Oil giant adds charging and EV maintenance to US infrastructure strategy

BP purchased charging-as-a-service startup Amply Power on Tuesday for an undisclosed price, taking another step in building an electric vehicle infrastructure in the U.S.

Amply Power, founded in 2018 and based in Mountain View, California, will continue to operate independently as part of BP's global portfolio of businesses.

BP wants to scale next-generation mobility, which Amply offers through electric vehicle charging and energy management for fleets that operate trucks, transit and school buses, vans, and light-duty vehicles.

"BP is aiming to speed up electrification in the fast-growing fleet segment, which is key to lowering emissions from the transport sector, the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.," Richard Bartlett, BP senior vice president, future mobility and solutions, said in a press release.

Amply's experienced team, expanding customer base and digital platform were attractive, Bartlett said.

Charging and software as a service

Amply Power offers a flat-fee charging-as-a-service (CaaS) product that covers all aspects of fleet charging, including five-to-10-year contracts for procurement and installation of hardware, software, and operational and maintenance costs paid per kilowatt hour or miles driven.

It also offers customer-financed software as a service (SaaS), under which customers own their charging infrastructure and pay an annual licensing and service fee to use Amply Power software and managed services.

Amply Power's OMEGA Charge Management System software helps fleet operators manage energy costs and makes the most of performance by providing real-time monitoring of EV charging operations and preventative maintenance for both vehicles and chargers.

"With support and backing from BP, we can scale our approach to reach new markets while bringing our unique expertise to BP's broader electric fleet initiatives," said Vic Shao, Amply Power founder and CEO.

Expanding into EV fleet charging complements BP's significant investments in offshore wind earlier this year in New England and on-shore wind-to-energy generation in seven states, said David Lawler, BP America chairman and president.

"BP sees enormous opportunity for the U.S. to lead the energy transition, and we're excited to help the country on its journey to net zero," he said.
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