BP buys UK's leading EV charging company
British energy company set to electrify the UK with the acquisition of Chargemaster.
BP has announced it is to buy the UK’s largest EV charging company, Chargemaster, which operates over 6,500 charging points across the country. The company will be renamed BP Chargemaster, combining Chargemaster’s extensive EV charging network with BP’s 1,200 service stations, in a move that will widen access to electric vehicle charging in the UK.
Under its new name, BP Chargemaster will rollout ultra-fast charging infrastructure, including 150 kW chargers capable of delivering 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
BP’s UK customers can expect to see BP Chargemaster chargers appearing on forecourts over the next 12 months.
“Combining BP’s and Chargemaster’s complementary expertise, experience and assets is an important step towards offering fast and ultra-fast charging at BP sites across the UK and to BP becoming the leading provider of energy to low carbon vehicles, on the road or at home,” said downstream chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic.
The acquisition adds to the growing number of investments by BP in electric vehicle technology and infrastructure and builds on plans to extend the range of fuels on offer.
“A key part of BP’s strategy to advance the energy transition is to develop new offers to meet changing customer demand and grow new businesses that support customers to reduce their emissions,” said Erginbilgic.
With this move BP dives directly into the race for providing charging infrastructure. At the end of 2017, Shell showed a similar intent with the acquisition of NewMotion, a Dutch company that manages over 30,000 charging points for electric vehicles in Western Europe.
