BP Pulse expands public EV charging options in Australia

British oil and gas giant BP has officially launched its fast electric car charging network in Australia, giving another option for EV drivers to top-up on the go.

BP Pulse is now live with three sites – each with one charger – at Diamond Creek, Brighton East Bayside Gateway in Melbourne, and Caboolture North sitting between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

It aims to roll out around 600 “fast, reliable chargers” in Australia placed prominently beside its fuel service stations with nearby food amenities, yet stopped short in stating a definitive timeline.

Initially, the EV charging infrastructure will be installed at key metropolitan and regional BP locations along the east coast.

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The company uses the latest modular Tritium PKM fast charging units. It currently outputs 75kW DC speeds, but promises existing and new chargers will be upgraded to 150kW DC in 2023 when it’ll be connected to a higher power grid.

Additionally, BP intends to upgrade to 350kW DC speeds in the next two years, which’ll better take advantage of ultra rapid charging capable EV models like the Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y and Porsche Taycan.

The Brisbane-made stations offer CCS2 and CHAdeMO plugs able to charge both vehicles at the same time. Though, it’s worth noting that maximum charging speeds will be limited to each module when power sharing – 50kW for CCS2 and 25kW for CHAdeMO on the current 75kW DC setup.

BP Pulse stations cost $0.55 per kWh, but are initially free at launch. According to a user on Plugshare, the Diamond Creek location is already incurring fees. EV owners need to download the BP Pulse mobile app to activate the charging session.

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For context, Chargefox and Evie Networks’ 50kW DC fast chargers are mostly set at $0.40 per kWh or 350kW DC ultra rapid chargers cost $0.60 per kWh.

BP is the second fuel giant to enter into the EV charging infrastructure game, after Ampol launched its AmpCharge network in August. AmpCharge uses 150kW DC stations priced at $0.60 per kWh.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s exclusive 150kW or 250kW Supercharging network costs $0.68 or $0.69 per kWh depending on the location with overstaying idling fees.

Initially, BP Pulse will use electricity from the grid, though it’ll offset carbon emissions for every kWh outputted by purchasing certificates that invest into renewable energy projects.

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“We will be on the journey with them [customers] through this decade and beyond with growing numbers of fast, reliable chargers at convenient locations with great retail options, whether they want to eat, drink or shop,” BP Australia president Frédéric Baudry said.

The fuel giant has also partnered with BOC Gas to build a public hydrogen refuelling site for fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) at a BP truck stop in the Port of Brisbane.

BP aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It’ll reduce its oil and gas production by 40 per cent by 2030.

Founded in 2008 and formerly called BP Chargemaster and Polar, BP Pulse already provides more than 9000 charging points with home AC wall boxes and DC public chargers in Britain.