bp pulse has acquired the freehold of Ashford International Truckstop in Kent from GSE Group for an undisclosed price.
The 21-acre site offers 660 secure parking bays and convenience services for HGV drivers. As part of the agreement, bp pulse will lease back the site to Ashford International Truckstop – part of GSE Group – to operate the existing site facilities and secure parking on a long-term lease.
bp pulse – bp’s electric vehicle charging brand – will operate and manage the EV charging infrastructure. The site has the capacity to host approximately 20 mega-watt chargers (MCS), 10 x 400kW and 125 x 100 kW chargers.
Stefan von Dobschuetz, general manager bp pulse Europe, said: “For fleet operators to consider going electric, they must be confident that the infrastructure is in place to support them. That is why we are thrilled to have secured the land to a crucial site near Dover as we strive to meet the evolving needs of HGV operators transitioning to EVs. The location of this truck stop aligns with our mission to provide accessible and strategically positioned charging infrastructure for our customers along the major truck corridors in Europe.
“Now we need to unlock the EV charging potential at this site. We look forward to working with national energy infrastructure partners to facilitate timely power connections for our ambitious project.”
Darrell Healey, chairman of GSE Group, added: “We know the industry, including many of our clients, want to go electric. They will need convenient and quick charging infrastructure in the right locations, which is why the combination of the truck stop at Ashford and bp pulse works so well.
“Our knowledge and experience of operating arguably the best truck stop in the UK, combined with bp pulse’s capabilities in building the EV charging infrastructure required by our existing and future customers, is a perfect partnership. We’re looking forward to seeing our site evolve and serve such e-trucks and to continue to explore other potential truck stop projects in the UK.”
