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Shell is buying EV charging company Volta for $169 million
Oil and gas company Shell is buying EV charging operator Volta for $169 million. Along with its DC fast chargers, Volta has more than 2,000 L2 chargers, which are still free to use for now.
Is Big Tech 'greenwashing' its environmental responsibilities ahead of COP26?
Do Big Tech's protestations of sustainable progress signify a legitimate effort to clean up its collective act or are they simply more PR spin?
Dutch court orders Shell to cut its emissions by 45 percent by 2030
Dutch environmentalists have won a landmark court case that could have significant ramifications for the global climate movement and oil companies.
Shell aims to be a net zero emissions business by 2050
Shell is the latest oil giant to commit to carbon neutrality.
Alphabet quits work on its energy-generating kites
Alphabet's years-long involvement with energy-making kites is no more. The Google parent is ending its work on Makani's wind power technology, with X's Moonshot lead Astro Teller warning that the path to a viable business was "much longer and riskier" than expected. Alphabet liked Makani's environmental focus, but felt that it was important to pour effort into those areas where it believed it could "have the greatest impact."
Facebook is financing a massive solar farm in Texas
Facebook is investing heavily in a massive solar farm in Texas as it rumbles towards its goal of running entirely on renewable energy by the end of next year. Renewables company Longroad Energy has started building the Prospero Solar project in Andrews County, Texas.
Shell backs Alphabet's power-generating kites in latest renewable bet
Alphabet is turning yet another one of its X projects into a business, but this time it's enlisting the help of an unusual ally. Makani Power, a venture making electricity-generating kites (see above), has become a full-fledged subsidiary of Alphabet thanks in part to a minority investment from Shell -- yes, the fossil fuel giant. The two hope to shift the technology from the land to offshore, where winds are stronger. They're betting that the kites will be easier to deploy than conventional wind farms, since they could deploy with floating buoys instead of requiring platforms that reach down to the ocean bed.
E-cig makers have 60 days to show they aren’t targeting minors
The Food And Drug Administration may force several e-cigarette brands to stop selling flavored products if they can't prove they can keep their products out of minors' hands. The brands -- Juul, Vuse, MarkTen, blu and Logic -- have 60 days to convince the agency they have adequate plans to stop kids from vaping with their products. Those five collectively account for more than 97 percent of the e-cigarette market.
It’s too early to write off hydrogen vehicles
Hydrogen is either the wonder fuel of the future or a technological cul-de-sac. Toyota believes the former, and has spent the past few decades developing mass-market hydrogen cars. The automaker showcased what the technology can do, in the form of its Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), which launched in 2015. But while its Mirai might be the most visible use of the technology, it's by no means the only place these engines can work.
Use Chevy's in-dash system to pay for your Shell gas
If you have a 2017-or-later Chevrolet with access to GM's on-board marketplace, you might be able pay for gas without having to take out your wallet. The automaker has teamed up with Shell to roll out what it says is the first in-dash fuel payment in the US. If you're fueling up at participating Shell station, simply tap on the brand's icon in Marketplace and choose the station's location to generate a code you can use to activate a pump. It will charge your payment to the method you have on file, and yes, you can still access your loyalty reward perks.
Shell will build 80 high-power EV charging stations across Europe
This year, Royal Dutch Shell has put more of a focus on EVs, adding charging stations to a handful of its UK gas stations and acquiring NewMotion -- a Netherlands-based company with 30,000 charging points to its name. Now, as Reuters reports, Shell has committed to building 80 high-power charging stations throughout Europe by 2019.
London buses to be powered by coffee grounds
As part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in the capital, London's buses are set to utilise a new source of fuel: coffee grounds. Thanks to a collaboration between Bio-Bean, Shell and Argent Energy, double deckers will be filled with a B20 biofuel created by blending oil extracted from coffee waste with diesel. So far, they've produced enough to power one London bus for a year, but as Londoners drink 20 million cups of coffee a day, it could provide enough oil to power a third of Transport for London's entire network.
