BP’s EV Charging Chief Exits As Record 1.5 TWh Sales Fail To Stop Oil Retreat

Martin Thomsen, the man who led BP’s global electric vehicle (EV) charging business, has left the company. The Financial Times reported his departure on March 31, 2026.

Martin Thomsen, who ran BP’s global EV charging business, has departed the company.

He’s now joining Rolls-Royce as group chief procurement and supply chain officer, starting March 2026.

Thomsen had a big role at BP. He oversaw the company’s mobility and convenience operations in Europe, its global EV charging network, and its bioethanol business in Brazil.

He took over as head of BP Pulse in March 2025, replacing Richard Bartlett, who left at the same time. Before Bartlett, David Martell, reportedly the CEO of BP Chargemaster, had also departed.

The string of exits isn’t a coincidence. BP’s been pulling back from its low-carbon businesses, including EV charging.

The company wants to focus more on oil and gas, where it can make faster returns. An acceleration of that shift was reported on March 30, 2026, just one day before Thomsen’s departure became public.

BP operates around 40,000 charging points.

Despite that scale, the company’s cutting its annual EV charging spending to below $500 million. It’s also narrowing its focus to just four markets: Britain, Germany, the United States, and China.

Those decisions were announced at a capital markets day in February. BP also reportedly suspended share buybacks in February, stopping repurchases of its own stock as it redirected cash toward debt reduction. As part of its broader financial reset, BP also recorded an estimated gas division write-down of up to $5 billion, reflecting missed returns on prior EV charging investments. Shareholders have increasingly prioritized dividends over carbon offsets by some accounts, pushing the company to redirect resources away from clean energy initiatives.

The timing of Thomsen’s exit is notable.

It comes just as Meg O’Neill takes over as BP’s chief executive on April 1, 2026. She’s replacing Murray Auchincloss, who resigned in late 2025.

O’Neill is reportedly the first outsider to run BP in more than a century and the first woman to lead a top-five oil major. She’s walking into a company that’s already mid-reset and facing disputes with shareholders.

The broader market’s also shifting fast.

Brent crude hit around $115 per barrel on March 31, 2026, on course for its biggest monthly gain in recent memory.

Supply shocks tied to conflict involving Iran are driving prices up.

That kind of oil market makes BP’s move toward fossil fuels look even more deliberate. Analysts say O’Neill could push the strategy review even further.

✅ Claims in this article were verified using AI-assisted fact-checking.