The low -cost mobility team of BP has been being absent while the company returns to oil and gas

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BP closes its low carbon mobility team in the last retirement of the Major de l'énergie de its attempted five years to diversify from oil and gas.

The unit was responsible for the development of electricity, hydrogen and other low -emission solutions for vehicles, especially trucks. It is the most recent victim of the plan of the chief executive Murray Auchincloss to refocus BP on his activity inherited in oil and gas.

Martin Thomsen, the CO official, told staff on Wednesday that he was no longer “commercially viable” for BP to justify a team dedicated to the region. Any remaining activity would be allocated to other parts of the company, he added.

In an effort to increase yields and increase the course of BP's action, Auchincloss announced in February that it had abandoned a five -year plan to become a major player in renewable energies and reduce green energy expenditure by 70%. The change of strategy followed the news that the hedge fund for American activists Elliott Management had taken a participation of almost 5% in BP and put pressure for radical changes.

Thomsen wrote in an email to the staff on Wednesday: “As you know, and Murray was very clear, we can see that the energy transition is evolving at a slower than expected pace.”

Low carbon mobility projects developed “more slowly” and required “a lot of investment” at a time when the capital available for the wider division had been reduced, he added.

During a call with the staff on the same day, he was more direct. “We had a view of the weak carbon that did not occur,” he said, according to a person on the call. “We must return to the old BP – more oil and gas – and old -fashioned retail – petrol, diesel.”

Thomsen is currently a main vice-president in charge of emerging markets in the Division of Customers and BP products, which manages the global network of BP stations. It was recently promoted to direct the global activities for the billing vehicle BP, BP Pulse, and its retail network in Europe, after the departure of several senior managers.

Tracey Clements, former executive of Boots and Tesco, resigned as head of the European BP retail network in January after three years with the company. She was replaced by the director general of BP Pulse, Richard Bartlett, who was appointed to manage the two companies. Bartlett then announced his own resignation last month.

The size of the low -carbon mobility team had already been considerably reduced before the nine people announcement, from 30 months, according to a person familiar with changes.

BP confirmed the decision to reduce and close the team.

“While we concentrate our companies downstream and our activities, we do not think that we must maintain a distinct dedicated team to take into account such future options,” he said. “Its activities will be integrated into our businesses.”

BP added that the decision would not affect the pulse BP. The company said that it had been expanded on the expansion of its EV load activities on its four key markets in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and China, and growth thanks to joint ventures in India, Spain and Portugal.