E-mobility primarily affects manufacturers and their vehicles. But even oil giants like BP are going through massive changes – which will soon pay off.
London/Stuttgart – When people talk about e-mobility, vehicle manufacturers and their cars quickly come to mind. Corporations such as Mercedes-Benz* or Porsche* have decades of expertise in the production of combustion engines and are now switching to electric cars in record time. It quickly goes unnoticed that the mobility change is far from over with the production of e-cars – and not only poses challenges for vehicle manufacturers.
There is a need to catch up, for example, with the charging network for e-cars, which is a tragedy in Germany (BW24* reported). Not only car manufacturers are concerned with the expansion, but also energy companies. This is particularly important for those who have so far focused on gas stations and thus on combustion engines. But as the Reuters news agency reports, the charging station business seems to be starting to pay off, even for oil giants like BP.
Charging stations for e-cars: Business is becoming increasingly profitable for oil giant BP
In Germany, for example, the energy group EnBW is working on expanding charging stations. An EnBW manager complains about a typical German problem* with the e-car breakthrough: the bureaucracy. BP with its Aral brand is also struggling with this in this country. However, the group seems to be very successful in Great Britain and the rest of Europe with its charging stations. Because, according to Reuters, they are on the verge of becoming more profitable than BP’s gas stations.
In times of climate change and increasing e-mobility, the oil giant has to take care of new business areas, which it seems to have found in the form of fast charging stations, among other things. So far, however, their expansion has mainly been a loss-making business because gigantic investments were necessary. In the meantime, however, that has probably changed. “When I think about a tank of fuel versus a quick charge, we are getting close to a point where the business metrics for quick charging are better than fuel,” said Emma Delaney, BP’s Head of Customers and Products.
BP with a new strategy: oil giant focuses in particular on fast charging stations
BP has benefited in particular from the growing need for fast charging stations in Great Britain and Europe. Sales of electricity for e-cars increased by 45 percent in the third quarter of 2021 alone compared to the previous quarter. In contrast to other companies, BP also focuses explicitly on fast charging – i.e. over 50 kilowatts – or on “ultra-fast charging” with over 150 kilowatts.
BP currently already operates 11,000 charging stations for electric cars, but wants to increase this to 70,000 by 2030. “Overall, we see a huge opportunity in fast charging for consumers and businesses,” Denaly told Reuters . *BW24 is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
