BP Pulse, the electric vehicle (EV) charging arm of oil and gas supermajor BP, has acquired one of Europe’s largest truck stops and is planning to electrify the site with over 150 super-fast, fast, and megawatt chargers.
Opened in 1994, the Ashford International Truckstop (AIT) is located near the east coast of England in Kent and just shy of the town of Dover, the UK’s busiest ferry port and where the Eurotunnel connects the United Kingdom with mainland Europe.
Around 3.5 million Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) cross the English Channel each year via either the Eurotunnel (Channel Tunnel) or the port of Dover, making the AIT ideally placed to service a huge number of freight trucks.
The Ashford International Truckstop currently offers 660 truck bays and a suite of amenities from restaurants, bars, gym; facilities for laundry, refreshment, and rest; and space for trailer changeover, 48 refrigerated load plug-in, hazardous loads, vehicle repairs, and even a truck wash station.
But with its acquisition late last week by BP Pulse, the AIT will soon also be home to a wide array of electric vehicle charging stations ready to service all manner of size vehicles. BP Pulse will also lease the site back to AIT so it can continue to operate the existing site facilities and secure parking on a long-term lease.
BP Pulse intends to install approximately twenty megawatt chargers, ten 400kW chargers, and 125 100kW chargers.
And while this capacity is subject to change, BP Pulse is aiming to install a range of charging options suitable for both on-the-go and overnight HGVs.
The first megawatt chargers – which are capable of charging an HGV in up to 45 minutes with a range of 500 kilometres (depending on the EV model, battery, and weather and driving conditions) in a single charge – are expected to be in place from 2026.
“For fleet operators to consider going electric, they must be confident that the infrastructure is in place to support them,” said Stefan von Dobschuetz, general manager of BP Pulse Europe.
“That is why we are thrilled to have secured the land to a crucial site near Dover as we strive to meet the evolving needs of HGV operators transitioning to EVs.
“The location of this truck stop aligns with our mission to provide accessible and strategically positioned charging infrastructure for our customers along the major truck corridors in Europe.”
BP Pulse’s acquisition of AIT and its electrification strategy for the truck stop is part of the company’s larger effort the support the decarbonisation of road transportation and build a network of mobility hubs along key logistics corridors across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.