BP searches for Tesla Supercharger sites stuck in $1 billion electric vehicle charging facility
BP is eyeing Tesla Supercharger sites as part of the US oil giant’s plans to expand its charging network, Bloomberg reports.
The company said it is “actively looking to acquire real estate to expand its network, which is a heightened focus following Tesla’s recent announcement.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk earlier this month fired most of the Tesla Supercharger team in a bid to avoid further rapid growth of the public charging network. BP now appears ready to take advantage of that.
“If there are stranded real estate partners looking for someone to call, they should pick up the phone and call me or look me up on LinkedIn,” said Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse Americas, the company in charge. ”. company’s charging network in the United States, said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Highway sign for electric car fast charging station at BP in the Metrolina area of Charlotte, NC
BP reportedly plans to spend $1 billion by 2030, half that amount over the next two or three years, to install more than 3,000 chargers in the US. That will include large-scale sites with 12 or more chargers, which BP calls Gigahubs.
It first offered electric vehicle charging in 2010 and began an aggressive push in 2017. BP views electric vehicle charging as a profit-driven business, with an executive saying in 2022 that the charger is ready. The profit is almost equal to the gas pump. It’s not the only oil company excited about tolling: Shell announced earlier this year that it Fill some gas stations in favor of EV charging.
Nissan Leaf electric vehicles use the DC fast charging station at BP in the Metrolina area of Charlotte, NC
The build-out of the BP charging system will be complemented by expansion plans from dedicated charging networks. Electrifying America, which was created as part of a fine for Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating, also this week confirmed an expansion effort this year. And Ionna, the national electric vehicle charging network funded by investments from seven automakers, is is looking to open its first stations this year, is on track to deliver a minimum of 30,000 fast chargers across North America.
The automaker’s commitment to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector means that, regardless of whether the Tesla Supercharger team is gutted or not, NACS will likely continue to be popular on alternative networks This. But when it comes to reliability, just switching to a NACS connector won’t solve much; it’s about interoperability and staying on top of software updates to make that happen—plus maintenance.
