- The new ’ultra-fast hub’ in Pimlico features eight 150kW chargers, each with the potential of charging up to 100 miles of range in around 15 minutes.
- Located at Q-Park Pimlico near Victoria station, the new ’Gigahub’ strengthens BP pulse’s presence in the capital, complementing its existing Gigahub site in Park Lane.
- The new hub features two dedicated charge points for Uber drivers, including a money-saving offer.
BP pulse has launched its ”most powerful charging hub in central London”, as it continues the roll-out of hundreds of ultra-fast sites this decade. The hub includes a special offer for Uber drivers.
Located at Q-Park Pimlico, near Victoria station, the facility has eight ultra-fast 150kW chargers, each capable of providing up to 100 miles of range in 15 minutes.
The Gigahub, the second for the business in the capital, claims to enable 16 EVs to charge simultaneously. There are two dedicated chargepoints for Uber drivers, who could save ”hundreds of pounds a year” on their charging under a special offer for drivers of the ride-hailing business, maintains BP pulse.
Since 2022, BP pulse and Uber have had a global mobility agreement in place that has seen both companies work together to accelerate Uber’s commitment to become what it calls a zero-tailpipe emissions mobility platform in the UK by 2023.
London is Uber’s top city for EVs worldwide, with well over 10,000 electric vehicles on the platform. And Uber’s general manager in the UK, Andrew Brem, says the development will help the business meet its goal of being 100% electric by the end of 2025.
“Uber drivers tell us that one of the greatest barriers to electrification is the lack of rapid-charging points in the right places, so BP pulse’s new hub is a great step towards helping drivers switch to electric vehicles,” says Brem.
The new Pimlico hub, connected by UK Power Networks Services, significantly boosts the ultra-fast EV charging offer in central London. Previously, only 13 ultra-fast chargepoints at 100kW and above were publicly available across all operators in 2023, according to Zapmap data (4 October).
But BP pulse, which has a Greater London network of over 570 chargepoints, including approximately 50 ultra-fast chargers, says it is focused on rolling out hundreds of ultra-fast hubs this decade in key EV driver hotspots. “We have seen ultra-fast charging sessions on the BP pulse public network in London double over the last two years, so it’s clear that there is appetite for this technology,” says Akira Kirton, vice president at BP Pulse.
The Pimlico hub also showcases an innovative approach to installing chargers in indoor and underground car parks where limited headroom presents a major challenge, says Bp pulse. It has collaborated with Radius Group and Comtec Srl on a tilting frame that ensures a safe and secure method of handling each unit for precise positioning during installation. This new solution will provide an important blueprint for charger installation in similar settings, says BP pulse.
