Royal Dutch Shell gears up for the future with plans for UK’s first “no-petrol” station

Royal Dutch Shell is readying to open the UK’s first “no-petrol” station in London, according to reports.

The oil major, which is working to transition to cleaner energy is plotting a service station that offers biofuels, electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen cell refuelling in place of petrol and diesel pumps, the Telegraph reported.

But it doesn’t stop there – the buildings would also be powered by solar panels on the forecourt roof.

A central London site was said to be earmarked for next year, but the project is still in its infancy.

Shell declined to comment.

The company aims to be at the forefront of the alternative fuels charge. Earlier this year it opened its first hydrogen cell refuelling station at Cobham on the M25, and it has plans to roll out high-speed electric vehicle charge points across a number of its 400 UK service stations later this year.

Despite lingering concerns over so-called range anxiety, the electric vehicle revolution is expected to rev up within the next decade.

And London is the perfect location to start the drive towards electric cars as people in the capital have shown much more enthusiasm for the new technology, according to recent research.