* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: “Hertz Electrifies Houston”] [00:00:19] THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TODAY AND JOINING US FOR AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE HOUSTON ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPACE. MY NAME IS CASEY BROWN. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EVOLVE HOUSTON, A NON-PROFIT, PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION BASED RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. EVOLVE'S MISSION IS FOCUSED ON IMPROVING AIR QUALITY THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES. OUR GOAL IS TO HELP THE REGION ACHIEVE 50% NEW CARS SOLD TO THE EV BY 2030. WE SAY 50 BY 30 TODAY. WE'RE NEARLY ONE YEAR AHEAD OF THAT CURVE. OUR EXISTENCE IN THE MARKET CREATES A UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE LANDSCAPE TO ACCELERATE PRIVATE ELECTRIC VEHICLE INVESTMENT IN HOUSTON. THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE COLLABORATION MODEL PROVIDES A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPACE FOR NEW PRIVATE INVESTMENTS WITH FASTER ACCESS TO CRITICAL RELATIONSHIPS, HELPING INVESTMENTS ACHIEVE NEW LEVELS OF EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY. MORE SIMPLY PUT, IT ACCELERATES EV ADOPTION. WE WORKED WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO DEVELOP THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH HERTZ, AND YOU'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT IT TODAY FROM MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, STEVEN SCHER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF HERTZ VIC CHAO, PRESIDENT OF BP PULSE FLEET, AND DR. ARCHIE BLANTON, PRESIDENT OF LONE STAR COLLEGE NORTH HARRIS. THESE LEADERS WILL SHARE EXCITING NEW RELATIONSHIPS AND INVESTMENTS BECOMING AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE GROWTH HERE IN HOUSTON. I'M PROUD OF THE WORK MY TEAM PUT IN TO HELP BRING THIS PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO HOUSTON AND THE SUPPORT MY TEAM PROVIDES EVERY DAY TO RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, AND ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP HOUSTON REALIZE ITS ELECTRIFICATION GOALS AND MAINTAIN ITS ENERGY LEADERSHIP. NOW IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE HERTZ'S, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MR. STEVEN SHER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CASEY. AND WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR HOME HERE AT HERTZ HOBBY. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY, UH, WITH MAYOR TURNER AND EVOLVE HOUSTON. UH, MAYOR TURNER HAS SET A VERY CLEAR GOAL, UH, OF ELECTRIFICATION AND IS LEADING NOT ONLY HERE IN TEXAS, BUT NATIONALLY IN THIS TRANSITION. EVOLVE'S ROLE IN BRINGING THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TOGETHER, UH, TO ADVANCE. ELECTRIFICATION IS A TESTAMENT TO THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO JUST GETTING THINGS DONE. AND HOUSTON, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IS ALL ABOUT THAT. WE ARE REALLY GLAD, UH, TO LAUNCH HERTZ ELECTRIFIES HERE IN HOUSTON, THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. UH, HOUSTON IS VERY IMPORTANT, IS A VERY IMPORTANT CITY TO HERTZ. WITH OVER 20 LOCATIONS AND SEVERAL HUNDRED EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY, IT'S AMONG OUR TOP 12 BIGGEST FLEETS IN THE COUNTRY. AND WE INTEND TO SEE THAT GROW OVER TIME, AND WE ARE VERY GLAD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THROUGH HERTZ ELECTRIFIES, WE PLAN TO ADD MORE THAN 2000 EVS TO OUR HOUSTON RENTAL FLEET. BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, HERTZ ELECTRIFIES WILL HELP US BUILD ON OUR EXISTING COMMITMENT TO THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY THROUGH HERTZ ELECTRIFIES. HERTZ IS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH CITIES LIKE HOUSTON TO BRING ELECTRIC VEHICLES, CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR FUTURE, FUTURE WORKFORCE TO COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. WE BELIEVE THAT ELECTRIFICATION REPRESENTS A WATERSHED MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF MOBILITY. