BP to Invest in Charging for Hertz EV Rentals

BP announced plans to invest $1 billion by 2030 into electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the U.S., including an intention to bring fast charging infrastructure to Hertz locations in major cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

According to a statement by BP, a number of the fast-charging installations will include gigahubs locations. These are large-scale fast charging hubs, such as one location previously announced by BP and Hertz at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The hubs will serve rideshare and taxi drivers, car rental customers, and the general public at high-demand locations, such as airports. The buildout will be informed by telematics from Hertz’s fleet of connected cars.  

“This is about more, faster. We’re bringing more, fast-charging options to more Americans for faster EV adoption,” said Dave Lawler, chairman and president of BP America in the statement. “Working alongside Hertz, we’re excited to drive the future of mobility.”

EV charging is one of BP’s five strategic transition growth engines in which the company expects to grow investment through this decade. The company is aiming to enhance its ability to offer lower carbon transport solutions for customers by expanding EV charging and strategic convenience sites. Today BP has about 22,000 EV charge points worldwide and aims for 100,000 globally by 2030 — around 90% rapid or ultra-fast.

This announcement expands on the 2022 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Hertz and BP, which set out to develop a network of EV charging stations across Hertz’s national footprint of locations, powered by BP Pulse, the company's global electrification and charging solution brand.

“As Hertz builds the largest EV rental fleet in North America, it is essential that our millions of customers — including leisure and business travelers, rideshare drivers and corporate clients — have access to a national network of reliable, fast chargers,” added Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO. “We are excited to be working with BP to build out charging at Hertz locations across the country, and to leverage telematic insights from the Hertz fleet to ensure that charging is located at the places where our customers need it most.”

With an objective for one-quarter of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024, Hertz is assembling a fleet of EVs at a range of price points, through large-scale purchases from Tesla, Polestar, and GM. The company aims to accelerate the mainstream adoption of EVs through its public private partnership, Hertz Electrifies. Working with cities, Hertz is bringing its EV fleet to communities across the country, while supporting the build out of charging infrastructure, creating educational and training opportunities for high-quality jobs in a new era of mobility, and engaging with local organizations to extend the benefits of electrification to underserved areas.