bp pulse piles on the pain for drivers with price hike

bp pulse has become the latest charge point operator to announce big price increases for its UK charging network. In an email to registered customers and subscribers, bp pulse confirmed price rises for all users which come into effect from 1 September. The move follows similar increases from Osprey Charging and Instavolt, with all three blaming the unprecedented rise in the cost of electricity.

From 1 September, customers using bp pulse’s fastest 150kW units will have to pay 69p per kW for contactless payment - a price only matched by IONITY which charges the same fee to access its more powerful 350kW charging units. The new price is 10p more than was previously charged, but falls to 67p per kWh for customers who register their details with bp pulse and charge via the app. Subscribers who pay £7.85 month can access the fastest chargers for 55p per kWh.

bp pulse is also raising prices for its slower 50kW units from 56p to 65p per kWh for contactless users. Registered users paying via the app see prices rise from 54p to 63p per kWh while subscribers will be hit with a 9p per kWh increase from 43p to 52p per kWh. Even customers using the brand’s slow 7kW destination chargers will need to dig deeper thanks to an increase of 9p per kWh. Subscribers will now pay 44p per kWh to access the posts, while registered app users will pay 55p per kWh.

The rise will affect all electric car users, and, according to Electrifying.com’s calculations will make plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs) more expensive to run than petrol cars. If a PHEV has a 15kWh battery it will cost £8.25 to charge at a 55p/kWh post. As the PHEV is likely to do less than 30 miles on a charge, it will, in many cases, be cheaper to run the car on petrol.

Explaining the rise, bp pulse said: “We are making these changes due to the unprecedented and continuous increases in the cost of wholesale electricity, and we do appreciate that this comes at a time of rising household bills.”