EV chargers have started popping up at UK Shell stations
As promised, Shell is adding electric vehicle charging to its UK petrol stations. "Shell Recharge" is already already available at three locations in Holloway (London), Derby and Whyteleafe (Surrey). A further seven sites across Greater London and Reading will be opened up before the end of the year. Though this is welcome news for EV owners, 10 stations is but a fraction of the 1,000 that Shell currently operates in the UK. The company has a long way to go before it can match Tesla's Supercharger network, or the nationwide infrastructure offered by Ecotricity and Chargemaster's Polar scheme.
Shell preps for the future with acquisition of EV charging network
Royal Dutch Shell (or just Shell, if you're into the whole brevity thing) has already committed a billion dollars toward alternative fuels, and now it's showing us where some of that money is going. The gas station corporation has agreed to buy NewMotion, a Netherlands-based company that owns some 30,000 electric-vehicle charging points across Western Europe according to Reuters.
Jaguar and Shell partner for in-car fuel payments
Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Shell to make fueling up a touch more convenient. That's because everyone who owns a vehicle equipped with the company's InControl Apps will be able to pay for gas without ever leaving the driver's seat. All you need is the Shell mobile app, either a PayPal or Apple Pay account and at least $40,000 for one of the supported cars and you too can take advantage of the new feature.
Shell to start installing EV chargers in UK petrol stations
The UK's EV charging infrastructure continues to grow thanks to a few dedicated players, but the likes of Tesla and nemesis Ecotricity will be joined by an unlikely newcomer later this year. Petrol pusher Shell has confirmed plans to add EV charging points to some UK filling stations -- a move the company has been thinking about since last year. Speaking to the Financial Times, Shell director John Abbott implied denser, urban areas were highest on the to-do list, and a spokesperson told us specific info on sites will be shared ahead of the first installations, which are expected before summer this year.
Shell may launch a UK EV charging network in 2017
Charger availability has long been a point of concern for aspiring EV owners in the UK. An electric car with stellar range will certainly mitigate the problem, but the fact remains: more chargers make its easier to drive a Tesla or Nissan Leaf around the country. Thanks to Shell, it could soon be a little easier to find an EV-friendly pump. In a statement to the Guardian, the company confirmed that it's "examining the potential" of putting chargers "across some parts of our UK retail network" from early 2017.
ICYMI: Fire-starting drone, Stanford bird studies and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-287454{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-287454, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-287454{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-287454").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A prototype for a fire-starting drone was deployed in Nebraska last week, dropping small balls of accelerant to create a controlled burn over grasslands. The idea is that future firefighters could use UAVs like the University of Nebraska-Lincoln model to stop an out of control wildfire with drone-created fire breaks, or for other uses.
Xprize offers $7 million for exploring the ocean floor
After years of focusing on moonshots and other lofty goals, the Xprize Foundation now hopes to inspire innovation in the opposite direction... in a very literal sense. Its new Shell Ocean Discovery Xprize is offering a total of $7 million in awards to teams that can deliver robotic exploration of sea floors as deep as 4,000m (13,123ft). The $4 million grand prize and a $1 million runner-up prize will go to the groups that deliver the sharpest maps on top of meeting baseline requirements for autonomy, depth and speed. The top 10 teams will split a $1 million milestone prize, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is chipping in another $1 million for teams that spot objects through biological and chemical clues.
Shell's UK petrol stations let you PayPal at the pump
Although Apple Pay is currently enjoying the limelight, companies all over Britain are working to get their own mobile payment strategies in order. Once such company is Shell, which after months of testing has begun rolling out its new PayPal-powered "Fill Up & Go" service across hundreds of its UK petrol stations. The idea is simple: download the Shell Motorist app, connect it to your PayPal account and scan a giant QR code at the pump -- no more queuing or worrying whether you've brought your wallet.
