BP reveals plans for Berkshire-based £50m battery testing centre.
BP will invest up to £50m in an electric vehicle (EV) battery testing centre and analytical laboratory.
The site will be located in Pangbourne, Berkshire, at the existing global headquarters for its Castrol business,
The new facilities will help advance the development of fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery electric vehicles, aiming to bring the industry closer to achieving the key tipping points for mainstream EV adoption.
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This includes the research and development of fuels, lubricants and EV fluids for ultra-fast charging.
The technology can also be applied to thermal management fluids for data centres where demand is rising exponentially.
Most of the world’s internet protocol traffic goes through data centres and since 2010 the number of internet users worldwide has doubled, while global internet traffic has increased 15-fold – a trend expected to continue over the next decade.
The energy giant plans to open the site by the end of 2024.
Earlier this year, BP announced plans to invest up to £18bn in the UK’s energy system over the course of the current decade.
The new site is considered an additional investment on top of the £18bn plans.
Louise Kingham, BP UK’s head of country, said:
We’re backing Britain.
“We’re fully committed to the UK’s energy transition. This additional investment will help accelerate the transition to EVs by developing solutions to help decarbonise the transport sector. This is another example of our ambitious plans to do more, and go faster,” said
Michelle Jou, chief executive of 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. Two thirds of the world’s major car manufacturers use Castrol ON EV fluids as a part of their factory fill and we also supply Castrol ON EV fluids to the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team.”
BP is set to unveil massive second-quarter profits this week, powered by soaring oil and gas prices.
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BP reveals plans for Berkshire-based £50m battery testing centre, August 1, 2022
