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BP to purchase $100M in Tesla Superchargers
- prossercj 3y agoI have this theory that one day gas stations will be used primarily for their EV charging stations, which they will power by burning gasoline
- weebull 3y agoNo driver wants to be stuck at a fuel station for 20 minutes. Yes they will stop being fuel stations, but they're the last places I want to charge.
- darknavi 3y agoReally? We EV road trip a lot and I'd love a 7/11 type mart. - Bathroom - Snacks - Maybe a small fast food join attached Honestly if every EV charger could be at a WaWa that'd be rad. As a west coaster I am so jealous of WaWa in general!
- notyourwork 3y agoSimilar to what used to be some more developed rest stops (areas).
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y agoSheetz baby, Sheetz!
- hindsightbias 3y agoMost of the existing gas station infrastructure is poorly suited for EV. Not enough room and owner operators can't afford superchargers (~$250K a pop in LA). Newer chains like Racetrak and Buc-ees might work and have the space/capital but they're not suited for denser urban areas.
- _ea1k 3y agoHosts don't have to pay for superchargers. That's why they often show up at relatively small, or even mostly unoccupied locations.
- 29athrowaway 3y agoWhat do they plan to do? connect an oil based generator to the charging station?
- cosban 3y agoDoubtful. It makes sense for oil companies to begin (though realistically continue) investing in alternative energies if they want to survive beyond this century due to the continued decreased cost of alternative fuel/energy sources.
- qdog 3y agoSays they are installing them at their gas stations. Probably a lot of money to be made from getting people to stop to charge and buy sodas etc.
- Tempest1981 3y agoYep, imagine an EV version of Buc-ees, replacing 100 gas pumps with superchargers... keeping the Walmart-sized snack-shop: https://www.mapquest.com/travel/destinations/travel-guide/tips/buc-ees.htm https://www.mapquest.com/travel/destinations/travel-guide/ti... (see pic, the scale is massive) Oh, already happening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU07U1kxDg0&t=57s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU07U1kxDg0&t=57s (57 sec)
- _ea1k 3y agoYeah, buc-ees makes for a great charging stop. Just wish the walk from the chargers wasn't quite so long.
- Tempest1981 3y agoSurprised they don't have a Disneyland-like parking lot tram.
- _ea1k 3y ago
- EvanAnderson 3y agoYesterday's discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38028418 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38028418
- botanical 3y agoShell and others are calling oil "deep water energy". This is good PR, nothing more. They aren't going to base their revenue on charging cars; and they get carbon credits to look good. If you search "BP global warming", the first 7 of 9 results are linked to BP.com about how they're taking action on climate change. In February of this year, "BP dials back climate pledge amid soaring oil profits. The British oil giant wants to decrease its carbon emissions by between 20 and 30 percent by 2030. It previously aimed for a 35 to 40%." : https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/02/07/bp-climate-emissions-oil-profits/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/02/07/bp-climat...
- parineum 3y agoI can't imagine there are any real consequences for not making their pledge so I'd take it as a sign that they are taking it seriously if they are readjusting their goals.
- dangus 3y agoSometimes it bothers me when we jump to the conclusion that anything “green” is a compliance and PR move and not as a viable profitable business. Products like EVs and solar panels aren’t just some hypothetical niche anymore. An energy company that sells fuel for cars and electrical generation having a business segment that sells energy for electric cars seems like a very relevant and complementary business. Maybe it is just for PR but it seems like BP would have a leg up on making a profitable charging network.
- jrajav 3y agoBP's entire existence is based on burning fossil fuels, and they're responsible for one of the worst oil-based environmental disasters of the past 20 years. I think it's very fair to assume that any mention of being "green" by them specifically is complete lip service.
- tylergetsay 3y ago"Tesla chargers" is sensational because recently every major automotive manufacturer adopted the "Tesla" charging port (NACS). Having fast charge spots retrofitted into existing gas stations, closing the gap between gas and ev sounds awesome. They need as much extra utility infrastructure as your house when installing
- djaychela 3y agoI've tried to use BP pulse chargers multiple times here in the UK. Never a good experience -the process of getting started is convoluted, and their ux is unhelpful and unclear to anyone who is just wanting to charge their car. But worse than that, they seem to be very unreliable. Of the 5 I've tried, four didn't work properly or at all. They are the only chargers that have ever led to me having a poor EV experience, both times on long,last minute late at night journeys where stress was exacerbated by them. Superchargers will hopefully be a lot better than their terrible current models.
- charles_f 3y ago> The British oil giant wants to decrease its carbon emissions by between 20 and 30 percent by 2030. It previously aimed for a 35 to 40%. The only way they can significantly decrease "their" carbon emissions is by selling less of their product, lowering their lobbying and switching to another source of revenue. I could say this is good news, not that I care about bp or tesla chargers, but anything that allows them to pivot to another revenue stream is less petrol they'll sell to be burnt. But truth be told there is no reason why it would be subtractive or substitutive when it can be additive. Any pledge they make is meaningless. All will be burnt until there's none, because it doesn't cost remotely as much to produce than it brings to sell.
