By ATN Editorial Team
Summary: Shell has unveiled the Shell Triple 10 concept car, a proof-of-concept battery electric vehicle built to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 9 minutes 54 seconds on a standard 175kW charger. It replaces conventional water-glycol cooling with Shell Recharge dielectric fluid, using direct immersion cooling of the battery and indirect cooling of the motor and power electronics.
Key engineering takeaway: The Shell Triple 10 concept car runs a simplified, single-circuit cooling architecture across the whole powertrain. Fewer battery modules and a simplified housing cut pack cost by around 25 per cent, while a downsized motor and lighter pack help deliver roughly 10km/kWh and over 30 per cent better energy efficiency than many current EVs.
Why it matters: By reaching sub-10-minute charging on a 175kW charger rather than a 300kW-plus unit, the Shell Triple 10 concept car argues that thermal management, not ever-larger batteries, is a route to faster-charging mass-market EVs. It was integrated and validated at HORIBA MIRA’s proving ground with RML and Empel Systems.
Shell has today unveiled its Triple 10 Challenge concept car, a ground-breaking proof-of-concept vehicle designed to inspire a new design philosophy for the next generation of battery electric vehicles (EVs).
This compact, mass-market EV demonstrates next-generation electric vehicle capability, and offers the industry an alternative to the current reliance on ever-larger batteries by re-imagining the fundamentals of thermal management.
Inside The Shell Triple 10 Concept Car
The vehicle meets three ambitious goals that Shell believes can help drive the future of mass-market electric mobility:
- Charge Faster – a sub 10-minute charge time
- Go Further – 10-km/kWh economy
- Drive Cleaner – a life cycle 10-tonne CO2e footprint
The Triple 10 Challenge is the first road-worthy vehicle to have successfully demonstrated the potential of a simplified, single-circuit cooling architecture to efficiently manage the thermal load of the car’s entire powertrain, even under the most extreme fast-charging scenario in real-world conditions.
With the Triple 10 Challenge concept car, we have unlocked the potential for faster charging, lighter systems and improved lifecycle efficiency by using our advanced thermal fluids. Together with our co-engineering partners, we are proud to develop alternative options for sustainable EV development leveraging technologies that are available today and are scalable to support customers into the future.
Cara Tredget, VP Mobility & Lubricants Technology, Shell
The Shell Triple 10 Challenge Concept car has been designed to achieve 10 km/kWh in driving economy with a smaller, more efficient battery system, adding over 30% improvement in overall energy efficiency compared to many current-generation EVs, enabled by Shell’s advanced thermal fluids that provide optimal thermal management.
The Triple 10 Challenge vehicle is able to charge the battery from 10% to 80% charge in 9 minutes 54 seconds, without compromise to thermal stability or lifespan. While some EVs in market today can charge in under 10 minutes, this requires using an ultra-fast charger in excess of 300kW, which is uncommon on the public charging network. However, the Triple 10 Challenge vehicle is able to attain this on the existing charging network infrastructure using a standard 175kW charger, adding 24km/minute range, compared to typical BEVs at an average 13km/minute range on the same charger, equivalent to almost 90% more range added per minute of charge.
The Triple 10 Challenge concept car is estimated to have a lifecycle carbon footprint of approximately 10 tonnes CO2e. Enabled by its lightweight design, optimized battery capacity, low-carbon and recyclable materials, together with 100% renewable electricity for vehicle charging, this is estimated to represent around a 50% reduction in lifecycle emissions compared to typical battery electric vehicles in the European market.
How Shell Recharge Immersion Cooling Works
The key to the Triple 10 Challenge car’s performance is Shell Recharge thermal fluid. Unlike traditional cooling systems that use water-glycol, Shell’s dielectric fluid allows for direct immersion cooling of the battery and powertrain components including the motor and power electronics. By redefining heat management across the battery and powertrain, the team has unlocked the potential for faster charging, lighter systems and improved lifecycle efficiency, using technologies that exist and can scale today, as we look to leading in this space in our business tomorrow.
Unveiled at HORIBA MIRA‘s proving ground, the concept car is the culmination of Shell’s Triple 10 Challenge. By incorporating a more compact and efficient battery pack design with fewer modules and using Shell’s advanced thermal fluid, enabling a simplified housing architecture, these improvements contribute to about a 25% reduction in overall battery pack cost compared to a conventional EV.
Furthermore, Shell today announced the integration of Shell’s full EV capabilities together under Shell Recharge, from charging, to fluids, to battery solutions, to create a stronger, single end-to-end offer for both B2B and B2C EV customers. As part of this, the Shell EV-Plus brand will be retired.
The Shell Triple 10 Challenge Concept Car is a demonstration of the potential of immersive fluid technology and a showcase of British co-engineering excellence. Shell worked alongside leading automotive pioneers to integrate the Shell Recharge thermal fluid and maximise the performance of the car. Partners included:
- RML: Spearheaded the battery pack architecture and high-performance integration. RML’s engineering utilised Shell’s dielectric fluid to strip out the heavy, complex piping required by traditional water-glycol systems, successfully shrinking the pack and reducing overall vehicle mass.
- Empel Systems: Developed the advanced electric motor and drive units. By leveraging the highly efficient single-circuit immersive cooling, Empel was able to significantly downsize the motors while maintaining exceptional power density and contributing to the 10-km/kWh efficiency target.
- HORIBA MIRA: Conducted world-class vehicle integration, testing and validation. Utilising their state-of-the-art VTEOS (Vehicle Thermal and Electrical Optimisation System) rig, HORIBA MIRA validated the single-fluid architecture’s efficacy, subjecting the system to simulated extreme global weather conditions, proving its backwards compatibility with standard radiators.
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