Why on earth would the third-largest gas station chain in the country shut down 1,000 locations? Well, technically, it hasn’t happened yet—but that seems to be the plan for this powerhouse chain, which employs more than 18,000 people across the U.S.

Earlier this year, we told you how Shell was planning to close 1,000 of its many locations across the U.S. Their plan was to shift focus within the company and shut down locations between 2024 and 2025. Well, here we are at the end of 2024, and we still haven't heard when they'll start closing stores. At this point, we have to assume they'll begin making cuts in 2025.

So, what’s behind this bold move to shut down 1,000 Shell gas stations? Well, as you know, times are changing, and so is the company’s focus. They plan to shift toward electric vehicles, with a mission to roll out 70,000 public charging stations next year and aim to hit 200,000 by 2030.

If you're an EV driver, this has to make you happy because, from what I hear and see, it’s nearly impossible to find a charging station without searching one out.

Some sources claim that by 2030, there will be 275 million EVs cruising the roads.

I have nothing against electric vehicles and would gladly drive a hybrid truck if it were actually affordable and not such a hassle.

It's currently unclear whether Shell will be closing any locations in Michigan.

Graveyard of Abandoned Cars

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

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