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL PERIOD WHEN GENUINE INNOVATION AND CHANGE IS TRULY AT HAND. THAT'S WHY HERTZ IS BUILDING THE LARGEST EV RENTAL FLEET IN NORTH AMERICA AND ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. OUR INTENTION IS TO GROW OUR ELECTRIC FLEET TO BE ALMOST 25% OF OUR TOTAL FLEET BY THE END OF 2024. SOME OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT EV CUSTOMERS ARE IN FACT, RIDESHARE DRIVERS LIKE UBER DRIVERS. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH UBER, APPROXIMATELY 50,000 DRIVERS HAD RENTED AN EV THROUGH HERTZ, LOGGING OVER 260 MILLION MILES IN A HERTZ ELECTRIC VEHICLE. THOSE DRIVERS REPORT 10 TO 15% INCREASE IN NET PAY, AND THEY DRIVE AN EV RENTED FROM HERTZ. THIS IS A MEANINGFUL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR US, FOR THE CITY, AND FOR THOSE DRIVERS, AND ONE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW THROUGH INVESTMENT IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO ASSIST THE MAYOR IN HIS PLANS FOR ELECTRIFICATION AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HERTZ HAS CREATED A CHARGING OPPORTUNITY INDEX THAT AGGREGATES ANONYMIZED DATA ABOUT THE DRIVE AND D 12 TIMES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN HOUSTON. YOU CAN SEE TO MY LEFT, [00:05:01] YOUR RIGHT A MAP THAT SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE CARS ARE MOVING AND WHERE THEY'RE DWELLING. AND THIS WILL BE A MAP AND A SERIES OF DATA THAT WE WILL MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE MAYOR AND HIS TEAM SO THAT HE CAN GUIDE WITH GREATER PRECISION AND INSIGHT PRECISELY WHERE CHARGING STATIONS AND NETWORKS OUGHT TO BE IN THIS GREAT CITY. ROBUST, CONVENIENT, RELIABLE CHARGING IS GONNA BE ESSENTIAL TO THE MAINSTREAM ADOPTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES, NOT JUST IN THE COUNTRY, BUT IN HOUSTON. TO FURTHER THAT EFFORT, HERTZ IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH VIC CHAO AND HIS TEAM AT BP PULSE TO SUPPORT THE BUILD OUT OF A CHARGING NETWORK FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE BROADER PUBLIC. I'LL LET VIC SHARE MORE ON WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE AT THE HERTZ LOCATION AT HOBBY AIRPORT, BUT IT WILL MAKE EV CHARGING MORE CONVENIENT FOR HERTZ CUSTOMERS FLYING IN AND OUT OF HOBBY AND FOR THE BROADER HOUSTON COMMUNITY. BEYOND EVS AND CHARGING HERDZ, ELECTRIFIES IS FOCUSED ON HELPING THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE PARTICIPATE IN THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ELECTRIFICATION PRESENTS. THAT'S WHY WE ARE PARTNERING TODAY WITH LONE STAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO BRING EV EDUCATION TOOLS AND TRAINING TO THE CURRICULUM. WE'RE ALSO SUPER HAPPY TO BE IN A POSITION TO DONATE THIS CHEVY BOLT WITH THE YELLOW RIBBON ON THE HOOD. UH, AND, UH, WE ARE DONATING THIS TO LONE STAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, DR. BRANSON. I'M VERY PROUD TO PRESENT YOU WITH THE KEYS TO THIS EV AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL PUT IT TO GREAT USE WITH YOUR STUDENTS OVER TIME. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. HERTZ IS ALSO MAKING SUMMER JOB OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE HIGHER HOUSTON, UH, YOUTH PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND REAL WORLD SKILLS IN A CHANGING TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT. WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF HERTZ ELECTRIFIES HOUSTON. THIS IS A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP, AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THANK YOU AGAIN TO, TO MAYOR TURNER AND HIS TEAM FOR BEING SUCH TERRIFIC PARTNERS. AND NOW I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE VIC CHAO OF BP PULSE. VIC. WELL, IT'S REALLY AN HONOR TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL HERE TODAY. UM, OUR AMBITION AT BP IS TO HELP THE WORLD TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY, UH, AND EVS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND IN HOUSTON, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF INGREDIENTS THAT'S GONNA MAKE THIS GO REALLY FAST. