BP Pulse has made its first move in the UK to provide electric charging for heavy goods vehicles, with its acquisition of one of Europe’s largest truckstops, near Dover.
The electric charging set-up at the Ashford site, which iit hopes to be be operational in early 2026, will give truck drivers options for overnight and on-the-go charging. It has capacity for around 20 mega-watt chargers, wihich can power an HGV in up to 45 minutes for up to 310 miles, as well as 10 x 400kW and 125 x 100kW chargers.
The hub will provide a link from the UK to BP Pulse’s German charging corridors, which the business describes as “a pivotal step” in its plans to establish a comprehensive Europe-wide network of EV charging infrastructure for HGVs.
The Ashford International Truckstop, off Junction 10 and 10a of the M20, is positioned to benefit from the 3.5 million HGVs crossing the English Channel every year via the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, according to BP.
BP Pulse will own and operate the charging infrastructure. It has purchased the freehold of the 21-acre site, which already offers 660 parking bays and convenience services for HGV drivers, and is leasing it back to the original owner, the CSE Group, on a long-term basis.
Darrell Healey, chairman of GSE Group, said that the development will help haulage companies gain confidence to go electric: “We know the industry, including many of our clients, want to go electric. They will need convenient and quick charging infrastructure in the right locations, which is why the combination of the truckstop at Ashford and BP Pulse works so well,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing our site evolve and serve such E-trucks and to continue to explore other potential truckstop projects in the UK.”
In January 2023, BP launched what it calls Europe’s first truck charging corridor along a 600km Rhine-Alpine stretch in Germany. It already operates 21 Aral Pulse-branded EV truckstops in Germany, enabling an electric truck to cover over 750km across multiple routes.
It aims to create a network of mobility hubs along key logistics corridors across the UK and Europe providing freight operators with a range of energy options.
