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Image credits: BP

British oil and gas company, bp, announced on Monday that it will invest up to £50M (approximately €59.8M) in a new, state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) battery testing centre and analytical laboratory in the UK. 

bp aims to become a leading hub for fluid technologies and engineering in the UK. The announcement comes a couple of months after the company announced an investment of up to £18B (approximately €21.5M) in the UK’s energy system.

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“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,” says Louise Kingham, bp’s UK Head of Country.

Development of fluid technologies

The site will be located in Pangbourne, Berkshire, at the existing global headquarters for its Castrol business. The new facilities are expected to open in 2024 and will support technology, engineering, and science roles. 

The new facilities will help advance the development of fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery electric vehicles. The site already undertakes R&D of fuels, lubricants, and EV fluids, says the company.

Castrol ON advanced e-fluids (EV transmission fluids, EV thermal fluids, and EV greases) typically manage temperatures within the battery, enabling ultra-fast charging and improving efficiency. In addition, these advanced e-fluid technologies can be applied to thermal management fluids for data centres where demand is rising exponentially. 

Michelle Jou, CEO of Castrol says, “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.”  

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

Richard Bartlett, senior vice president, bp pulse, adds, “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.”