BP Pulse opens ultra-fast charging sites in Scotland

BP Pulse has opened two new ultra-fast charging sites on the M8 motorway at bp pulse’s Harthill services in Scotland. Situated on the Edinburgh to Glasgow corridor, the sites feature ten 150-kW chargers servicing the east-and west-bound carriageways near Harthill, Lanarkshire.

Scotland’s Transport Minister Graeme Dey said on site: “Positioned between Scotland’s two largest cities, the new ultra-fast 150kW chargers from bp pulse are a welcome addition to Harthill services.” BP Pulse estimates its new 150-kW chargers can add up to 100 miles of range in 10 – 15 minutes and that the ultra-fast chargers will power one million miles of EV motoring in their first year. Rob Chadwick, bp EV operations lead, UK added, there were 75,000 motorists travelling the route.

In Harthill, each 150kW charger is equipped with CCS and CHAdeMO. Drivers can access the charging sessions with a BP Pulse subscription or via Pay-as-you-go, using a contactless debit or credit card with no registration required.

The Scottish hub forms part of BP’s broader strategy to invest in low carbon solutions for Scotland, which includes a bid in the ScotWind offshore leasing round. It also follows the company’s recent announcement that it will roll out dedicated ultra-fast charging hubs across the UK, with the first set to open later this year in partnership with The EV Network.

The BP subsidiary – that was given the new name BP Pulse incorporating BP Chargemaster and Polar in 2020 – targets to double its network in size to 16,000 charge points by 2030. While these will be faster charging points mainly, the company this March also made a pledge to invest two million pounds in upgrading “legacy” that is older charge points, specifically those owned by local authorities. Matteo de Renzi, CEO of BP Pulse at the time explained that although they remain focused on increasing the number of fast-charging possibilities in their network, the company recognises that drivers in the UK experience issues with older charge points. The aim, he said is to “significantly improve the experience of EV drivers across the country.”