Dive Brief:
- EVgo will construct an electric vehicle fast charger network for General Motor Co.'s car sharing brand available to Maven Gig Chevrolet Bolt drivers.
- EVgo operates the largest network of public fast charging stations in the United States, and the agreement builds on work the two companies are already doing in more than a half dozen major cities.
- The move is a sign more auto brands are associating themselves with specific charging networks. For instance, BMW's ChargeNow program offers two years of free charging at participating EVgo stations.
Dive Insight:
As electrification of the transportation sector expands, automakers are trying to attract customers by guaranteeing them a place to charge. EVgo's new announcement shows that strategy can extend into the car sharing market.
"Maven makes carsharing for the Gig economy easier," Julia Steyn, vice president Maven and urban mobility at GM, said in a statement. The agreement will make charging "seamless," she said.
Maven drivers already use EVgo's public network of fast chargers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore and Austin. The new network aims to expand to hundreds of Maven-only charging stations nationwide, the company said.
EVs make up only a fraction of vehicles in the United States, but that's set to change. Last year, the Edison Electric Institute estimated that could rise to 7 million on the road by the end of 2025. For utilities, that growing load of EV charging is seen as an opportunity to expand systems and make them more efficient.
According to Evgo, electric vehicle use in rideshare fleets is "growing rapidly." Urban ride share drivers can "easily log more than 50,000 miles per year," the company said.
