Hertz is teaming up with oil giant BP to build a new network of electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S., both companies announced.
The Florida based car rental giant is working a deal with BP Pulse, the oil company’s EV-charging unit to install the chargers and provide software and services to help Hertz manage its growing EVs fleet.
This year, the car rental giant announced deals to purchase a total of up to 340,000 electric vehicles from Tesla, Polestar and General Motors by 2027.
There was not a specific number on how many charging units the plan included.
“Hertz is accelerating the adoption of electrification by investing in the largest rental fleet of electric vehicles in North America and expanding the availability of charging stations,” said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr on a statement.
According to both companies, chargers will be used for Hertz’s fleet, but also some will be available for taxis and public. The move expands the network of chargers, which has been a hurdle to wider EV adoption in the U.S.
The new deal builds on an existing program under which BP Pulse installed chargers at 25 of Hertz’s busiest airport locations.
Hertz has its own chargers providing for their EV fleet in 38 U.S. states. The company expects to have about 3,000 chargers in operation at its sites across the U.S by the end of 2023.
