Shell Built An EV Hatchback Concept To Show Off Fast-Charging Tech, And It Actually Looks Great Too

In a development that feels a lot like learning that Cinemark has come out with its own home streaming service, oil giant Shell has built an electric concept car called the Triple 10 Challenge. That name refers to three efficiency and charging-related goals it strove to achieve: driving efficiency of 10 kilometers per kWh (that's about 209 MPGe), CO2e lifecycle emissions of 10 metric tonnes, and a 10%-to-80% charge time of under 10 minutes (9 minutes, 54 seconds, to be exact). 

For reference, today's single-motor Tesla Model 3 is rated for 139 MPGe combined, Tesla quotes 170 miles of range added in 15 minutes on a 225-kW Supercharger, and the 10-tonne lifecycle emissions figure is said to be about half what it is with a comparable current EV. Shell says going from 10% to 80% in the Triple 10 adds 152 miles of range, and doing so in under 10 minutes is quick, but the real accomplishment is probably doing it on a common 175-kW charger rather than the 300-kW-plus chargers most other EVs require to do similar numbers.

Shell says it's achieved all this thanks to lightweight, recycled components as well as a smaller battery that's dunked directly and cooled in dielectric Shell Recharge thermal fluid — that's fluid that does not conduct electricity, unlike the water-ethylene-glycol-based fluid used in regular cooling systems. Shell says this improved and simplified cooling allows for a battery pack that's 25% less expensive.

An energy company being good at using and recouping energy isn't all that surprising, though. What is a little surprising is that the Shell Triple 10 Challenge car looks great, actually. If a car with this exact form factor were introduced tomorrow by an established automaker as a sub-$25,000 EV with respectable range and charging specs, the automotive internet would spend the next week utterly unable to shut up about it.

And as far as we can tell, this isn't some sneakily rebodied, parts-bin cousin of a Fiat 500e or whatever. The bodywork, headlights, and taillights don't look like they were taken from anything else on the market, and it has a seemingly bespoke interior complete with a pair of screens, one even running Apple CarPlay.

Now, it doesn't sound like Shell is planning to actually get into the EV-making game any time soon. Rather, it says the Triple 10 Challenge is a proof-of-concept and a showcase for how much of a difference its thermal fluids can make it in EV efficiency, charge speeds, and manufacturing cost.

"Building on the real-world data and experience we're gathering from the Triple Ten Challenge concept car, we hope to partner with OEMs and battery suppliers to share our expertise," reads the company's press release. "Together, we want to collaborate on the development of next-generation EVs that are lighter, highly efficient, simpler to manufacture, and more cost-effective." And, apparently, EVs that aren't all that bad to look at.