- bp pulse secures Ashford International Truckstop, bringing electric HGV charging to the pivotal area.
- Truckstop near Dover plans 20 mega-watt chargers, critical for HGVs.
- The charging specialist will lease the site back to Ashford to continue operations while securing infrastructure.
The charging specialist has acquired the site with plans to bring electric HGV charging to a major freightway
bp pulse, the EV charging arm of BP PLC, is pushing for accessible electric HGV charging. The subsidiary secured Ashford International Truckstop in Kent, one of Europe’s largest truck stops. Now, the pivotal truck stop is going electric.
Situated near Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Ashford International Truckstop occupies a crucial position for the UK’s HGV traffic. Millions of vehicles traverse the channel via these key ports annually.
Plans are in place to accommodate roughly 20 mega-watt chargers. These will be supplemented by additional units of 400 kW and 100 kW chargers. These chargers, designed to significantly reduce charging times for HGVs, will go operational by 2026. They offer up to 310 miles on a single charge within approximately 45 minutes.
Stefan von Dobschuetz, General Manager of bp pulse Europe, commented:
“For fleet operators to consider going electric, they must be confident that the infrastructure is in place to support them. That is why we are thrilled to have secured the land to a crucial site near Dover as we strive to meet the evolving needs of HGV operators transitioning to EVs. The location of this truck stop aligns with our mission to provide accessible and strategically positioned charging infrastructure for our customers along the major truck corridors in Europe.
Now we need to unlock the EV charging potential at this site. We look forward to working with national energy infrastructure partners to facilitate timely power connections for our ambitious project.”
Under the terms of the agreement, bp pulse will lease back the site to Ashford International Truckstop Ltd. This will enable the continued operation of existing facilities and secure parking, while assuming responsibility for the implementation of EV charging infrastructure.
Darrell Healey, Chairman of GSE Group, added:
“Our knowledge and experience of operating arguably the best truck stop in the UK, combined with bp pulse’s capabilities in building the EV charging infrastructure required by our existing and future customers, is a perfect partnership. We’re looking forward to seeing our site evolve and serve such E-Trucks and to continue to explore other potential truck stop projects in the UK.”
bp pulse’s acquisition of Ashford International Truckstop is a significant stride toward bolstering the UK’s HGV EV charging infrastructure. It joins exciting initiatives like GRIDSERVE’s Electric Freightway, currently working to decarbonise the crucial haulage sector in the region.
