Volkswagen and bp intend to work together on extending and speeding up the deployment of ultra-fast EV charging facilities at bp retail sites across the UK, Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Extensive ultra-fast charging networks are seen by both companies as essential to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding for their collaboration and intend to finalize agreements in coming months. This would bring together two leading global players in mobility to develop a network of ultra-fast chargers at convenient and high-quality locations – bp sites, and Aral sites in Germany.
The partnership should give EV drivers greater confidence in being able to access nearby, reliable, quality charging options. bp estimates approximately 90% of people in the UK and Germany live within a 20-minute drive of a bp or Aral site.
The agreement would also make bp the Volkswagen Group’s EV charging partner, with the integration of bp’s charging network into VW Group vehicles to make finding and paying for charging fast and simple. The network would also be available for other EV customers as part of the bp pulse network (Aral pulse in Germany), improving access to ultra-fast charging for EV drivers more widely.
Electrification is at the heart of bp’s convenience and mobility strategy and the company aims to grow its network of public EV charging points by 2030 to over 70,000 worldwide. bp pulse is already the most used EV charging network in the UK and plans to have around 250 ultrafast chargers operating at bp retail sites by the end of this year. In Germany, Aral pulse is also already rolling out ultrafast charging points across its retail sites – expecting to have 500 installed by year end.
Ultra-fast charging units, with a power output greater than 150kW, can charge a vehicle with the appropriate battery technology for a range of around 160km in just over 10 minutes – broadly as fast as refuelling at the pump.
