New to public charging? Get charger savvy

The four different chargers you can use with us

New to the EV world and want to feel confident around public charging? Usually only charge at home but want to spread your wings a little on a cross-country trip? We’re here to help with any first-time public charging nerves.

And it really could be a skill worth practising. One handy upside of charging on the go is having access to chargers with a higher maximum kW output. This could give you a faster charge than you might get with a home charger – depending on factors like your car make and model.

A quick refresher on those charger numbers

Usually the higher the kWh of your EV, the faster it can take in charge from a high-speed charger. Bear in mind that the outputs available on each charger indicate the maximum charge available, rather than a guarantee, for the reasons we go into in this useful article.

So, let’s take a look at the four bp pulse charger types you can choose from.

1. 7kW fast charger

You can pay to use these with your bp pulse charge card if you're a bp pulse subscriber, by pay as you go, using the bp pulse app, or online, using our online payment portal.

(Please bear in mind you can’t use contactless payments on 7kW chargers, but can on all our other chargers.)

These don’t have cables – please bring your own Type 2 cable to connect the charger with your car.

Like the sound of our 7kW fast chargers? Here’s your step-by-step guide to using them.

2. 50kW rapid charger

You can choose to pay for these with your bp pulse card if you're a bp pulse subscriber, by pay as you go, using the bp pulse app, online, using our online payment portal, or contactless.

These chargers commonly offer both type 2 and CHAmeDO charging cables so are suitable to use with lots of EV models. Double check your manual to make sure.

Does a 50kW charger sound right for you? Here’s your step-by-step guide to using our 50kw rapid chargers.

3. 150kW ultra-fast chargers

You can choose to pay for these with your bp pulse card if you're a bp pulse subscriber, by pay as you go, using the bp pulse app, online, using our online payment portal, or contactless.

These chargers commonly offer both type 2 and CHAmeDO charging cables so are compatible with lots of EV models. Have a read through your manual to confirm.

Want a step-by-step guide to using this type of charger? Here you go.

4. 300kW ultra-fast chargers

As with our 150kW and 50k W chargers, you have four ways to pay for our ultra-fast chargers. Either with your bp pulse card if you're a bp pulse subscriber, by pay as you go using the bp pulse app, online, using our online payment portal, or contactless.

Again, these chargers commonly offer both type 2 and CHAmeDO charging cables so are suitable to use with lots of EV models – your manual or manufacturer will be able to confirm. Here’s your step-by-step guide to using our ultra-fast chargers.

And that’s it. We hope that next time you’re browsing our free app to find nearby charging, or pulling into a charging site to top-up, you’ll feel confident about which charger to head for – and how to use them.

Happy travels.