Tesla sells $100 million of its Superchargers to bp pulse
bp pulse
Tesla has taken a groundbreaking step in its mission to expand its reach and impact. In an unprecedented $100 million deal with bp pulse, Tesla's ultra-fast charging units will find their place for the first time in an independent EV charging network.
Why This Deal is Pivotal for Tesla
This collaboration signifies Tesla's commitment to manufacturing electric vehicles and shaping the entire EV ecosystem. Tesla's Superchargers boast up to 350 kW output with v4 units, although bp is officially announcing it as 250 kW units. The charger stalls will include the 'Magic Dock,' ensuring compatibility with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) and Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors. bp pulse is one of the largest charging networks in the UK. This could be seen as a way for Tesla to expand NACS use in Europe, where CCS is the dominate charging connector.
Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla's Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure, highlighted the importance of this new direction, "Selling our fast-charging hardware is a new step for us, and one we're looking to expand in support of our mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."
bp Brand & Design
Tesla is white-labeling their chargers for the first time in this unique deal, meaning that although Tesla is manufacturing the hardware, the brand and design will be bp's. The chargers will be completely owned and run by 'bp pulse,' with no mention of Tesla or Superchargers on the hardware itself.
Automated Payments
The chargers' support for the "Plug and Charge" protocol will enable automated payments, much like Tesla's Superchargers, leading to a seamless payment solution. The units are also expected to come with card readers and a screen as we've seen on other Tesla v4 Superchargers.
Maintenance
Tesla has previously shown how they monitor Superchargers that help them achieve extremely high reliability ratings. However, in this deal, bp owns the chargers and will be responsible for their maintenance and monitoring. It's not clear whether Tesla is offering bp any software or tools that could help them maintain the chargers.
Will They Show Up For Tesla Owners?
These 'Superchargers' will be completely run by bp and will be considered third-party chargers. In the U.S. this means that they won't show up in the vehicle's navigation system or app, and Tesla will not automatically route to these chargers during longer trips. However, in Europe, Tesla has already starting showing third-party chargers in their navigation system, meaning that users can find and navigate to these new bp chargers when they're installed in 2024. Tesla recently started showing destination chargers in the Tesla app in Canada, and it appears that Tesla will slowly expand the chargers that show up in the car and the app.
In Europe, Tesla closely monitors third-party chargers for speed and uptime and will continously adjust which chargers are displayed in their vehicles and app.
This partnership with bp pulse could pave the way for more collaborations where Tesla supplies its industry-leading hardware to other networks, potentially globally. As Tesla pushes forward to drive the world's transition to sustainable energy, deals like this underscore its unwavering commitment and showcase its readiness to explore uncharted territories.
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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.
However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.
Waiting on the Dutch
Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.
The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.
Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied.
This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025
DCAS Phase 3
While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.
According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.
This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.
What This Means
This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.
Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.
Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.
Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.
Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase
Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.
Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.
The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH
The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.
Prizes
The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.
For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.
The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.
The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.
For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:
How to Enter
If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:
Video must be 90 seconds or less
Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL
Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.
Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form
Provide your personal details in the form
You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.