CHARGING INTO THE FUTURE

WE VISIT A NEW BP ALL-ELECTRIC FORECOURT CHARGING HUB THAT AIMS TO REVOLUTIONISE EV OWNERSHIP

- Chris Rosamond

THE first BP filling station forecourt to be transformed into an EV-only charging station has been launched in Hammersmith, west London, with the company citing declining pump sales and burgeoning demand for ultra-rapid charging on the A4/M4 corridor between the capital and Heathrow.

According to Richard Bartlett, BP Europe's senior vice-president responsible for the BP Pulse charging network and its retail and convenience stores, the former fuel forecourt which due to its hightraffic location has become one of London's best-known since its opening in the Sixties - is already hitting charger utilisation rates that weren't expected until 2030.

The new facility reflects BP's focus on ultra-rapid charging sites, which is a change from the mindset in 2018, when the oil giant swallowed up Chargemaster's UK network of 6,500 lower-powered public chargepoints at a cost of £130million. BP Pulse hopes its move towards hi-tech, ultra-rapid chargers on forecourts featuring well-appointed convenience facilities will make the reliability issues and low customer satisfaction levels associated with Chargemaster a thing of the past.

The new focus is based on BP's understanding of consumer demand, says Bartlett, who suggests data from the existing BP Pulse network shows a declining appetite for slower chargers because electric car drivers simply don't want to be tied to plugging-in overnight. They want ultra rapid top-ups instead.