Hertz Corporation
The Hertz Corporation is one of the largest worldwide vehicle rental companies, offering both consumer and corporate rentals.
Hertz is paving the way to make transportation more sustainable and EVs more accessible to consumers. As part of this larger corporate initiative, Hertz has partnered with various electric vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Tesla, Polestar, GM, and others to offer electric light-duty passenger vehicles to their rental car customers. As the rental car company deploys its fleet of 40,000 EVs, the vehicles will be available at 500 Hertz locations across 38 states. To support the charging of this new EV fleet, Hertz sought an experienced partner to identify, install, and manage infrastructure and software.
Customer Highlights
40,000 EVs
25 charging depots and growing
13 Gigahubs
17 states
Installing charging depots
Light and fast at scale
With thousands of EVs already on the road, and many more to come, Hertz was faced with the reality of having rental cars in operation with limited access to onsite charging – making the current process to charge the EVs manual and time-consuming. Hertz needed a partner that could quickly install and manage charging infrastructure customized to support their growing EV fleet.
bp pulse got to work with the rental car company to determine their unique operational needs, beginning with installing charging infrastructure at 25 Hertz airport locations across the country. We started with assessing each site design and procuring the right equipment and construction partners. In addition, we provided project management support, including handling utility engagement, to coordinate delivery timelines for all partners. The first location is expected to be operational by mid-2023.
Depot specs:
- 25 Hertz airport locations
- Site design and construction
- Level 2 and DC fast chargers
- Utility and AHJ coordination
40,000 EVs; 25 charging depots and growing; 13 Gigahubs; 17 states
Customized software solution
Driving customer experience
For many customers, renting through Hertz will be their first experience with an EV, and the company wants to ensure it’s a smooth ride. From reducing customer wait time to monitoring vehicle readiness, there are many factors to consider when managing an EV fleet of this size. This is further complicated with unpredictable charging schedules based on consumer usage.
Installing onsite depot charging is the first step. The next is managing charging operations to ensure each customer vehicle is fully prepared at the start of the rental. Hertz and bp pulse are working on a customized version of our Omega charge management software that will integrate with their entire fleet management system. Hertz will be able to monitor its vehicles and charging equipment to ensure uptime, vehicle readiness, and energy costs—replacing their current process of manually checking and charging vehicles.
Charging specs:
- Customized Omega CMS
- Improved fleet management
- Charging equipment monitoring
National network of Gigahubs
Expanding into public charging
Of the EVs Hertz purchased, they plan to deploy a portion of the vehicles for use by ride hail drivers. Electrifying these high-mileage fleets is a priority because these vehicles are driven three times the distance for an average driver. Making charging easier and more cost-effective for drivers can encourage the adoption of EVs among ride hail drivers. To achieve this, bp pulse will partner with Hertz to build several dozen public fast-charging hubs, Gigahubs, at high-demand Hertz-owned locations. Starting with the first location near LAX, this national network of Gigahubs will offer reliable and convenient charging open to rideshare, taxi, and the general public.
Gigahub specs:
- 13 Gigahub locations and growing
- First site at Hertz LAX location
- Open to rideshare, taxis and the public
Setting the foundation
Powering EV adoption
bp pulse’s partnership with Hertz is one of the largest EV fleet deployments the industry has seen to date. By building a network of charging solutions at this scale, together we are setting the foundation to accelerate EV adoption. Switching from fossil-fueled vehicles to electric isn’t just like turning on a light switch, but with the right partners it can be made seamless.
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. We are excited to partner with bp pulse to create a national charging infrastructure for the Hertz EV fleet, thereby growing the number of charging options available to our customers and providing them with a premium electric experience and lower emission travel options.
Steve Scherr, Chief Executive Officer
The Hertz Corporation
Our products and services
Design and engineering
Charge management
