Houston friends, thinking about getting an electric vehicle? You can rent one through Hertz to make sure it's a good fit for you. I recommend this highly for first-time EV shoppers.
- Jerry Reynolds, The Car Pro
Rental car company Hertz is planning to nearly triple its existing fleet of all-electric vehicles in Houston - plus help install a new fast-charging hub at the Hertz location at Houston Hobby Airport.
Hertz Electrifies Houston
Last week, Hertz and the city of Houston launched "Hertz Electrifies Houston" - a new initiative that aims to add more EVs to Hertz's Houston fleet and support the installation of a publicly accessible, Hertz fast-charging EV hub at Houston Hobby Airport. Under the initiative, Hertz will also support EV education efforts in the area. The new initiative aligns with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's Houston Climate Action Plan which sets out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality in the region and build climate resilience.
"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," said Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO. "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 organizations to expand the benefits of electrification in the Houston community."
Houston launched its Climate Action Plan in 2020.
"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," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "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."
EV Rental Cars
Hertz says it aims to bring over 2,100 EVs to Houston - which will nearly triple its existing Houston EV fleet. Vehicles will include models from Tesla, Polestar and GM. They'll be available for business or leisure rental as well as for ride share drivers.
Fast-Charging EV Hub
Hertz also says that in partnership with bp pulse, it will help support the installation of a large, EV fast-charging hub at Houston Hobby Airport that will serve ride-hail, taxi fleets, and also be open to the general public.
"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," said Vic Shao, President of bp pulse fleet. "We look forward to bringing more fast-charging options to more Americans, and closing the infrastructure gap that is hindering wide scale EV adoption."
Hertz will also give the city of Houston data to help inform the buildout of the charging infrastructure across all neighborhoods of Houston by sharing the anonymous, aggregated telematic insights from its fleet of connected cars through the "Hertz Charging Opportunity Index."
"The Greater Houston area has made significant progress in meeting electrification goals," said Casey Brown, President and Executive Director of Evolve Houston. "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."
EV Education
Additionally, Hertz will donate an electric vehicle and provide EV educational and training materials to Lone Star College-North Harris so the school can incorporate EV technology into its auto servicing curriculum.
"Lone Star College-North Harris houses one of top automotive programs in Texas," said Lone Star College-North Harris President Dr. Archie L. Blanson. "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 fulfill 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."
Jobs
And know of a young person looking for a job in Houston? Hertz says it will also make summer jobs available to young people in Houston, including through the Hire Houston Youth Summer Jobs program.
Hertz Electrifies
Hertz says the new public-private partnership Hertz Electrifies initiaitive is aimed at furthering the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles and extending the benefits of electrification to communities throughout the United States.
There initiative has five pillars:
- Electric vehicle and charging infrastructure;
- Creating jobs of the future
- Broadening economic opportunity
- Community engagement
- Policy and city planning analysis
Houston is the second city behind Denver to partner with Hertz in the new initiative.
Photo Credit: Hertz.