The fast chargers BP left behind in the Netherlands have a new owner. E.ON Drive Infrastructure is taking over the former bp pulse network — 79 sites with 370 charge points — and will run it under the Essent name, Essent announced on 8 October 2026. Both companies belong to the E.ON group, and financial terms were not disclosed.
For a driver, the most visible change is the sign. E.ON Drive owns, installs and maintains the chargers, and each one will carry the line "Operated by E.ON Drive"; Essent is the consumer brand. E.ON Drive's existing 46 Dutch fast-charging points move to the same name, and Essent now calls itself one of the largest public fast-charging providers in the Netherlands.
What the network is
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sites | 79, most at OK fuel stations on busy routes |
| Charge points | 370, plus 46 existing E.ON Drive points renamed Essent |
| Hardware | Alpitronic, up to 300 kW |
| Site types | 17 large hubs; 51 sites with battery-buffered chargers (electrive) |
| Pipeline | 45 secured sites for new hubs |
| Payment | Common charge cards and apps, contactless credit or debit card |
The OK forecourts are BP's old Dutch stations. After BP left the Dutch market, Catom took them over and rebranded them OK; the charging equipment on those forecourts is what E.ON is now acquiring. The battery-buffered chargers fill an internal battery through a small grid connection during the day, which lets them deliver fast-charging power where grid capacity is limited.
What it costs
Essent did not publish a standard price per kWh in its announcement. It did announce a launch offer: for "the coming period", drivers using an Essent charge card get 10 cents per kWh off at Essent fast chargers and at every E.ON Drive Infrastructure charge point in Europe. No end date was given.
According to electrive, former bp pulse customers can keep using their existing cards and apps.
BP keeps leaving the continent
The Dutch sale follows BP's agreement in September to sell its French fast-charging network to Sorégies. Electrive adds that BP is selling 250 Austrian fuel stations, including their charging infrastructure and fleet business, to Volenergy, while staying in German charging through Aral pulse. In Britain the direction is the opposite: bp pulse is expanding to more than 30 Roadchef motorway services from 2027.
What it means for Tesla drivers
Nothing about Tesla's own Supercharger network changes here. But these CCS chargers sit on Dutch routes Tesla drivers use, and a Tesla can charge at them with a card, an app or a contactless bank card like any other CCS car.
Two practical points follow. If you hold a bp pulse card, it should keep working at these sites. And because no standard tariff has been published, check the price in your app or on the charger before you plug in — an operator change is the usual moment for prices to be revised, and the 10-cent discount applies only with Essent's own card.