BP Chargemaster is boasting that thanks to "incredible" growth in the utilization of its public charging network in the UK ‎over the past 12 months, it is now powering electric cars for up to 1.5 million miles a week.

Daily, some 7,000 charging points (AC and DC fast) are regularly dispensing over 60 MWh (60,000 kWh) of electricity. That's would be about 8.6 kWh per single point every day.

The network probably still is not at a stage of profitability (at least average utilization is too low), but it's great to hear that stats are improving quickly. A big part of that is the growth of all-electric car sales.

By the end of 2019, BP Chargemaster intends to add 100 ultra-fast chargers (150 kW), and another 300 (total of 400) by the end of 2021.

"BP’s first 150kW forecourts are already live in London and Essex, with other installations in England and Wales going live imminently, and the first sites in Scotland due before the end of the year, demonstrating BP Chargemaster’s commitment to developing the largest nationwide ultra-fast public charging network. This is helping to accelerate the adoption of EVs, by making electric vehicle charging fast, convenient and hassle-free.

All new rapid and ultra-fast chargers on the Polar network are easy to access through contactless payment terminals, with existing rapid chargers being retrofitted with the technology by the middle of next year."

David Newton, COO of BP Chargemaster, said:

“Powering around 1.5 million electric ‎miles a week makes us the most-used public charging infrastructure operator in the ‎UK and we are proud to serve thousands of electric vehicle drivers every day.‎

‎“We have seen incredible growth in the utilisation of our public charging network ‎over the past 12 months, with both the number of charging sessions and number of ‎users more than doubling, and the amount of energy supplied almost tripling. This ‎reflects the larger batteries and the longer distances being driven by the latest electric ‎vehicles.”‎

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BP Chargemaster public charging points powering up to 1.5 million electric miles a week

Public charging points operated in the UK by BP Chargemaster are now regularly supplying more than 60 MWh (60,000 kWh) of energy per day

Public charging points operated in the UK by BP Chargemaster are now regularly supplying more than 60 MWh (60,000 kWh) of energy per day, equating to around 1.5 million miles per week of driving by electric cars. [1]

Based on the average UK new car carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions figure of 124.5g/km, electric vehicles using BP Chargemaster’s public charging points are avoiding around 300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions every week. [2]

David Newton, COO of BP Chargemaster, said: “Powering around 1.5 million electric miles a week makes us the most-used public charging infrastructure operator in the UK and we are proud to serve thousands of electric vehicle drivers every day.

“We have seen incredible growth in the utilisation of our public charging network over the past 12 months, with both the number of charging sessions and number of users more than doubling, and the amount of energy supplied almost tripling. This reflects the larger batteries and the longer distances being driven by the latest electric vehicles.”

BP Chargemaster is continuing to expand Polar, the UK’s largest public charging network now with about 7,000 charging points available, including with the deployment of ultra-fast 150kW chargers on BP forecourts.

BP’s first 150kW forecourts are already live in London and Essex, with other installations in England and Wales going live imminently, and the first sites in Scotland due before the end of the year, demonstrating BP Chargemaster’s commitment to developing the largest nationwide ultra-fast public charging network. This is helping to accelerate the adoption of EVs, by making electric vehicle charging fast, convenient and hassle-free.

All new rapid and ultra-fast chargers on the Polar network are easy to access through contactless payment terminals, with existing rapid chargers being retrofitted with the technology by the middle of next year.

Notes

Miles travelled calculated using the kWh provided on the network from BP Chargemaster system data multiplied by an electric car averaging four miles per kilowatt hour (kWh). All of the electricity that BP Chargemaster public charging points use is certified as renewable through the redemption or purchase of Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs).

Greenhouse gas savings calculated on a tank-to-wheel basis, using the same miles travelled when using the average equivalent new car. The baseline used is average grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilometre for the average new UK car in 2018, as per SMMT New Car CO₂ Report 2019.

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