You'll Soon See EVs Charging At Fuel Stations

British drivers could soon see electric car charging sockets at BP stations across the country. In a move widely tipped to appeal more to the public than anything else, fast-chargers would sit in a special area of BP forecourts to let plug-in cars juice up.

BP has over 3100 filling stations in the UK, so installing just a handful of charging points at each of them would see the network expand by five figures – all of them in prime locations for passing traffic.

The latest electric cars ‘only’ need 20-30 minutes to recoup around 100 miles of range (it’s even faster for Tesla Superchargers), making it feasible for drivers to stop for a coffee and a flick through the day’s newspapers while their car refills with power. It’s still far from being as convenient as filling your petrol tank, but maybe the change in pace might encourage a better, less frantic quality of life.

Shell has apparently already promised an initial 10 charging stations at its own fuel stations, with more to follow. Its own UK network totals 550 Shell-owned sites and hundreds more Shell-branded franchised forecourts owned by third parties like Euro Garages.

If Shell and BP are taking this sort of action here, then you can bet it’s happening across Europe. Soon, perhaps, you’ll regularly see electric cars charging while you’re filling your tank.

Via: Auto Express