BP Pulse to invest £2m upgrading UK’s legacy charging infrastructure

BP Pulse is working with local authorities to upgrade legacy public charging points with faster and more reliable units.

The company has already agreed over £400,000 in infrastructure investment to replace more than 50 legacy charge points, which are typically owned by local authorities and were originally installed with government grant funding.

Further discussions are already underway relating to an additional £750,000 of funding available for legacy charge point owners, which could see more than 300 units upgraded.

In total, the chargepoint provider has made £2 million available and says will work closely with local authorities and other charge point owners over the coming months to replace older infrastructure as quickly as possible.

Matteo de Renzi, CEO of BP Pulse, said: “While we remain focused on expanding our network, in particular with the proliferation of convenient ultra-fast charging, we know that many of the issues experienced by drivers come from legacy charging infrastructure, so our investment in upgrading it will significantly improve the experience of EV drivers across the country.” 

A decade has passed since the first significant roll-out of public charging infrastructure under the Plugged in Places scheme. Many of these early charge points have suffered from under-investment, leaving them unusable.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean supports the project. She said: “I’m delighted to see that steps are being taken to upgrade public EV charge points, increasing their reliability and taking us one step closer to delivering on the commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. We’re determined to deliver a world-leading electric vehicle charging network right across the country, as we build back greener and accelerate towards a net-zero transport future.”

The Government recently announced a further £20 million in funding to boost the number of on-street electric vehicle (EV) charge points. The scheme helps councils install charge points for residents without off-street parking to charge their vehicle.

Matteo de Renzi will be speaking at the Fleet News Electric Fleet Conference on March 24, giving an overview of what is required to harness the power of the EV charging ecosystem and unlock the potential of your electric fleet.

To attend the virtual two-day event, click here. Registration is free and delegates can hear from a wide range of speakers and experts as well as taking part in Q&A sessions.