bp invests in Houston’s EV safety and mechanic training

bp, one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies, has donated $200,000 to develop an EV safety and mechanical training course at Houston Community College (HCC). It’s specifically geared toward educating the city and county’s 250 fleet department employees.

“We are excited for the year ahead and the many technicians that will depart HCC campus with a certificate in hand and new knowledge to utilize,” said Mark Crawford, bp’s senior vice president for diversity, equity inclusion, while presenting the check to HCC.

The program is an extension of bp’s enduring investment in Harris County, which includes Houston. Houston is bp’s US headquarters, and home to nearly 4,000 employees. It’s worth noting that more broadly, nearly half of bp’s global investment – more than $8 billion – in 2023 was spent in the US. Every major bp business is active in the US, and more than one-third of the company’s global workforce is based in this country. bp's Houston investment also reflects the company’s deep commitment to safety.

Since 2020, bp has worked with the City of Houston to implement its Climate Action Plan. bp pulse, bp’s EV business, launched its first EV charging gigahub at the company’s campus in Houston. The location consists of 24 DC fast-charging points and is open to the public.

Recently, bp pulse was selected to design and deploy EV charging operations for Harris County’s EV fleet. As part of the project, bp pulse will provide turnkey project management including managing the design, permitting, construction, installation, and commissioning for 10 EV charging sites located across Harris County. bp pulse will also help Harris County simplify ongoing charging operations by equipping its chargers with EV charging management software, Omega.

Both the City of Houston and Harris County have goals to transition their fleets to EVs by 2030.

The 8-hour classes are already underway at a local HCC campus and will continue throughout 2024. With 8-10 students per course that last over 3 days, they’ll learn about repairs and maintenance, safety knowledge in handling EVs, professional development and how to have sustainable livelihoods in the energy transition.

Michael Edwards, president of HCC’s Northeast College Campus, said: “bp America seeks to work with partners to develop initiatives for the area's most impacted by the energy transition and enable the workforce to gain the skills needed for future energy systems.”