BP And Shell Join With Automakers In Europe And The US.

One major puzzle for electric-car fans has long been why the major oil companies have leased out the quieter parts of their stations for other charging companies but avoided any direct involvement.

Tesla

TSLA
got around the shortcoming with its own Supercharger network and a baffling array of smaller charging networks, apps and cards have bubbled up to fill the void.

But announcements on two continents in the last week show that showing the stand-offish situation is changing, with Royal Dutch Shell and General Motors hooking up in the US and BP buying into a BMW-Daimler charging joint venture in Europe.

Shell, in particular, is under pressure in its Dutch homeland, with courts there effectively ordering the energy giant to slash its CO2 emissions by 45% before 2030.

GM

GM
has set itself a target of carbon neutrality by 2040, lead by its next generation of EVs following the Bolt.

The tie up between Shell’s MP2 Energy LLC and GM will kick off in Texas and is ultimately aimed at delivering across-the-board energy to GM customers, including fixed-rate household plans and renewable energy.

It will have humble beginnings, with the first target being free overnight electric charging for GM EV drivers in Texas based off totally renewable energy.

President Joe Biden announced a $174 billion proposal to transition the US fleet to electric cars, including the installation of half a million charging stations across the country.

Meanwhile, in Europe, BP has bought into Digital Charging Solutions GmbH joint venture founded by BMW and Daimler Mobility, with each outfit holding a third of the company.

It brought straight capital into the company as a buy-in, it said in a statement, claiming electrification was “at the heart of BP’s approach to mobility”.

From a slow start, BP plans to have more than 70,000 public charging stations around the world by 2030.

Besides charging stations, DCS works with other automakers to integrate charging systems into their digital operating setups.

It already operates the Charge Now brand and the Mercedes Me Charge, BMW Charging and Mini Charging operations, with a claimed 85% footprint across 29 countries in Europe.

DCS plans to add 9000 more fast and 150kW+ charging points through BP, BP Pulse and Aral Pulse networks in Europe, along with its Plug & Charge service.

“We are pleased to welcome BP as a strong partner who shares our vision to push electrification,” Gero Götzenberger, the Director for Strategy and Digital Mobility Solutions for Daimler Mobility, said.

“By forming this strategic collaboration with one of the biggest energy companies in the world, we will provide drivers with increasing access to a convenient and seamless charging ecosystem wherever and whenever they need it, contributing to the electric transformation of our society.”

The problem with all of this is that it does little to address accusations that BP’s green washing continues apace, with the move to join BMW and Daimler’s charging company merely recognizing a growingly obvious commercial reality.

BP is the company that invented the carbon footprint, encouraging companies to offset their CO2 emissions and thereby creating a market for carbon credits.

The oil company is accused by many of using the carbon footprint narrative to absolve itself of greenhouse-gas blame with what amounts to a PR campaign to make individuals, rather than oil companies, responsible for emissions.

Paul Abela, of the Climate Conscious website, accused BP of creating a scheme designed to make money, rather than solve the problem.

“The green washing gets worse when we think about how individuals are encouraged to reduce their footprint,” Abela wrote in September.

“Carbon offsetting initiatives have become increasingly popular. A carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere.

“A carbon offsetting company asks you various questions about your lifestyle and spending habits. They work out your carbon footprint, and you pay them to offset the emissions through an initiative such as planting trees in a forest.

“And the carbon offset market is set to take off, with the market set to be worth an estimated US$100 billion by the end of the decade.”

That won’t stop BP from addressing the growing need to charge EVs, though, with BP’s senior vice president for future mobility and solutions insisting it wanted to make charging as easy as refueling a combustion car.

“Our aim is to make charging… fast, reliable and highly integrated with the vehicle operating system to provide a great customer experience,” Bartlett insisted.

“We’re excited to have completed this transaction and look forward to working with our partners to continue to provide EV drivers with access to convenient charging where they need it.”

There is no word from Bartlett on BP’s US plans, though, and the US lags behind the world leaders after the Trump Presidency pulled out of the Paris Accords and backed off fuel-economy laws.