BP announces new £50m global EV battery research centre

BP has unveiled plans to invest up to £50 million in a new electric vehicle (EV) battery testing centre and analytical laboratory in the UK.

It has previously announced its intention to invest up to £18 billion in the UK’s energy system by the end of 2030.

Planned to open by the end of 2024, the new facilities will be located at BP’s existing global headquarters for its Castrol business in Pangbourne, Berkshire, and will support the technology, engineering and science roles housed there today.

The site already undertakes research and development of fuels, lubricants and EV fluids and aims to become a leading hub for fluid technologies and engineering in the UK.

Louise Kingham, BP’s UK head of country, said: “This additional investment will help accelerate the transition to EVs by developing solutions to help decarbonise the transport sector.”

The new facilities will help advance the development of leading fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery electric vehicles, aiming to bring the industry closer to achieving the key tipping points for mainstream EV adoption, says BP.

Castrol ON advanced e-fluids manage temperatures within the battery which, explains BP, enables ultra-fast charging and improves efficiency, helping EVs to go further on a single charge and extending the life of the drivetrain system.

In addition, the advanced e-fluid technologies and engineering can be applied to other industries such as thermal management fluids for data centres where demand is rising exponentially. 

Most of the world’s Internet Protocol (IP) traffic goes through data centres and since 2010 the number of internet users worldwide has doubled, while global internet traffic has increased 15-fold - a trend expected to continue over the next decade.

Michelle Jou, CEO of Castrol, said: “The growth of EV fluids is a huge opportunity, and we aim to be the market leader in this sector.

“Two thirds of the world’s major car manufacturers use Castrol ON EV fluids as a part of their factory fill and we also supply Castrol ON EV fluids to the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team. 

“This significant new investment will now allow us to build additional strategic technologies and capabilities to further advance EV fluids for the future.

“The facilities will also be an amazing showcase to demonstrate our integrated technology expertise to customers as we help drive the transition to EVs.”

Richard Bartlett, senior vice president at BP Pulse, added: “At BP Pulse we aim to provide the fastest and most reliable charging experience to our EV customers and continue to invest in our rapid and ultra-fast network globally for passenger cars and trucks.

"This investment will help us co-develop battery and charger technology and digital solutions with our OEM partners to help EVs go further, charge faster and last longer.”

Castrol intends to use the new facilities to continue to work with car manufacturers and suppliers to co-engineer future battery technology and associated thermal management fluids.

It will also look to develop future technologies required to help to enable the ultra-fast charging which underpins BP Pulse’s growth strategy.