BP Chargemaster, the UK’s leading electric vehicle charging company, this week powered up its first 150kW ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers on a BP retail site, the first in a planned network of ultra-fast charging infrastructure stretching across the UK.
Developing a nationwide ultra-fast charging network is just the latest development for BP Chargemaster, building on its track record of more than a decade of innovation and leading developments in EV charging in the UK.
Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP’s Downstream business, said: “As the world of mobility evolves, BP is determined to be the fuel provider of choice whether drivers need electric charging or liquid fuels. BP Chargemaster continues to develop and is leading the way for our understanding of how we can best support and succeed in this fast-growing new market.
“Convenient and reliable ultra-fast charging will be critical in driving the wider adoption of electric vehicles in the UK. The combination of BP Chargemaster’s EV charging expertise, experience and customer base with BP’s retail sites across the UK is now allowing us to develop the UK’s first nationwide network of ultra-fast chargers.”
The new 150kW chargers are able to provide convenient ultra-fast charging to the latest and next generation of EVs, convenience that BP sees as essential to support the continued growth of the UK’s EV market. Two of these new chargers are now installed at BP’s retail site at Cranford near Heathrow airport, west of London and begin operating this week.
They are the first in a planned rollout of 400 ultra-fast chargers at BP sites across the UK by the end of 2021, with the network continuing to grow in line with new vehicle models arriving on the market that will be capable of ultra-fast charging.
David Newton, chief operating officer of BP Chargemaster, said: “We believe our establishment of a nationwide ultra-fast charging network will be transformative for the electric vehicle market in the UK. Working closely with global vehicle manufacturers, we are developing the solutions that electric vehicle drivers need to enable them to charge confidently and conveniently, wherever they are in the country. BP’s forecourts are ideal locations for this technology, which will provide an expected dwell time of 10-12 minutes, not dissimilar from the average of around seven minutes spent by drivers of petrol and diesel cars on a forecourt today.”
Formed in 2008, Chargemaster was acquired by BP in 2018 and renamed BP Chargemaster. It has continued to rapidly grow and expand its offers as the UK’s EV market has grown and evolved. Today it operates Polar, the largest electric vehicle charging network in the UK, with more than 7,000 public charge points, and provides a comprehensive, flexible and innovative range of home, workplace and public charging solutions.
Over the past year BP Chargemaster has:
– Delivered energy through its public charging network equivalent to more than 40 million miles of electric driving;
– Grown the Polar network by around 10%, with over 7,000 charging points now accessible to Polar Plus users;
– Grown its subscriber base by over 44%;
– Installed around 100 new 50kW rapid chargers;
– Launched its own, UK-made 150kW ultra-fast charger;
– Committed to introduce contactless payment on all new rapid and ultra-fast chargers, and retrofit its existing UK-made rapid chargers over the next 12 months;
– Supporting its expansion in this rapidly growing market, BP Chargemaster has decided to relocate to Milton Keynes – the capital of UK EV charging. Its new building, which will triple its production capacity, is already under construction and it expects to begin the move early next year.
BP Chargemaster’s continued progress is one part of BP’s approach to developing advanced mobility. BP recently entered into an agreement with DiDi, the world’s leading mobile transportation platform, to develop EV charging infrastructure across China. BP also continues to make venturing investments into innovative new companies in this space such as advanced battery technology firm StoreDot and PowerShare, the online platform for EV charging in China.
