Shell has successfully formulated and demonstrated a high-performance EV thermal management fluid with the ability to unlock significant reductions in charging times without compromise to battery safety, thermal stability or lifespan, aiding the widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles.
In collaboration with RML Group – one of the leading UK automotive innovation companies – a 34 kWHr battery pack using Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluid featuring proprietary Shell Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Technology, has been developed which is capable of charging from 10% to 80% capacity in under 10 minutes. The thermal fluid reduces thermal stresses very significantly allowing much higher cell charging currents to be tolerated.
If utilised in a carefully designed lightweight and aerodynamic car operating with an economy of 10 km/kWHr, a charging rate of 24km per minute spent charging would be achieved – significantly higher than the typical 5km per minute currently attained by many existing BEV designs by optimising performance whilst significantly reducing the number and mass of components.
Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluids are electrically non-conductive fluids, which facilitate excellent heat transfer by filling all of the interstitial spaces within the battery pack, maximising direct contact between the fluid and each battery cell. They accommodate the very high levels of heat generation associated with rapid charging, ensuring extraordinary consistency and control of temperatures across the pack whilst offering enhanced protection against adverse thermal events. The advanced thermal management technology on display in this collaborative project was developed to showcase compact battery pack designs that are elegant, cost-effective and less complex.
“We are thrilled to demonstrate that Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluids can help to significantly improve battery thermal performance, paving the way towards higher charging efficiencies, enhanced safety, convenience and cost-effectiveness— to support the widespread adoption of BEVs demanded by legislative initiatives around the world,” said Jason Wong, Global Executive Vice President, Shell Lubricants.
“This evolution is a testament to our commitment to collaborative innovation towards enabling more value with less emissions – building on our experience in high-performance transformer oils, proprietary Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) technology, and single-phase immersion cooling fluids for data centres.”
The market for BEVs has grown significantly, with BEV sales increasing 14% in 2024 compared to 2023. From the Shell Recharge Survey, EVs in both Europe and USA are driven further than ICE vehicles with over 52% of EVs in Europe and USA driven over 15,000km a year vs 22% of non-EVs in Europe and 42% in USA. Yet, among those not driving an EV, over 44% in Europe, USA and China cite concerns about range anxiety or lack of public charging points.
Robert Mainwaring, Shell’s lead engineer on the project, commented: “Consumers are in pursuit of better energy efficiency, longer driving range and faster charging. Our ambition within this project was to show how Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluids can support significant reductions in charging time without compromising cell integrity and lifetime.
By embracing advanced thermal management solutions, we believe this will open the door to a new generation of more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective battery electric vehicle solutions.”
