The fossil fuel industry’s takeover of public charging infrastructure continues. This week, ABB announced plans to supply charging stations to Shell, and Volkswagen and bp unveiled a charger in Dusseldorf, Germany that will be the first unit in a planned network of fast chargers across Europe.
Volkswagen’s Flexpole 150 kW charging unit features two charge points, along with an integrated battery energy storage system. The Flexpole is designed to be directly connected to a low-voltage grid, removing the requirement for a dedicated substation and costly construction work.
In the first phase of the project, the companies will deploy 4,000 charge points at bp’s Aral retail sites in Germany and bp retail sites in the UK over the next 24 months. By the end of 2024, up to 8,000 charge points could be available across Germany, the UK and other European countries.
The charger locations will be integrated into the navigation and other in-car apps of Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda vehicles as well as into Volkswagen’s charging application, Elli. All EV drivers will be able to use the new chargers as part of the bp pulse and Aral pulse networks.
“EV charging is one of the key engines driving bp’s transformation to an integrated energy company,” said bp CEO Bernard Looney. “That’s why we’re so excited by our partnership with Volkswagen. When you bring together one of the world’s leading carmakers and one of the world’s leading energy companies, the opportunity is huge. This is a significant step forward on our journey to accelerate the electrification of transport in Europe.”
“Investing in everything from software to batteries and charging is part of our strategy to make individual mobility safer, more convenient and fully climate-neutral,” said Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess. “The decarbonization of Europe’s economy requires close collaboration across borders and sectors.”
Source: Volkswagen Group