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CONCEPT CARS

Shell Triple 10 Challenge

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Shell doesn’t usually show up in conversations about the future of passenger cars—at least not in the “here’s our next hot hatch” sense. But the oil giant has now stepped into concept-car territory with something it calls the Triple 10 Challenge, a compact electric vehicle study that reads less like a traditional product pitch and more like a manifesto for where EV efficiency might go next.

And like any good manifesto, it comes with three big, almost slogan-like targets: 10 km per kWh, less than 10 tonnes of lifetime CO₂e, and a 10-minute fast-charge window. In other words, Shell isn’t just trying to show an EV—it’s trying to compress the entire problem of electric mobility into three neatly measurable goals.

On paper, the numbers are eye-catching. The concept is said to recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 9 minutes and 54 seconds, using a relatively ordinary 175 kW DC fast charger. That’s the kind of claim that usually triggers skepticism, but Shell’s emphasis here isn’t peak charging power—it’s thermal management. The company argues that the system can sustain high charging rates through a simplified cooling architecture that manages the entire powertrain’s heat load in one loop rather than several separate systems.

That’s where things start to sound less like a car reveal and more like a technology demonstration. At the center of it all is Shell’s new Recharge thermal fluid, a dielectric medium designed for direct immersion cooling of the battery pack and indirect cooling of motors and electronics. In theory, this approach reduces thermal bottlenecks that normally force EVs to taper charging speeds aggressively. Shell claims this enables faster charging, lighter system architecture, and improved efficiency across the board—using existing, scalable technologies rather than exotic breakthroughs.

The company also hints at a more tangible payoff: more than a 30 percent improvement in overall energy efficiency compared with many current-generation EVs, alongside a roughly 25 percent reduction in battery pack cost. Those gains are attributed not to a single silver bullet, but to a combination of simplified module design, reduced packaging complexity, and the thermal fluid system doing more of the heavy lifting.

On the environmental side, Shell frames the Triple 10 as a lifecycle exercise as much as a vehicle concept. Lightweight construction, optimized battery sizing, recyclable materials, and charging powered entirely by renewable energy are all part of the equation. The result, according to Shell, is up to a 50 percent reduction in lifecycle emissions compared with typical battery EVs sold in Europe today.

The hardware behind the idea is being handled by a network of specialists rather than a traditional OEM. Electric drive development is credited to Empel Systems, while battery integration work is handled by RML Group. Shell itself is, unsurprisingly, focused on the fluids and thermal systems that underpin the whole concept.

Visually, the Triple 10 leans toward the familiar end of the EV design spectrum, even if it’s not tied to production reality. It’s described as a compact five-door hatchback with a tall stance, a full-width light bar, flush door handles, and digital side mirrors. There’s also an aerodynamic wheel design with what appears to be a stylized “aluminum-look” finish, plus a minimalist interior featuring a rotary-style selector. Nothing here screams production intent—but everything feels deliberately plausible.

And that’s really the point. The Triple 10 Challenge isn’t trying to preview a Shell-badged showroom car. It’s trying to prove a systems argument: that if you rethink thermal management and simplify architecture, you can move the needle on charging speed, efficiency, cost, and emissions all at once.

Whether that translates cleanly into the messy reality of mass production is another question entirely. But as concept cars go, this one isn’t about horsepower or styling theatrics. It’s about whether the plumbing underneath an EV might matter just as much as the battery inside it.

Source: Shell

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Lancia Loraymo: When American Vision Met Italian Craft

In the world of industrial design, few names shine as brightly as Raymond Loewy. Celebrated for shaping icons like the Coca-Cola bottle, Shell logo, and Lucky Strike packaging, Loewy left an indelible mark on everything he touched — including, perhaps surprisingly, the realm of Italian supercars. Among his lesser-known but most fascinating creations stands the Lancia Loraymo: a one-off marvel that fused American design audacity with Italian engineering finesse.

