming up to realise five mobility hubs in major cities in the Netherlands. Changing customer mobility needs are the reasoning behind this initiative. The new concepts introduced at these car parks will be combined with existing services and expanded with facilities such as fast charging, shared mobility options including electric bicycles, mopeds and car sharing schemes together with logistics services and the sale of fresh food and drinks.

Shell and Q-Park want to offer solutions to improve city accessibility and liveability. They have therefore identified five locations for this new concept, one in Amsterdam, The Hague and Maastricht and two in Rotterdam. In 2012, Shell and Q-Park introduced the very first electric vehicle charging point in a car park in the Netherlands. Ten years later, in 2022, there are almost 1,000 EV charging points installed, and this will increase to some 1,400 charging points, including fast charging, within the next two years.

Rapidly evolving mobility

Jeanine Bakx, general manager of Shell Mobility in the Benelux and France, says: “Mobility is evolving faster than we might think. If, in 2030, only electric vehicles will be sold, we must start preparing for these now. We are doing this in various ways, and one is to create an extensive network of EV charging points at homes, in the streets, at shopping centres and our filling stations. Today we are taking another new step. We are therefore pleased this next step is with our partner Q-Park and we will be offering new services such as fast charging and fresh food.”

Michiel Tenge, managing director of Q-Park Nederland, says: “Our customers are making new choices. They use a combination of transport modes to get to their destination as efficiently and easily as possible. What’s more, the number of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly, and we’re happy to support the demand for more charging facilities by working together with a strong partner such as Shell. Our mobility hubs also contribute to the accessibility and liveability of cities.”

Focus on the customer

Shell and Q-Park want to change the experience of parking and EV charging. Convenience for the customer is key and it’s the combination of services offered that provide a solution.

While their car is charging, people can also recharge their own batteries with a cup of coffee, a snack or a sandwich.­

By cleverly combining parking facilities with shared mobility, hubs are created where travellers can easily switch between the car and other forms of transport.

By offering logistics services, we can save customers a trip to the package collection point.

Governments are introducing more and more measures to improve the accessibility and liveability of cities. Measures such as introducing car-free areas and banning high-emission vehicles from city centres has increased the need for parking spaces, EV charging points and shared mobility in inner-city areas. With the advent of more electric vehicles, Shell and Q-Park are responding to the trend where electric vehicle owners without their own charging facilities want to make use of other services while their car is charging.

Faster transition to electric cars
Q-Park and Shell want this initiative to accelerate the energy transition. Research shows that future owners of electric cars take access to EV charging into consideration when deciding whether or not to transition to an all-electric vehicle. Almost 1 in 5 have no access to EV charging at work or at home and therefore have to rely on public charging stations.