Shell Q&A: Conrad Mummert on 'Economics of Electrification'

According to the IEA, only 130,000 electric vehicles were sold around the world in 2012. Fast forward to 2025 and global sales topped 20 million units.

But while the market for electric cars has boomed, the electrification of heavier vehicles has been far, far slower.

Cost has been a factor, of course, with the average eHGV costing  anywhere between US$260,000 and US$435,000. But charging infrastructure has also played a massive role in the hesitance of logistics companies.

While charging networks are improving and more freight companies are beginning to go electric, there are still several challenges to solve.

Nowadays, the question is less about whether to electrify than how to do so without compromising on performance and flexibility.

Companies like Shell are trying to provide the answer to those questions. The firm's Shell Business Recharge Solutions (SBRS) division has built a network that covers more than 100 European cities, providing electric fleets with access to thousands of charging points.

Energy Digital spoke with Conrad Mummert, the Head of SBRS, about how Shell is working to make the electrification equation make sense for Europe's heavy-duty fleets.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Shell?

I'm the Head of Shell Business Recharge Solutions (also known as SBRS), which is part of the Shell Group.

In my role, I focus on supporting heavy-duty fleets with electrification at scale by leading the development and delivery of solutions that provide a one-stop shop for fleets moving to e-mobility.

A large part of my job involves working directly with fleet operators to understand the barriers they face – whether that's infrastructure availability, operational complexity or making the economics of electrification stack up.

Ultimately, we're helping these fleets to electrify in a way that supports their operational needs and their commercial objectives.

What is the story of SBRS? When was it set up and what purpose does it serve?

SBRS became part of the Shell Group in 2022, but our story goes back much further. Our engineering heritage can be traced back more than 180 years, with decades of experience developing energy and charging technologies in Germany.

Today, SBRS aims to support the transition of heavy-duty transport by offering solutions designed to help improve efficiency and enable smarter operations. We're helping to accelerate fleet electrification across Europe by simplifying what can often be a complex transition. 

Our aim is to help fleet operators deploy and scale charging infrastructure with confidence. We do this by combining charging hardware, software, energy management and project delivery expertise into integrated solutions designed specifically for heavy-duty vehicles.

How big is the reach of SBRS at the moment and what is the vision for it in the fullness of time?

Currently, we have more than 3,000 charge points in 40 bus depots and 50 Shell Recharge truck sites. Our charging stations are also available in more than 100 cities across Europe.

However, our ambition isn't simply to expand the number of charge points we make available. We want to help fleets create a more connected charging ecosystem where private depots, semi-public sites and public charging infrastructure work together as a single network.

As more fleets electrify, the value of that network grows for everyone involved. That's where we see the biggest opportunity over the coming years.

Can you explain the mixture of software and hardware in the SBRS network?

The easiest way to think about it is as an integrated system rather than a collection of individual technologies.

The hardware provides the physical charge points fleets use at their depots and along their routes. Built into those charge points is software that helps operators manage charging schedules, monitor performance and optimise energy use.

But it's not all about the hardware and software. The network also includes energy management solutions that are designed to help optimise energy use and control costs at the depot and Shell Card integration to make it easier for drivers to access and pay for charging across a broad range of public and semi-public locations.

What's important is how these elements work together. The real value comes from connecting them in a single end-to-end ecosystem that is designed to help improve operational efficiency and support reductions in total cost of ownership (TCO).

What are the biggest challenges facing the EV sector today?

The conversation has moved beyond whether electric trucks work. One of today’s challenge is making electrification commercially and operational viable at scale.

The economics of electric trucking are a key factor in this. Fleets often face higher upfront investment costs for vehicles and infrastructure, especially when these elements are viewed in isolation. This means many are still assessing how to build a convincing business case for electrification versus diesel.

Operational complexity is another element that can create barriers to adoption. Running an electric fleet introduces new considerations around charging infrastructure, route planning, energy management and vehicle utilisation. Fleets need confidence that they can maintain the same levels of uptime and performance they expect today.

Ultimately, Europe's fleets continue to face regulatory pressure to reduce emissions. So, the debate is shifting away from whether fleets should electrify and towards how they can do so successfully.

How can infrastructure like SBRS help solve some of those problems?

Infrastructure has an important role to play - and it's about much more than simply providing places to charge.

Integrated infrastructure helps fleets access charging at their depot or while their vehicles are on the road. A single payment solution like Shell Card can help operators to manage their charging costs by accessing discounted rates across the network - while reducing the admin required to run a fleet.

At the depot, our charge point management software (PowerOS) is designed to help operators improve vehicle uptime and manage energy costs more effectively by optimising charging processes. It allows them to schedule charging during periods where vehicles have natural downtime - and when electricity prices are lower. Energy management solutions help to further optimise this electricity use, reducing overall energy costs by up to 30%.

Integrated infrastructure can also unlock new streams of revenue. With our shared semi-public charging model, operators can open up their depot charge points to third-party fleets when their own vehicles are out on the road. This allows the depot owner to generate revenue from those charging sessions, offsetting and even exceeding their own energy costs.

Together, these levers can change the economics of electric trucking and help fleets achieve up to 10% lower TCO compared with diesel.

What will the next five years look like for SBRS?

I think we'll see electrification continue moving from pilot projects into large-scale deployment across the transport sector.

As that happens, the industry focus will likely shift from hardware deployment alone towards optimisation, utilisation and network connectivity. Operators may not look for providers who can just install charge points for them. They'll increasingly prioritise suppliers who can support them with the operational and commercial side of electrification as well.

Our goal at SBRS is to help create a network aims to make electrification simpler, more accessible and more commercially viable for fleets. That's why we’re planning to continue strengthening the connections between depot charging, public charging and shared infrastructure to help create a more integrated charging ecosystem for heavy-duty transport across Europe.