Fast charging is the holy grail of electric mobility. Every automaker is chasing it. Every driver wants it. And now, Shell believes it’s within reach using what it understands best — fluids.
Namely, the company has announced the successful development of a high-performance EV thermal management fluid designed to cut charging times dramatically — without compromising safety or battery life.
In collaboration with UK engineering specialist RML Group, Shell created a 34-kWh battery pack that integrates its EV-Plus Thermal Fluid. Using proprietary Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) technology, the system demonstrated a charge from 10% to 80% in under ten minutes. Yes, under ten.
That’s a huge leap for the EV sphere. For context, many BEVs today add around 5 km of range per charging minute. With Shell’s fluid, a lightweight and aerodynamic car could achieve nearly five times that — 24 km per minute.
How? By reducing thermal stress during ultra-fast charging. The fluid is electrically non-conductive and fills all the small spaces inside a battery pack, maximizing contact with each cell. This ensures consistent cooling, even under extreme charging currents, and provides an added safeguard against thermal runaway events.
Shell says the technology not only unlocks faster charging but also enables smaller, lighter battery packs. Fewer components. Less weight. More range.
Company executives framed the breakthrough as part of a broader commitment to electrification. They point to Shell’s decades of experience with transformer oils and immersion cooling in data centers as the foundation for this leap into EV thermal management. The result is a system that is elegant, compact, and scalable for next-generation BEVs.
The timing is crucial. Electric vehicle adoption continues to climb, with sales up 14% in 2024 compared to the year before. Yet, surveys show that range anxiety and charging convenience remain top concerns. Faster, safer charging could be the tipping point.
Shell will showcase its EV-Plus Thermal Fluids at The Battery Show North America in Detroit this October. By then, the buzz will likely be even louder.
Article source Shell
Image source Photo by Şahin Sezer Dinçer on Unsplash
