BP plans $1bn EV charge point development

BP has announced plans to invest $1bn (£830m) in EV charge points across the United States of America by 2030.

The deal comes alongside the development of fast charging to Hertz hire car locations in major American cities, such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Some of the fast-charging installations will include gigahubs – large-scale fast charging stations – which will serve rideshare and taxi drivers, car rental customers and the public at high demand locations, such as airports. The construction of such hubs will be determined by telematics from Hertz’s fleet of connected cars. Currently, BP and Hertz already have planned such a hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

EV charging has been identified as one of BP’s five strategic areas of growth in the next decade with plans to expand its global footprint of charge points from 22,000 at present to more than 100,000 by 2030 – around 90% rapid or ultra-fast.

Hertz is assembling a fleet of EVs through large-scale purchases of Tesla, Polestar and GM vehicles with such vehicles now available at 750 locations across 38 states. It aims to have 25% of its fleet electric by the end of 2024.

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

Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO, said: “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. 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.”

Images courtesy of BP/Hertz

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