BP acquires UK’s largest electric vehicle charging company

/ Renewables / Sunday, 09 September 2018 07:14

British conglomerate BP has announced that it will purchase the largest Electric Vehicle charging company in the UK. The oil and gas colossus has publicly announced that it will buy Chargemaster, which currently operates over 6,500 charging points across the United Kingdom.

The UK government has been proactive in supporting new electrification programs and initiatives all over the UK, as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce the impact of harmful carbon emissions and protect the environment.

The UK has introduced legislation that plans to phase out all diesel and petrol cars by 2040, and electrification clearly represents the future for the automotive industry. The decision to buy Chargemaster by BP has been seen as a shrewd acquisition by the company which is headquartered in London.

When the deal is officially finalized, the company will be renamed BP Chargemaster, and will combine 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.

In addition to the rebranding of the firm, BP Chargemaster will rollout ultra-fast charging infrastructure, including 150 kW chargers capable of delivering 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes. It has been projected that BP’s UK customers can expect to see BP Chargemaster chargers appearing on forecourts over the next 12 months.

Ultra-fast charging:

Downstream chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic expressed his delight at the acquisition, and highlighted how important it is for the environment to support EV adoption across the UK.

He said, “At BP we believe that fast and convenient charging is critical to support the successful adoption of electric vehicles. 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,” he said.

Founded in 2008, Chargemaster is involved in the development of EV charging points from design and build to sales and operation and runs POLAR, the largest public charging network in the UK used by 40,000 customers.

Chief executive of Chargemaster David Martell, said “The acquisition of Chargemaster by BP marks a true milestone in the move towards low carbon motoring in the UK. “I am truly excited to lead the Chargemaster team into a new era backed by the strength and scale of BP, which will help us maintain our market-leading position and grow the national POLAR charging network to support the large range of exciting new electric vehicles that are coming to market in the next couple of years.”

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