BP To Invest Upto £50 Million In Electric Vehicle R&D Centre In UK

British Petroleum or ‘bp’ has announced plans to invest up to £50 million in a new electric vehicle battery testing centre and analytical laboratory in the UK. The company had already revealed its intention to invest up to £18 billion in the UK’s energy system by the end of 2030.

Expected to open by the end of 2024, the new facilities will be located at the present global headquarters of bp for its Castrol business in Pangbourne, Berkshire.

The official statement of bp said that the new testing centre will aid the advancement of the development of leading fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery electric vehicles. Castrol ON advanced EV fluids manage temperatures within the battery which enables ultra-fast charging and improves efficiency, which help EVs to go further on a single charge and extend the life of the drivetrain system.

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In addition, bp has said that the advanced e-fluid technologies and engineering can be applied to other industries like thermal management fluids for data centres, given that the demand here is witnessing a significant boom.

Michelle Jou, CEO, Castrol, said, “We are committed to supporting the electrification of transport and the take-up of electric vehicles. The growth of EV fluids is a huge opportunity, and we aim to be the market leader in this sector.”

Jou also added, “This significant new investment will now allow us to build additional strategic technologies and capabilities to further advance EV fluids for the future. The facilities will also be an amazing showcase to demonstrate our integrated technology expertise to customers as we help drive the transition to EVs.”

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Richard Bartlett, Senior VP, bp pulse, stated, “At bp pulse we aim to provide the fastest and most reliable charging experience to our EV customers and continue to invest in our rapid and ultra-fast network globally for passenger cars and trucks. This investment will help us co-develop battery and charger technology and digital solutions with our OEM partners to help EVs go further, charge faster and last longer.”

Castrol is looking to continue work with car manufacturers and suppliers to co-engineer future battery technology and associated thermal management fluids in the new facilities that will come up. It also aims to introduce future technologies needed to enable the ultra-fast charging which underpins bp pulse’s growth strategy.