Fuuse and Drax to support 14,000-plus BP Pulse charging sockets

Fuuse and Drax Electric Vehicles have agreed to take over support for more than 14,000 BP Pulse charging sockets, allowing fleet operators to retain compatible equipment following BP Pulse's withdrawal from the UK workplace charging market.

The agreement covers almost 1,000 fleet charging customers, with Fuuse set to move compatible chargers onto its management platform, while Drax will provide servicing and maintenance. 

That’s good news for fleet operators, which will avoid the cost and disruption of replacing chargers that are technically still functioning, but are no longer supported by BP Pulse. Additionally, Fuuse has said that it will honour existing hardware warranties. 

Existing hardware can stay, but some settings will not transfer

While the chargers can stay, Fuuse hasn’t been able to provide a simple 1:1 transition. That’s because there are limitations as to what can actually be transferred. Historical charging records and certain vehicle information held within BP Pulse's business portal will not move to Fuuse, for example. Existing charger control settings will also need to be reviewed and potentially recreated.

Additionally, Fuuse has confirmed that every customer should expect some downtime while their chargers are transferred. In some cases, this could be just a few minutes, although the duration will depend on the site, with most migrations happening seamlessly remotely, but some may require someone to attend the site. 

Fuuse says existing RFID cards should continue working, although businesses using different access permissions may need to recreate those arrangements.

Who takes responsibility for maintenance?

BP Pulse will remain responsible for maintenance, warranties and outstanding support cases until each customer completes their migration. Responsibility will then pass to Fuuse, with Drax providing field servicing and maintenance.

However, customers may not receive identical contract terms. Fuuse says it will offer comparable pricing and services, although some elements of the agreements may change.

There are also restrictions for businesses that want to move elsewhere. While customers can choose another provider, BP Pulse will only support transfers to Fuuse. Those selecting an alternative should expect to replace their existing charging hardware, according to Fuuse's guidance.

That raises a question for the UK's increasingly consolidated EV charging market: how easily can charging infrastructure owners change software providers without having to replace equipment that is still functional?

For affected BP Pulse customers, the arrangement provides a supported route to keep their existing chargers in service, subject to compatibility checks, of course.