BP predicts there will be 12MILLION electric cars on Britain's roads by 2040 as it snaps up Chargemaster
- Chargemaster is the UK's biggest electric car charger supplier
- Oil heavyweight banking on major increase in use of electric cars by 2040
- Combined group will launch 'rapid chargers' across the country
Oil giant BP has agreed to buy Britain's biggest electric car charging company, Chargemaster.
The multi-national oil heavyweight is banking on a major increase in the use of electric cars across the country over the coming years.
BP predicts there will be 12 million electric cars on Britain's roads by 2040, a marked increase from the 135,000 in use last year.
New era: Oil giant BP has agreed to buy Britain's biggest electric car charger suppliers, Chargemaster
London-based BP plans to roll out Chargemaster's charging points across its 1,200-strong network of service stations across the UK over the next 12 months.
As a combined force, the group, which will be called BP Chargemaster, plans to roll out an infrastructure network strong enough to keep up with a major increase in demand for electric cars.
This will include the roll-out of 'rapid chargers' capable of delivering 100 miles worth of range in 10 minutes.
Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP Downstream, said: 'Bringing together the UK's leading fuel retailer and its largest charging company, BP Chargemaster will deliver a truly differentiated offer for the country's growing number of electric vehicle owners.
'At BP we believe that fast and convenient charging is critical to support the successful adoption of electric vehicles.
'Combining BP's and Chargemaster's complementary expertise, experience and assets is an important step towards offering fast and ultra-fast charging at BP sites across the UK and to BP becoming the leading provider of energy to low carbon vehicles, on the road or at home.'
The amount of money BP plans to spend on buying Chargemaster has not been disclosed.
Ambitious: BP Chargemaster plans to roll-out 'rapid chargers' capable of delivering 100 miles worth of range in 10 minutes
Rival deal: In October last year, BP's rival, Shell, snapped up Dutch-based NewMotion
BP's acquisition marks the group's latest move into green energy, having last month invested £15.3million in a company which makes ultra fast electric vehicle batteries.
In October last year, BP's rival, Shell, snapped up Dutch-based NewMotion, which is the owner of one of Europe's biggest electric charging networks.
Luton-based Chargemaster currently has 6,500 charging points across the country. The group also designs, builds, sells and maintains electric charging units in a raft of locations, including those used for home charging.
After the deal is completed, staff at Chargemaster will continue to be employed by BP Chargemaster or its subsidiaries.
Network: Luton-based Chargemaster currently has 6,500 charging points across the country
David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, said: 'The acquisition of Chargemaster by BP marks a true milestone in the move towards low carbon motoring in the UK.
'I am truly excited to lead the Chargemaster team into a new era backed by the strength and scale of BP.'
Mr Martell told This is Money: 'We fully expect the charging network to keep pace with the growth of electric vehicles – and as an example, we grew our rapid charging network by 50% over the last 12 months, exactly matching a 50% increase in the overall number of EVs in the UK.'
Erik Fairbairn, chief executive of electric vehicle chargepoint group Pod Point, said: 'The acquisition of Chargemaster by BP is testament to the fact that future of transport is electric.
'Traditional oil companies know that they cannot afford to ignore this shift from internal combustion engine vehicles.'
At the beginning of this year, industry insiders estimated that around 60,000 low-emission plug-in vehicles would be sold in the UK this year, taking the tally on the roads to around 200,000.
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