The Motor Fuel Group (MFG) is to install c.3,000 150kW and 350kW electric vehicle (EV) chargers at its forecourts by the end of 2030 in a new commitment to electrification.
This is to be enabled by a c.£400 million investment, with the rollout of the chargers to all suitable remaining locations to be fully completed by 2035.
To date, MFG – which operates refuelling forecourts under the BP, Shell, Esso, Texaco, JET and Murco fuel brands – has installed EV chargers at 108 of its sites through third parties. In October 2019, for example, IONITY installed two 350kW chargers at a Scottish forecourt owned by MFG, laying claim to the fastest charging station in the country.
Alongside this existing network, MFG will self-fund, build and operate its own EV charging hubs, with each hub to consist of between four and eight ultra-rapid 150kW EV chargers.
These will be augmented with 350kW chargers as vehicle battery technology improves, the company said.
In 2021, it will build EV charging hubs at 40 sites, offering over 200 150kW chargers. The initial focus will be on major trunk roads and urban areas.
From 2022 onwards, MFG plans to build at least 50 additional EV charging hubs per year, with a significant number of these to be on the strategic road network.
William Bannister, CEO, MFG, said the new investment will “help keep UK motorists on the move”, adding that he is “looking forward to engaging with government to ensure this investment best meets the national EV infrastructure requirement to help us all make a contribution to ensuring Britain meets its net zero target by 2050”.