BP, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, is making a major investment in Tesla Superchargers, with a $100 million purchase agreement. This marks a significant shift for BP, which has previously relied on its own proprietary charging network. However, the company is now recognizing the need to embrace Tesla’s Supercharger network, which is widely regarded as the best in the world. This marks the first time Tesla has ever sold chargers to another company, according to an announcement from BP.
The implementation of these chargers is slated to commence next year. While the exact number of chargers wasn’t specified in the announcement, BP’s acquisition primarily consists of 250-kilowatt fast chargers, a type commonly associated with Tesla’s Superchargers. Nevertheless, these chargers will bear the “BP Pulse” logo and be integrated into BP’s own charging network. Notably, these 250-kilowatt fast chargers have the remarkable capability to recharge most electric vehicles up to 80% capacity in a mere 30 minutes. This makes them particularly well-suited for long-distance travel and placement at bustling rest stops and shopping centers.
What’s more, these chargers are engineered to accommodate vehicles with either Tesla’s NACS charging port or the CCS charging port, which many automakers are adopting. Tesla has not yet provided additional information on the specifics of this arrangement.
The oil supermajor intends to deploy these chargers at various BP-owned locations, including well-known names such as TravelCenters of America, Thorntons, and Amoco locations. Furthermore, some of these chargers will be situated at third-party locations, consistent with a prior agreement, including Hertz centers.
BP Pulse, BP’s electric vehicle charging division, currently manages 27,000 charging points and has unveiled ambitious expansion plans. This latest foray into Tesla Superchargers forms part of BP’s broader strategy to extend its electric vehicle charging network. The company has committed to invest $1 billion in electric vehicle charging infrastructure by 2030 and is actively engaged in the development of a new generation of electric vehicle chargers designed for enhanced speed and efficiency compared to current models.
In the realm of recent substantial agreements involving Tesla, we’ve witnessed a series of remarkable developments:
In November 2021, Tesla inked a monumental deal with Hertz, offering 100,000 electric vehicles for rental, making it the largest electric vehicle procurement order to date. This collaboration paves the way for Hertz to expand its electric vehicle fleet, making them more accessible to renters.
March 2022 saw Tesla and Panasonic announcing a colossal $4 billion deal designed to produce batteries exclusively for Tesla electric vehicles. This alliance serves to amplify Tesla’s production capacity while reducing its reliance on external battery suppliers.
July 2023 ushered in a pivotal collaboration between Tesla and Samsung, marked by a $1 billion agreement to jointly develop and manufacture next-generation self-driving chips tailored for Tesla’s electric vehicles. This initiative leverages Samsung’s cutting-edge 4-nanometer node technology to produce these advanced chips, anticipated for deployment in Tesla’s Hardware 5 (HW 5.0) self-driving computers, set for release in 2024. Tesla has boldly proclaimed that these HW 5.0 computers will significantly outperform the existing HW 4.0 models, propelling Tesla’s self-driving system toward achieving Level 5 autonomy.
