Oil giant bp is moving into the EV charging space in a comprehensive way—not just adding a few public chargers to its gas stations. In 2021, the company acquired fleet charging and energy management company Amply Power, and rebranded it as bp pulse.

The business of helping fleet operators to set up and maintain their charging infrastructure is a hot field in the EV industry, and bp pulse has just signed up a high-profile client: rental giant Hertz.

Hertz and bp have signed a memorandum of understanding under which bp will develop and manage a national network of EV charging stations for Hertz. The chargers will serve Hertz customers, including taxi and ride-share drivers, as well as the general public.

bp will customize Hertz’s Omega software to ensure that its growing fleet of electric rental cars are recharged quickly and efficiently between rentals. Omega is designed to optimize energy usage by scheduling charging when electricity prices are lowest, and to provide real-time data on charger utilization.

Hertz has been bulking up its EV fleet, and now claims to have EVs available for rental at 500 locations across 38 states. The company aims to make a quarter of its fleet electric by the end of 2024.

“This is a landmark moment,” said Vic Shao, founder of Amply Power and now President of bp pulse’s US fleet division. “It shows the power of bringing together bp’s digital and operational capabilities with a partner like Hertz.”

“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.

“This is just the start for bp pulse in the United States,” said bp Chief Executive Bernard Looney.

Sources: bp, Hertz