BP announced a major agreement with Tesla, which will result in a $100 million order of Tesla\u2019s ultra-fast chargers for its BP Pulse charging network in the U.S.<\/p>\n
It’s the first time ever that Tesla’s fast chargers will be purchased for deployment on an independent EV charging network. Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure said: “At Tesla, we\u2019re driven to enable great charging experiences for all EV owners. Selling our fast-charging hardware is a new step for us, and one we\u2019re looking to expand in support of our mission to accelerate the world\u2019s transition to sustainable energy. We appreciate bp\u2019s partnership in this area \u2013 it\u2019s the right step towards a more sustainable future.”<\/p>\n
The BP Pulse network (previously focused on the European market) will expand across the U.S., including public fast charging stations, as well as supporting EV fleet customers by deploying chargers at their private depots.<\/p>\n
The rollout is planned to begin in 2024, and as we can see in the lead image, the charging dispensers appear to be the V4 Tesla Supercharging type, branded by BP Pulse. BP intends to install and operate Tesla’s charging hardware on its own, and use its in-house intelligent charge management software, Omega,\u00a0“to oversee the entire charging process for EV fleets, providing a comprehensive solution for its fleet customers.”<\/em><\/p>\n When it comes to the chargers, they will have an output of 250 kilowatts (the same as current Tesla V3 and V4 Superchargers), and are equipped with the Tesla\u2019s Magic Dock – integrated CCS1-adapter, so they will be compatible with both North American Charging Standard (NACS) and Combined Charging System (CCS1). At this point we can be pretty certain that we are talking about the V4 dispensers, as their credit card reader, display and longer cable (compared to V3) enable them to conveniently handle all EVs – Tesla and non-Tesla.<\/p>\n According to BP, the chargers will support the use of the Plug and Charge protocol, which simplifies and automates payments to further improve the user experience. It’s also expected that the BP Pulse chargers will be featured in Tesla’s vehicle UI and apps (which depends on meeting the reliability and functionality requirements for third-party operated chargers).<\/p>\n