- kmlx 3y ago> The only way they can significantly decrease "their" carbon emissions is by selling less of their product you don’t “sell less” unless there is less buying going on. https://www.statista.com/statistics/271823/global-crude-oil-demand/#:~:text=The%20global%20demand%20for%20crude,barrels%20per%20day%20in%202023 https://www.statista.com/statistics/271823/global-crude-oil-.... > New IEA medium-term report sees oil use for transport going into decline after 2026 (nb: IEA has been wrong countless times) https://www.iea.org/news/growth-in-global-oil-demand-is-set-to-slow-significantly-by-2028 https://www.iea.org/news/growth-in-global-oil-demand-is-set-...
- omneity 3y agoThe fact bp waited all this time to jump in means they finally see the writing on the wall.
- oldbbsnickname 3y agoA cynical perspective is also potentially possible: that it's greenwashing to distract from continued FF extraction. Both realities can coexist. Until they make a commitment, timeline, and are excited about measurable progress ending FFs, they lack credibility that they're not the world's and Earth's Big Tobacco.
- chrisco255 3y agoOf course the difference between oil and tobacco is that the world's population would be 1/10th of what it is without oil.
- swarnie 3y agoThat's not necessarily a bad thing. 500-800m people on bicycles would probably be healthier overall.
- chrisco255 3y agoBuddy, the choice is not between bicycles and cars. It's either horse and buggy or car. You cannot tow thousands of pounds with a bike. And your whole existence depends on goods and services flown in, boated in, and trucked in to keep you breathing.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- jackvalentine 3y ago> You cannot tow thousands of pounds with a bike. And your whole existence depends on goods and services flown in, boated in, and trucked in to keep you breathing. So, not cars then.
- interestica 3y agoIs it only a matter of time before they rebrand as "BE" (British Energy)?
- jordibunster 3y agoBritish Power?
- interestica 3y ago> British Power? That would be BTUs - British Thermal Units ;)
- photonbeam 3y ago..has Empire vibes
- bdsa 3y agoThere is a band that until 2021 was called "British Sea Power", and then they dropped British, specifically to avoid those vibes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Power
- dotancohen 3y agoBurning Pariah
- iamthemonster 3y agoThey already rebranded 22 years ago to remove the word "British" and were only known as "BP" (or bp in lower case in their logo branding). Until 2010, everyone referred to them as BP, but after the Macondo disaster Obama consistently called them "British Petroleum" so as to distance his administration from any responsibility for regulatory failure despite the fact that BP America does not operate under any British regulatory regimes or follow any British engineering standards. The name "British Petroleum" has now stuck, but you rarely saw it before 2010. Of course BP were culpable for the Macondo disaster as operator but it was fascinating to see the US government protect the regulator from any possible challenge or insight into how this could have happened. It will happen again and we will be shocked next time too.
- two_handfuls 3y agoIt’s cool that Tesla is now selling their superchargers to other charging networks.
- LeafItAlone 3y agoTesla’s move to open up and sell their charging network and devices has been a great idea. It clearly it benefiting them and seems to be befitting the general EV ecosystem as well.
- the-dude 3y agoCommoditize one's complement?
- tanepiper 3y agoA couple of years ago a friend worked on a project for a big oil company about charger networks - came up with ideas like "offer free coffee and a seat" where the charger competitor only had outdoor spaces with no facilities. They did nothing, and now the charger network is outpacing them in setting up and can now offer basic facilities for waiting. The incumbent companies have no idea what to do at the most basic level of human needs when it comes to EV charging stations.
- clouddrover 3y ago> The incumbent companies have no idea what to do at the most basic level of human needs when it comes to EV charging stations. That's clearly false. Shell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR2M5W6saAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR2M5W6saAk Circle K: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro BP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR8wUcxfi1k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR8wUcxfi1k
- ajdude 3y agoBased on those videos, BP ironically has the least offer in terms of amenities while you wait for your car to charge. The other places at least seem to have tables with windows but I've seen those in gas stations like Royal Farms for many years. I would like to see charging stations structured more like truckstops like the flying J. Park your car to charge, and visit an attached restaurant, a TV room, perhaps arcade or other amenities besides a couple tables and chairs by a window
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- seydor 3y agoIt always seems strange to me that petroleum companies are entangling themselves with electricity and renewables. The Energy sector is not really a homogeneous thing, its basically held together by regulation, but otherwise their expertise is on very different levels: exporting pollution, being buddies with the world's most horrible regimes, dealing with wars and geopolitics etc.