On Monday, global energy major bp (the former British Petroleum) and announced a landmark partnership with German automaker Volkswagen on a rapid rollout of ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Europe, a development that both companies see as “essential” to accelerating widespread take-up of EV’s.
The companies two signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the collaboration on Monday, and will finalize agreements in coming months for a partnership that will bring together two leading global players in mobility to develop a network of ultra-fast chargers at bp and Aral fueling sites in the U.K. and Germany. bp estimates that approximately 90 percent of the UK and German populations 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, integrating 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.
“Enabling the rapid expansion of electric vehicles is core to bp’s plans to grow our convenience and mobility business, and supports our net zero [carbon emissions] ambition,” said bp’s Executive Vice President of Customers and Products, Emma Delaney. “Partnering with Volkswagen Group–one of the world’s great automotive companies–we intend to address a key concern for people considering buying an EV: range anxiety. Together we can provide drivers in the UK and Europe with the fast, reliable and convenient charging solutions they need to feel more confident about making the switch. By deploying ultra-fast charging, rapidly and at large scale, we can establish a leading position and help accelerate the take-up of EVs.”
Thomas Schmall, Member of the Board of Volkswagen Group and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said: “Ultra-fast charging is the key enabler for e-mobility and therefore a main pillar for Volkswagen´s transformation. Together with strong partners like bp we take this important matter into our hands and will build up to 18,000 new chargers in Europe. That is about 1/3 of the estimated ultra-fast charging demand in 2025.”
bp pulse, the UK’s largest EV public charging network, was the country’s fastest-growing rapid and ultra-fast charging network in 2020, according to data from EV mapping service Zap-Map. That company’s data shows that bp pulse added 167 public rapid charging locations across the nation – 65 percent more than any other UK provider.
During 2020, that network delivered around 16 million kWh of energy, which equates to over 50 million miles of zero-emissions-at-tailpipe driving based on an efficiency of 3.5 miles per kWh, equivalent to 100 times the distance to the moon and back.
Moreover, in the first 40 days of 2021, bp pulse provided more than 2 million kWh of energy, a 19 percent increase from same period last year. This increase was despite the U.K. being under heavy COVID-19 restrictions from January 5, and overall vehicle traffic down 49 percent compared to the start of 2020, suggesting that a greater number of EV’s are being deployed by households.
bp pulse has earmarked GBP 2 million to improve the reliability of the U.K.’s legacy public charging infrastructure, and is reportedly working with local authorities to upgrade and replace charge points across the country. Charge points are typically owned by local authorities, having been originally installed with government grant funding.
According to bp, electrification is at the heart of its 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 U.K., 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, aiming for 500 installations by year end.
Per bp, 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: roughly as fast as refueling at a traditional fuel pump.
