Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO, and Sylvester Turner, Houston Mayor, have announced the launch of Hertz Electrifies Houston. The plan is to expand the availability of electric vehicles (EVs), charging infrastructure and EV education and training opportunities in Houston. The initiative aligns with Mayor Turner’s Houston Climate Action Plan – a strategy that sets out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve regional air quality and build climate resilience.
Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO, said: “We are excited to partner with Mayor Turner and Evolve Houston to bring Hertz Electrifies to the Energy Capital of the World and to expand charging capacity for our customers and the broader community.
“As Hertz creates the largest EV rental fleet in North America, we look forward to working with the city, Lone Star College-North Harris and other organisations to expand the benefits of electrification in the Houston community.”
Hertz aims to bring over 2,100 rental EVs to Houston, nearly tripling its existing EV fleet in the city. This will include models from Tesla, Polestar and GM which will available for leisure and business customers as well as ride-share drivers. In partnership with bp pulse, Hertz will support the installation of a large, EV fast-charging hub designed to serve ride-hail, taxi fleets and the general public at the Hertz location at Houston Hobby airport.
Sylvester Turner, Houston Mayor, said: “Our goal is to convert all non-emergency, light-duty municipal vehicles to electric by 2030. This partnership with Hertz will provide an invaluable boost to achieve this goal and the goal of our Climate Action Plan for Houston to be a net-zero city by 2050.
“Electrification can benefit every community in Houston. We’re proud to work with Hertz and bp pulse to build up electric fleets and charging infrastructure and bring education and training that will provide new opportunities to all Houstonians.”
Vic Shao, President of bp pulse fleet, said: “Reliable, fast-charging options are critical to scale EV adoption in America and we are thrilled to work with Hertz to bring fast charging to the Houston community.
“Along with our partnership with Hertz to develop a Gigahub site at their Houston Hobby Airport location, we are also developing a charging hub at bp’s corporate HQ campus in Houston that will be open to the public.”
“We look forward to bringing more fast-charging options to more Americans, and closing the infrastructure gap that is hindering wide-scale EV adoption.”
To help inform the buildout of charging infrastructure across all neighbourhoods of Houston, Hertz is sharing with the city anonymous, aggregated telematic insights from its fleet of connected cars through the “Hertz Charging Opportunity Index.”
Casey Brown, Evolve Houston president and executive director, said: “The Greater Houston area has made significant progress in meeting electrification goals. We think that the Hertz Electrifies partnership with the city will help grow the electric vehicle sector in Houston and look forward to leveraging shared insights to continue to expand charging infrastructure across all Houston communities.”
Hertz is donating an electric vehicle and providing EV educational and training materials to Lone Star College-North Harris to enable the school to incorporate EV technology into its auto servicing curriculum. Hertz is also making summer jobs available to young people in Houston, including through the Hire Houston Youth Summer Jobs program.
Dr Archie L. Blanson, Lone Star College-North Harris President, said: ”Lone Star College-North Harris houses one of the top automotive programs in Texas. To make our students competitive and meet industry demand, we must ensure we are bringing the latest technologies, including a diversified fleet of EVs into the classroom.
“We are glad to fulfil students’ academic needs through our partnership with Hertz and Houston. Together we will continue working to ensure that our students are prepared for the jobs and technologies of the future.”
Houston is the second city to partner with Hertz in this new initiative that will soon expand to other cities across the country to create economic opportunity and environmental benefits for communities.
