BP to Expand EV Charging Network at 75 Simon Locations
Energy company BP, traditionally associated with petroleum products, has an electric vehicle charger network about to expand to 75 Simon retail properties.
The move will add more than 900 charging bays in the U.S., according to a company press release. BP expects that the first chargers in the Simon locations will open for public use in early 2026. The chargers will be the company's Gigahubs for fast charging.
BP has been involved in public EV charging networks since before the pandemic. It has invested in and acquired technology and service companies. The charging division is called bp pulse.
As is common in EV charging networks, the operators aren't necessarily the manufacturers of the equipment. The Gigahubs are rebranded Tesla Superchargers with BP's own software, called Omega, which the company claims will .
BP and Tesla announced the relationship in October 2023. The companies said that the $100 million deal represented the first time Tesla would sell its fastest chargers for use in an independent EV charging network. At that time, bp pulse already had more than 27,000 charge points globally, and it planned 100,000 by 2030. Currently, it has increased the number of global charging bays to 33,900. In 2023, their growth in the numbers of charge points globally grew 35%, year over year.
The initial installation of the Tesla chargers started this year across the company's global network, including at key locations including bp, Amoco, and Thorntons-branded sites; TravelCenters of America locations; and at bp pulse's Gigahub charging sites. Overall, bp pulse focuses on installing charging hubs near airports, shopping centers, and other high-demand and trafficked areas.
Tesla claims to have more than 50,000 superchargers across the globe, with a 15-minute recharge time estimated to provide up to 200 miles of driving range. The supercharger/Gigacharger requires a lot of power to operate.
Source: GlobeSt/ALM