According to Bloomberg News, BP's electric charging unit, BP Pulse Americas, is interested in acquiring Tesla's Supercharger sites in the United States. This move comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk plans to expand the Supercharger network at a slower pace and after laying off employees in the electric vehicle charging business. BP Pulse Americas CEO Sujay Sharma stated that BP is aggressively looking to acquire real estate to expand its network [8a2f5570].
BP had previously announced plans to invest $1 billion in EV charging stations across the US by 2030 and had placed an order for Tesla's fast chargers worth $100 million. The BP Pulse-branded chargers will be compatible with both Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) and Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors. Acquiring Tesla's Supercharger sites could provide an opportunity for BP to further solidify Tesla's NACS as the industry standard and expand its market share. It could also allow other public EV fast-charging networks like EVgo and ChargePoint to grow [8a2f5570].
The potential acquisition of Tesla's Supercharger sites by BP could have significant implications for the EV charging infrastructure in the US. It could lead to increased competition and collaboration among different charging networks, ultimately benefiting EV owners by expanding charging options and improving accessibility. The compatibility of BP Pulse-branded chargers with both Tesla's NACS and CCS connectors could also enhance interoperability between different EV brands and charging networks [8a2f5570].