Oil major BP’s EV charging division, BP Pulse, has announced a deal that will see the firm install charging stations at 14 retail parks.
The locations are all owned by the real-estate arm of US asset-management firm Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
The first park to receive chargers is Lyons Farm retail park in Worthing, West Sussex, with three other locations identified for the first phase of the 14 installations: Fountains Retail Park in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Castle Marina Retail Park in Nottingham, and Jubilee Retail Park in Weymouth, Dorset.
The rollout will see a mixture of ultra rapid (150kW+) and rapid (50kW+) hubs constructed, rapid ones getting a pair of bays, and with ultra-rapid ones comprising up to 10 bays. Bosses at the two firms are reviewing retail parks across Columbia Threadneedle’s retail-park portfolio to identify the remaining locations.
Valerio Ferro, BP Pulse’s general manager, comments: “Retail parks are places people already visit to shop, eat and meet, so adding reliable, high-speed charging enhances that experience.
Kannika Mall, an asset manager for Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate UK, echoes these sentiments, describing retail parks as being “increasingly considered the favoured location for consumers seeking convenient and practical shopping experiences”.
