Energy demand: what customers need now

Shell's downstream chief says middle-class growth, not AI data centers, is the primary driver of rising global energy demand.

• Growth driver reframed: Machteld Dahan says global energy demand growth is driven more by 150 million people entering the middle class annually than by AI/data centers.
• EV penetration update: 2025 saw over 20 million EVs sold globally, now ~5% of the total global fleet, one in four new car sales.

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