BP Pulse opens its ‘most powerful’ UK EV charging hub to date
Site in Northamptonshire opens, as BP inks major new partnerships to accelerate roll out of fast chargers across Europe
BP Pulse, the electric vehicle (EV) charging arm of oil giant BP, has today cut the ribbon on its largest and most powerful UK charging hub to date.
The company officially opened the new hub in Kettering, North Northamptonshire, which features 10 300kW chargers that together boast 3MW of installed capacity. The facility can charge up to 20 cars simultaneously at 150kW, allowing each car to gain up to 100 miles in around 15 minutes.
“We are thrilled to introduce another hub here in the UK,” said Akira Kirton, vice president, BP Pulse UK. “It’s our largest and most powerful EV charging hub yet.
“Customers say power is more important than the number of charging points. That’s why we’re focussing on expanding our ultra-fast charging infrastructure, using the latest technology to ensure reliability, and designed to keep up with the charging speeds of vehicle batteries as they advance. At BP Pulse we believe the EV charging network the UK needs will be delivered through EV charging in the right location, at the right time, and at the right speed.”
The hub was developed for BP Pulse by The EV Network, which is set to deliver a number of further sites for the energy giant in the coming months. “We are working together on other exciting projects which will go live over the next few months,” said Reza Shaybani, co-founder and chief executive of The EV Network. “This project is in a key geographic location and provides access to well lit, ultra-fast charging. Bringing large sites like this to the public is of paramount importance to us, to be able to shift the UK driver’s confidence in EV charging reliability and availability.”
BP Pulse said it was also currently constructing an additional hub in the West Midlands, which when completed will contain 16 ultra-fast 300kW chargers capable of charging 32 EVs at any one time. It added that it intends to open hundreds of additional charging hubs in other locations around the UK by the end of 2030 as part of a £1bn investment programme.
The news rounds out a busy few days for BP Pulse, which earlier this week announced a pan-European partnership with APCOA Parking Group that will see it open more than 100 EV fast charging hubs across the continent.
Under the agreement, BP Pulse plans to install ultra-fast charging at APCOA car parks in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, and the UK over the next three years to support its plans to expand its charging network in city centres.
Two new ‘Urban Hubs’ are scheduled to open in Berlin and Bremen in Germany in the third quarter of this year, offering ultra-fast charging that can charge a minimum of six cars, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“This agreement will help us to build our EV charging network across Europe by offering customers the fastest and most convenient EV hub charging experience,” said Stefan von Dobschuetz, general manager Europe at BP Pulse. “By working with APCOA, we’re bringing the future of parking, charging and services for urban life in one place.”
And yesterday, BP and Spanish energy giant Iberdrola signed a new strategic alliance designed to mobilise €1bn of investment to deliver 11,700 fast charging points across Spain and Portugal.
The strategic alliance marks a step towards the formation of a full joint venture between the two companies, subject to the necessary regulatory and competition approvals, which are expected to be secured by the second half of 2023.
“This strategic alliance enables progress in the electrification of transport as a key element to reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels and increase energy efficiency,” said Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán. “With this agreement, Iberdrola and BP contribute to the accelerated deployment of electric vehicles while investing in the industrial development of the Iberian Peninsula”.
His comments were echoed by Bernard Looney, CEO of BP, who said partnerships within the energy sector “can help people and businesses decarbonise sooner”.
“By pooling our resources and expertise, we can deploy lower carbon mobility solutions at scale for our customers,” he said. “We have great respect for Iberdrola, who has been one of the first companies to lead the energy transition, and I believe this agreement will bring significant benefits to both our customers and our partners.”
Under the agreement, the energy giants plan to install and operate 5,000 fast-charging points across the Iberian peninsular by 2025, rising to nearly 12,000 points by 2030.
