BP to buy Tesla Superchargers for US electric-car charging network

British Petroleum (BP) has signed a deal to buy $US100 million ($AU157.7 million) worth of Tesla’s ‘Superchargers’, to join the oil giant's expanding electric-car charging network – but an Australian rollout is yet to be announced.

In a media statement, BP announced Tesla Superchargers will roll out across the energy company’s network of electric-car charging locations – branded as BP Pulse – in the US from 2024, becoming the first third-party business to use Tesla's chargers.

It comes as the North American Charging Standard – an electric-car charging plug designed by Tesla for its vehicles, and now available for all car makers to use – is adopted in increasing numbers by car companies in the US.

Most car manufacturers which sell electric vehicles in the US – including Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan, Volvo and more – have announced plans to adopt the NACS plug for future vehicles in North America, replacing the industry-standard Combined Charging System (CCS) connector.

In Australia the NACS plug is not used, nor are there any plans announced to adopt it, with all electric vehicles on sale – except the Nissan Leaf, but including Tesla cars – fitted with CCS plugs for high-speed charging.

Tesla recently expanded the number of its Superchargers in Australia available to all electric cars – not just Teslas – to 30, out of a total of 63 sites nationally.

While BP did not detail which version of the Superchargers it will use in the US, Tesla is currently rolling out its first ‘V4’ chargers, capable of charging at up to 350kW – an improvement over the 250kW ‘V3’ units which were released overseas in 2019, but matching the best CCS charging stations.

BP has previously announced its intention to have more than 120,000 electric-car chargers available globally by 2030, with up to $US1 billion ($AU1.58 billion) being invested in the US alone.

BP Pulse launched in Australia in November 2022, announcing at the time its plans to offer more than 600 electric-car chargers across its local network of fuel stations.

In Australia the BP Pulse network uses chargers designed by Brisbane company Tritium.

As of October 2023, there are currently 46 BP Pulse stations active in Australia, all of which feature 75kW electric-car chargers. Higher-power 150kW sockets are planned at a later date.

The energy company has not yet announced any plans to add the Tesla Superchargers to its Australian network.

In August, Tesla announced it had expanded the number of ‘Superchargers’ which can recharge electric vehicles from other manufacturers in Australia, with 30 of its 63 sites now capable of charging models equipped with a CCS fast-charging socket.