Shell is shutting down its electric vehicle (EV) charging company, Volta Inc., which it acquired in 2023 and integrated into its Shell Recharge Network, two sources with direct knowledge of the news told media company AdExchanger.
Volta provided Houston-based Shell with a public charging network of more than 3,000 charge points at destination sites, including shopping centers, grocery stores, pharmacies and other locations across 31 U.S. states and territories. It also had a development pipeline of more than 3,400 charge points to continue developing.
In 2023, Shell said its goal with Volta was to scale its network and offerings to better compete in the long-term U.S. EV charging market.
“We want to make charging as convenient as possible for our customers,” said István Kapitány, former executive vice president of Shell Mobility, at the time of the acquisition. “As demand for EV charging continues to grow, destination sites will play a key role in meeting people where they spend a great deal of time: the store, the gym and everywhere in-between.”
The company now plans to focus on fast chargers at its own sites.
In an email to AdExchanger, a Shell spokesperson confirmed the news, specifying that the group is “evolving to focus on high-speed public charging at Shell-branded sites like service stations and standalone EV hubs.”
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Volta, which was based in San Francisco, launched an advertising division in 2021, Volta Media.
Volta Media was an advertising platform that integrated digital displays with its EV charging stations. It aimed to capitalize on consumer behavior shifts by delivering targeted, programmatic advertising at destination-based charging locations. Through a network of thousands of digital screens, it enabled brands to reach audiences during dwell time with data-driven, location-specific ads.
Shell will shutter Volta Media by November and will dismantle its network of more than 2,000 charging stations this year, according to AdExchanger.
The acquisition brought a team of approximately 200 employees in 2023. In May 2024, Shell laid off all Volta employees, though the “vast majority” were offered jobs at Shell, the company said.
As part of the current shuttering of Volta charging sites, all 190 employees from that division of Shell will be let go but will have opportunities to reapply for similar roles at the company, AdExchanger said.
Shell serves about 8 million customers per day with a brand presence at approximately 12,000 gas stations across 49 states. It owns and operates nearly 200 convenience retail sites. Globally, Shell serves around 32 million customers per day at its mobility sites, who visit for fuels, EV charging and convenience and non-fuel products and services.
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