A Unique Chapter in the Supercar Story of the ’60s

Amid the stylistic explosion of 1960s Italian automotive design, the Loraymo occupies a singular space. Not only was it a one-of-a-kind vehicle, but it also carried the distinctive signature of a man who helped define the visual identity of the 20th century. Designed purely for personal use, the Loraymo was Loewy’s reinterpretation of the Lancia Flaminia Coupé, executed not as a production concept, but as a personal design manifesto.

Behind the project was a Franco-American mind and a passion for elegance, speed, and innovation. For the bodywork, Loewy turned to Turin’s aluminum artisan Rocco Motto, while the mechanical enhancements were entrusted to Enrico Nardi, a legend in tuning Italian engines. The V6 engine was tuned from its stock 119 horsepower to an impressive 150 hp, pushing the car to a top speed of around 190 km/h — a serious number for the era.

Design Beyond Convention

Visually, the Loraymo was a bold departure from anything else on the road. Loewy applied the same streamlined sensibilities that shaped locomotives and spacecraft to the automotive canvas. The front end featured a slim, rectangular grille — outlined by a chrome frame that doubled as a spring-mounted bumper. The effect was futuristic, minimalist, and aerodynamic.

The profile of the car echoed aircraft design, with fully enclosed wheel covers and flowing lines that culminated in a rear spoiler — a feature that wouldn’t become widespread until years later. The rear end was just as forward-thinking: smooth and seamless, with flush-mounted taillights and twin exhausts emerging as the only visible appendages. A panoramic wraparound rear window offered a unique visual finish, and the trunk could only be accessed from inside, preserving the purity of the exterior lines.

The car’s name, “Loraymo”, is itself a creative imprint — a combination of Loewy’s first and last name, and also the telegraphic code for his design studio.

A Legacy Rediscovered

First unveiled to the public at the 47th Paris Motor Show in 1960, the Loraymo immediately drew attention for its radical aesthetics and advanced features. Yet after its brief moment in the spotlight, the car disappeared from public view, becoming a near-mythical object among design and automotive historians.

Years later, the Loraymo resurfaced thanks to the efforts of the American Lancia Club president, who tracked down the vehicle and returned it to the brand. Today, it stands as a proud piece of Lancia’s historical collection, a testament to what can be achieved when visionary design meets artisanal excellence.

An Automotive Work of Art

The Lancia Loraymo is more than a car — it’s a rolling sculpture, a cross-continental design experiment, and a reflection of Raymond Loewy’s relentless pursuit of beauty and function. In a time when the automobile was quickly becoming a symbol of personal freedom and style, Loewy showed that it could also be a canvas for high design — a principle that still resonates in today’s automotive world.

Source: Lancia

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Lancia Loraymo: When American Vision Met Italian Craft
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Shell plans to replace oil stations with electric charging stations

The increase in the number of electric cars on the road necessarily requires an increase in the number of charging stations, which opens new business opportunities for oil companies to become interested in this field of investment. One of them is the British company Shell, which intends to increase the number of its electric charging stations.

The British company announced the “Energy Transition Strategy 2024” plan, which includes investment in the construction of charging stations. However, this requires a large amount of money, and the first move Shell intends to make is to sell 1,000 of its current oil stations over the next two years.

In 2023, Shell Recharge EV had 27,000 electric chargers in various locations around the world, and last year that number was increased to 54,000 chargers. Now, the company intends to increase the number of chargers to more than 300,000 worldwide by the end of the decade.

“There are about 40 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road in the world today, and by 2030 there are expected to be 275 million. The availability of chargers will be critical for the growth of electric vehicles,” the company said.

Although Shell’s chargers are not compatible with the Tesla Supercharger or Electrify America networks, the British company has over 3,000 chargers in 31 US states, and more than 3,400 additional chargers are in development. Also, Shell Recharge EV last year opened its largest electric vehicle charging station (258 chargers) at the airport in Shenzhen, China. It was a good business decision considering that data shows that more than 3,300 electric vehicles use this station every day.

Shell believes that the demand for oil will decrease over time and that gasoline will not be primary in the future. “We believe that oil demand growth will slow down in the second half of this decade, and a more intense decline could occur in the next decade due to increased efficiency and growth in sales of electric vehicles,” the company said.

Source: Bloomberg