The plan will use VW’s 150kW Flexpole charging units, which each feature two charge points and have an integrated battery storage system. The battery allows the fast chargers to quickly top up EVs without the need for a high-powered grid connection.
As the Flexpole units can be directly connected to a low-voltage grid, they do not require a dedicated substation, which comes with costly construction work and lengthy installation times.
BP said they were capable of delivering enough energy in as little as 10 minutes to drive up to 160km, depending on the model of electric vehicle.
The first phase of the roll-out will see up to an additional 4,000 charge points at BP’s Aral retail sites in Germany and BP retail sites in the UK over the next 24 months. By the end 2024, up to 8,000 charge points could be available across Germany, the UK and other European countries.
Bernard Looney, BP’s chief executive officer, said: “EV charging is one of the key engines...