Shell and Intergamma, the parent company of GAMMA and Karwei, will start installing 1,400 fast charge points at Intergamma's 380 hardware stores in the Netherlands and in Belgium in 2022. Home improvers with an electric vehicle enjoy the convenience of charging their car while shopping. Thanks to the dense network of GAMMA and Karwei stores, a place to stock up on needs and a fast charger will be often within 10 minutes. The electricity that comes from the charge points is 100 percent renewable.
The chargers will be placed at the parking lots of the GAMMA and Karwei stores, making fast charging accessible to a larger audience. With this, Shell and Intergamma want to make electric driving more attractive and easier. According to the European federation of car manufacturers Acrea, the lack of fast chargers is currently the biggest obstacle to the growth of electric driving in Europe.
Marjan van Loon, President Director for Shell Netherlands: "Our customers are increasingly looking for the convenience of charging at a destination where they already come regularly: shopping centres, hardware stores, supermarkets, sports facilities or food courts. With 380 GAMMA and Karwei hardware stores, there is often a Shell Recharge fast charger within a 10 minutes drive. This strengthens Shell's position as one of the largest providers of fast chargers in the Netherlands. Together with Intergamma, Shell wants to be a driver behind electric mobility by making the switch to electric vehicles even easier and more attractive; charging while loading!"
Within 10 minutes a fast charger
Harm-Jan Stoter, CEO of Intergamma: "With this partnership, we are adding a new and sustainable service to what we are currently offering our customers. More and more, they have sustainability as a starting point for their purchasing decision. We are meeting their demands with our hardware products range, but soon also with these fast charge points. We are proud to make fast charging accessible to everyone, thanks to our extensive network of hardware stores in the Netherlands and in Belgium. Customers can combine their visit to the hardware store with a fast charging session and with that we make charging electric cars easier than ever."
Making homes and mobility more sustainable
With the announced partnership, both Shell and Intergamma are fulfilling parts of their sustainability ambitions. For example, worldwide Shell wants to manage 500,000 charge points operational by 2025, and around 2.5 million charge points in 2030. Intergamma wants to play an important role in making homes more sustainable by giving easy access to what is needed. Among other things, the hardware store chain offers complete home isolation solutions and solar panels. Moreover, it supports its customers in sustainability choices through help online and tailor-made advice in the stores.
(www.shell.nl, December 22, 2021)
