BP sites in the UK and Europe will get electric vehicle rapid chargers from later this year as the oil giant seeks to keep pace with the transition away from petrol and diesel.

BP invested in mobile electric vehicle charging company FreeWire

The move is being facilitated by BP’s $5m (£3.6m/€4m) investment in US-based mobile electric vehicle charging company FreeWire, whose technology will enable flexible deployment of the units on trial at selected sites while also exploring options for other locations.

Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive, BP Downstream, said: “Mobility is changing and BP is committed to remaining the fuel retailer of choice into the future. EV charging will undoubtedly become an important part of our business, but customer demand and the technologies available are still evolving.

“Using FreeWire’s mobile system we can respond very quickly and provide charging facilities at forecourts where we see the greatest demand without needing to make significant investments in today’s fixed technologies and infrastructure. The opportunity also to explore options for providing charging services away from our existing retail sites makes FreeWire an ideal partner for BP.”

The move comes three months after rival Shell launched its Recharge service with Shell also having announced at the end of last year that it will host the UK’s first ultra-fast charging points for the manufacturer-backed Ionity network.