- Shell has introduced the new Triple 10 Challenge concept.
- It’s billed as an affordable and efficient electric vehicle.
- Car relies on and promotes the company’s Recharge fluid.
Shell has quietly unveiled a new concept known as the Triple 10 Challenge. It’s being described as a “ground-breaking proof-of-concept vehicle designed to inspire a new design philosophy for the next-generation of battery electric vehicles.”
Designed to be compact and affordable, the car is named after three key targets. They include getting 10-km/kWh, having a 10-tonne CO2e lifecycle footprint, and a recharging time of less than 10 minutes.
More: BYD Flash Charges To 97% In 9 Minutes, And KFC Just Figured Out What To Do With The Wait
Starting with the latter, the car’s “compact” battery can go from a 10% to 80% charge in 9 minutes and 54 seconds. That’s pretty quick and the time is achieved with a relatively common 175 kW DC fast charger.
The concept is also eco-friendly thanks to its lightweight design, “optimized battery capacity,” and use of recyclable materials. Furthermore, the EV is envisioned to use 100% renewable energy for recharging, so the combination of these factors could give it a “50% reduction in lifecycle emissions compared to typical battery electric vehicles in the European market.”
On the efficiency front, Shell said the concept 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.” This is effectively the main point as Shell has a new fluid to sell.
In this case, it’s Recharge thermal fluid. The company said the dielectric liquid “allows for direct immersion cooling of the battery and indirect cooling of the powertrain components, including the motor and power electronics.” Shell claimed the fluid allowed them to “unlocked the potential for faster charging, lighter systems, and improved lifecycle efficiency – using technologies that exist and can scale today.”
More: Gordon Murray And Shell Finally Reveal Their City Car Concept
While hard numbers were few and far between, the firm claimed an “over 30% improvement in overall energy efficiency compared to many current-generation EVs.” Shell also noted the battery pack cost has been reduced by around 25% thanks to an efficient design with fewer modules, a simplified housing architecture, and the company’s fluids.
The oil giant didn’t delve into specifications, but confirmed Empel Systems developed the car’s electric motor and drive unit, while RML worked on the battery and integration.
That’s not a lot to go on, but the Triple 10 appears to be a small five-door hatchback with an upright front fascia and an expansive light bar. They’re joined by digital side mirrors, flush-mounted door handles, and wheel discs with a ‘fake’ alloy design. We can also see a flowing roof and a minimalist interior with what looks like a rotary shifter.
