Dive Brief:
- BP Pulse, the electric vehicle charging arm of energy and retail company BP, has partnered with restaurant chain Waffle House to bring EV chargers to select locations.
- BP will install six 400 kW direct current fast charging bays at select sites, which include Waffle House locations in Texas, Florida, Georgia and other parts of the South and Southeast. The first charging sites, which will offer the two most common EV connectors, are expected to come online in 2026.
- The agreement comes as BP continues to install EV chargers across its hundreds of c-store locations under the Thorntons, Amoco and TravelCenters of America banners.
Dive Insight:
BP has roughly 40,000 charge points globally. The company opened a Gigahub with 20 EV fast-charging bays last month just north of Boston Logan Airport in Massachusetts, and earlier this year debuted BP Pulse at a TravelCenters of America site, part of a plan that will add dozens more across the banner.
BP had ambitions of reaching 100,000 EV chargers globally, though recently the company has been pulling back on many of its green energy plans. In February, it announced it would reduce investments in transitional businesses like electric vehicles by about $5 billion per year, to $1.5 billion to $2 billion annually. However, in spite of that broader refocus on its oil and gas business, the company is still expanding its EV charging network.
“We’re building a robust network of ultrafast chargers across the country, and this is another example of third-party collaborations enabling access to charging co-located with convenient amenities for EV drivers,” said Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse.
Representatives from BP did not return requests for comment on how many sites will be included in this partnership.
