BP’s first all-electric forecourt is poised to open within weeks, just a few miles from a rival’s similar operation in west London.
The outlet, on the A4 just west of Hammersmith flyover, is 20 minutes’ drive from Shell’s Recharge site, which launched in Fulham three years ago.
The BP project, which comes with an M&S Food convenience store, is believed to have originally been planned to open before Christmas. When Forecourt Trader visited the site on December 13, the BP Pulse ultra fast chargers, under a canopy, were live and teams of workers were putting the finishing touches to the forecourt.
The tarmacking of the site was expected to take place Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, suggesting that while the development has been slightly delayed, it may still go live before the new year.
A glimpse through the boarded-up forecourt showed InPost parcel lockers, and advertising posters featured BP’s Wildbean Café “freshly made” food to go.
BP, which has a 24-hour MFG/Londis dealer petrol station opposite the new site, has declined to comment on its new development.
But Forecourt Trader understands that the oil giant has been talking enthusiastically about the initiative with its dealers.
Shell has already established a market for this electric format – with 10 ultra rapid chargers on its site nearby at Fulham Road, a prosperous part of the capital where electric cars are likely to be popular, but at-home charging is not always available because of high-density terraced housing.
Inside the Little Waitrose on site, a sign welcomes customers to the “service station of the future” highlighting how the forecourt uses sustainable materials, and solar energy. The shop also has a water station for customers to refill drink bottles for free.
Interestingly, the site does not put its electricity pricing on its totem – a move which some forward thinking independents are moving towards.
Signs in the numbered charging bays restrict customers to an hour of charging and ban motorists from parking without plugging in their EV. There is one space for customers to park up without charging to use the shop, or the inside Costa café with seating area.
When we visited in mid-afternoon last Friday most of the charging bays were being used, indicating that, in this part of London at least, all-electric forecourts are a concept that has already been accepted.
The Hammersmith forecourt is the latest in what appears to be a fast-emerging sub-sector of the industry, with MFG operating an all-electric outlet in Manchester, and south London-based Park Garage Group having won planning permission for its all-electric with cafe initiative in Kings Langley, Herfordshire.