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS THAT HAVE THE WILL TO, TO REALLY DO THIS AT SCALE AND SCALE, I THINK IS THE OPERATIVE WORD. UM, HERTZ AND STEVEN HAS THE AMBITION TO LAUNCH SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND EVS IN A FEW YEARS. UH, AT BP PULSE, WE, WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH WHAT STEVEN IS LAUNCHING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE HAVE MAYOR TURNER, WHO ALSO HAS TREMENDOUS WILL TO ESTABLISH HOUSTON NOT ONLY AS THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, BUT THE ENERGY TRANSITION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. SO IT'S A COUPLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR FORCES COMING TOGETHER AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME THAT'S REALLY GOING TO MAKE THIS GO VERY FAST IN THE CITY. UM, SO AT THIS LOCATION, AT HOBBY AIRPORT, WHAT WE ARE LAUNCHING IS A CONCEPT CALLED GIGA HUBS. AND GIGA HUB IS UP TO 50 CHARGERS IN ONE LOCATION. ALL FAST CHARGERS UP, YOU KNOW, 150 KILOWATTS AND ABOVE, AND IT WILL ACCOMMODATE ALL MAKE MODELS OF EVS, THE ONES BEHIND YOU THAT YOU SEE HERE, AS WELL AS TESLA'S. AND THE GOAL AND THE AMBITION IS TO MAKE IT SEAMLESS AND EASY FOR ANY DRIVERS, ANY MAKE MODEL VEHICLES TO GET A CHARGE. AND AT AN AIRPORT LOCATION LIKE HOBBY, IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN SERVE THE UBER DRIVERS AND THE LYFT DRIVERS, THE ONES THAT REALLY NEED CHARGING. AND WE, YOU KNOW, IT IS THE MOST, UM, IT IS THE, IT IS THE BEST USE CASE FOR CHARGING IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. THEY CAN GET A CHARGE WHILE THEY'RE WAITING FOR THEIR NEXT PASSENGER PICKUP. SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. UM, AT BP PULSE, WE'RE DOING THIS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT I I HAVE A FEELING THAT HOUSTON IS PROBABLY GONNA COME FIRST. MR. MAYOR, UM, ONE LAST POINT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THESE KINDS OF PUBLIC SECTOR AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS IS REALLY CRUCIAL TO SCALE UP ADOPTION. AND, UH, AND WE'RE REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY TO LAUNCH THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO . SO BEFORE I TURN IT BACK, UH, TO, UH, TO THE MAYOR, LET ME ASK, UH, DR. LANSON TO JUST MAKE A COUPLE OF REMARKS, UH, AS A RECIPIENT OF A BRAND NEW ELECTRIC CHEVY BOLT. THANK YOU. [00:10:01] THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, HERTZ. THIS VEHICLE WILL ALLOW OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN HOW TO SERVICE AND MAINTAIN ELECTRIC VEHICLES BY, UH, THE SAME TOKEN, IT WILL ALLOW THEM TO GET NEW ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND MAKE THEM MORE MARKETABLE, UH, IN THE WORKFORCE. SO, THANKS AGAIN, HERTZ. IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT, UH, THE HELICOPTER HAS DISAPPEARED AS THE MAYOR IS ABOUT TO COME TO THE PODIUM, UH, AS IT SHOULD. HIS TRANSFORMATIVE SKILLS AND POWER IN THE CITY ARE NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED, BUT MAYOR TURNER HAS BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY PARTNER OF HERTZ, OF BP AND OF LONE STAR IN REALLY PULLING THIS AND GIVING THIS PROJECT, UH, THE FORCE THAT IT NEEDED. AND EQUALLY, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN BP TO BUILD THE GIGA HUB HERE, WHICH I THINK WILL REALLY LEAD NOT JUST THE CITY, BUT THE NATION AND THE DIRECTION ELECTRIFICATION IS GOING. AND SO WITH THAT, LET ME INTRODUCE MAYOR TURNER. LOOK, LET ME, LET ME THANK STEVEN AND, UM, UH, THE HELICOPTER NEWMAN TO MOVE. UH, IT WAS AN ELECTRIC HELICOPTER, SO, UH, ALL IN ALL IN TIME. UM, BUT TO, TO CASEY, WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR OF E EVOLVE HOUSTON. UH, WE STARTED THAT IN 2018. IN 2019 WITH EVOLVE HOUSTON ON ELECTRIFYING OUR, UH, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, UH, FLEET. UH, AND I THINK WE, WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY. SO