BP is handing control of 12 petrol stations over to motorway services operator Roadchef as part of a deal that will see the oil major run EV charging at at least 30 of the MSA firm’s sites.
While the BP-operated forecourts will be given over the MSA firm the sites will continue to sport BP liveries, stock BP fuel and feature Wildbean cafes.
In exchange, BP will install ultra-rapid Pulse chargers at “more than” 30 Roadchef service areas, with that project beginning in 2027.
The deal implies BP’s “stepping back” from EV-only forecourts is not indicative of a wider retreat from the chargepoint sector – though the company has wound up its Pulse arms in France and the Netherlands, focussing its EV operations on the UK, the UK and Germany.
Jo Hayward, VP of mobility and convenience retail UK at BP, says the Roadchef deal “brings together our respective strengths to deliver more for customers”. She adds that the firm will continue to supply “BP fuels, food and convenient services”.
Roadchef’s chief executive, Tim Gittins, says the partnership will help the MSA firm achieve its “commitment to deliver 1,000 charging bays by 2030”, adding: “BP brings the scale, experience and delivery capability needed to match our ambition, helping us move faster, invest with confidence and make charging more accessible to drivers across our network.”
The forecourts being handed over to Roadchef sit at Northampton Northbound and Southbound services; Watford Gap North and South; Clacket East and West; Sandbach North and South; Rownhams East and West; Strensham Southbound, and Norton Canes.