I APPRECIATE CASEY AND HIS TEAM DOING. PRIYA ZACHARIA IS MY DIRECTOR OF MAYOR, OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. SO LET ME THANK, UH, PRIYA AND HER TEAM THOMAS IS HERE, AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, TO, UH, VIC WITH BP, UH, PULSE. I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK THEM, UH, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN AN IN, UH, INTEGRAL PARTNER OF WHAT WE ARE DOING TO, UH, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE BP AND, AND OF COURSE, UH, TO LONG STORY NORTH. UH, DR. LANSON, UH, HE AND I HAVE WORKED TOGETHER FOR, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, UH, SO I APPRECIATE, UM, HIS PRESENCE. AND THEN, OF COURSE, CAN'T LEAVE OUT MARIO DIAZ BECAUSE HE, UH, HE RUNS THE AIRPORTS, UH, ALL THREE OF THEM, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO REALLY APPRECIATE MARIO AND, AND MARIO HAS BEEN, UH, PUSHING AND ADVANCING THIS INITIATIVE. SO I APPRECIATE HIS PRESENCE, UH, HERE TODAY. LOOK, I WAS PRETTY MUCH WAITING, UH, FOR MY KEYS AND, UH, I'M SURE THEY'RE COMING. UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SO, UM, UH, SO ARCHIE, HOLD ONTO YOUR KEYS. NOW. UH, LOOK, LET ME, LET ME JUST START OFF BY SAYING THIS, UH, WHAT STEVEN DIDN'T SAY TO YOU OUT HERE IS THAT, UH, I WAS AT THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS, UH, UH, IN JANUARY. AND, UM, UM, UH, STEVE HEARD THEY WERE HAVING A, UM, PRESS CONFERENCE AND ON A PANEL TOGETHER, UH, WITH MAYOR HANCOCK OUT OF DENVER, UH, TALKING ABOUT HERSHEY ELECTRIFIES. AND I WAS, UH, SITTING IN ON THE PANEL DISCUSSION, AND, UH, I WAS SAYING, WOW, YOU KNOW, I SAID, THAT'S A, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT INITIATIVE. UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NEED TO BRING IT HERE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, AND JUST AS SOON AS THE PANEL OF DISCUSSION WAS OVER, I MADE A BEELINE, UH, TO STEVEN, AND I SAID, UH, WE'LL CERTAINLY LIKE TO, TO FOLLOW UP. AND THEN JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER, NOW, HERE WE ARE AT, AT HARVEY. SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK HERS FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I'M NOT GONNA, UH, RECAP EVERYTHING. UH, BUT WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT, UH, AND I I WANT IT TO BE UNDERSCORED, IS THAT HEARST IS PRETTY MUCH LOOKING AT TRIPLING, UH, THEIR EV UH, UH, VEHICLES, UH, RIGHT HERE, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON FROM WHERE IT, FROM WHERE IT IS TODAY. SO, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, UH, APPRECIATE THEM PARTNERING WITH LONG STAR, UM, ON THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM. ALL OF THAT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT. UH, THE INDEXING IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WE MET LEADING UP TO, UH, THIS PARTICULAR PRESS, UH, CONFERENCE WAS THE FACT THAT A PART OF RESILIENCE AND THE, AND, AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION IS ALSO MAKING SURE THAT ALL COMMUNITIES ARE INCLUDED AND THAT WE LEAVE NO, UH, COMMUNITIES OUT. SO EQUITY IS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, AND THE INDEXING, OBTAINING THE NECESSARY DATA TO DETERMINE WHERE THEY ARE CHARGING DESERTS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT, UH, TO KNOWING WHERE WE NEED TO GO, GO NEXT. SO THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. AND THEN, OF COURSE, HE MENTIONED, UH, HIRING, SUMMER HIRING THAT TIES IN WITH OUR HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM, UH, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN [00:15:01] THE FOCUS IS ON THAT AGE GROUP BETWEEN 16 AND 24. SO I WANTED TO UNDERSCORE ALL OF THAT. AND THEN WITH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, UH, MORE THAN $369 BILLION COMING DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL, A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THAT IS GOING TO THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THIS SECTOR. UM, THESE PUBLIC PRIVATE INITIATIVES, PARTNERSHIPS CAN GO A LONG WAY IN, IN HELPING TO DRAW DOWN THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS. NO BETTER PARTNER TO HAVE THAN HERTZ AND BP, UH, IN ORDER TO JOIN IN WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, THIS, I I JUST WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE HERE TODAY. UH, AND OF COURSE, IT'S TAKING PLACE IN THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY, YOU KNOW, IN THE UNITED STATES. SO, UM, UM, IN 2020, THE CITY OF HOUSTON RELEASED ITS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, SCIENCE-BASED, SCIENCE DRIVEN IN RESPONSE TO THE PARIS AGREEMENT GOALS, UM, AND BEING THE ENERGY CAPITAL WORLD, WE WANTED TO LEAD IN ENERGY TRANSITION, UH, AS, AND THEN WHAT CAME FLOWED FROM THAT OF, JUST BEFORE THAT, BEFORE HOUSTON ON THE ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR TRANSITION, UH, FLEET, WE HAVE ACHIEVED THE GOAL OF MAKING SURE THAT ALL 550 OF OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS ARE 100% POWERED BY RENEWABLES. THAT GOAL WAS ACHIEVED IN JULY OF 2020. UM, SO WE ARE DOING THAT IN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WE PUT FORTH ON EARTH DAY OF 2020. UH, THAT WAS UNDERWRITTEN BY CENTERPOINT, BUT IT WAS FINANCED IN PART, UH, BY BP. UH, SO AS YOU CAN SEE, EVEN PRIOR TO WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY, UH, BP WAS ALREADY AT THE TABLE PARTNERING WITH US IN, IN REAL TERMS, THE URGENCY IS IMPORTANT. AND SO WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD. UH, AS CASEY HAS SAID, UH, ACCORDING TO EVO HOUSTON, THE CITY CLOSED LAST YEAR WITH 9% OF OUR NEW CARS REGISTERED BEING EVS, UH, THAT WAS LIKE 2.5% OVER THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. AND THEN WITH WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY, WE THINK WE CAN CONS CONSIDERABLY OR SIGNIFICANTLY MOVE THE NEEDLE EVEN FURTHER. AND SO BY, UM, TO KIND OF GIVE SOME CONTEXT, IN 2022, THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA REGISTERED 3,664 COMMERCIAL EVS. TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ADDING OVER 2000 TO HERTZ FLEET ALONE BY THE END OF 2023. SO THIS IS, THIS IS SIGNIFICANTLY MOVING US FURTHER, UH, TO ACHIEVING OUR GOALS. AND LOOK, UH, I'M SOMEONE, I HAVE 10 MONTHS LEFT, UH, TO BE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON. AND OF COURSE, ANYTHING THAT COMES IN BEFORE THE END OF 2023 IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPORTANT. AND SO, UH, AND THEN WE DON'T LIKE TO BE LAST IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE SAY, I, YOU GO BIG OR YOU GO HOME. THAT'S THE MANTRA. YOU GO BIG IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON OR YOU GO HOME. AND SO, UM, UM, AS I INDICATED TO STEVEN WHEN WE TALKED, I KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN OTHER CITIES, UH, BUT LOOK, UH, HOUSTON WANTS TO BE A VERY ACTIVE, UH, PARTNER WITH HERTZ, WITH BP, UH, PULSE, UH, AND REALLY WANNA PUSH, WANNA PUSH US TO GO EVEN FO UH, FASTER, UH, AND BIGGER AND GRANDER. SO I WANT TO, I WANT TO THANK, UH, EVERYONE, ALL OF THESE PARTNERS, LONE STAR, UH, NORTH HARRIS CAMPUS IN PARTICULAR, CERTAINLY EVOLVE HOUSTON HEARST, ELECTRIFIES, BP PULSE, UH, ALL OF THE PARTNERS, UH, FOR THE STEP THAT'S BEING TAKEN TODAY. AND I BELIEVE IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING OF A VERY, UH, UM, BRIGHT AND PRODUCTIVE, UH, PARTNERSHIP AS WE MOVE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO THANK YOU, SIR, VERY, VERY MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. UH, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PROGRAM. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT, UM, IN THE, IN THE CONTEXT OF GO BIG OR GO HOME, WE ARE GOING BIG AND, UH, YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME A RANGE OF ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES AND A MODEL OF WHAT THE, UH, BP PULSE CHARGING STATION WILL BE. AND THERE WILL BE MANY OF THEM IN WHAT WE EXPECT TO BE THE FIRST GIGA HUB HERE IN HOUSTON. SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND WE'RE ALL QUESTIONS TO THE EXTENT PEOPLE HAVE THEM. THANK YOU AGAIN. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.