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#73: Fleet charging consolidation continues

bp pulse joins Presto roaming network, Congress moves surface transportation reauthorization forward, Pod acquires EO Charging

Author

Steve Taylor
May 23, 2026

The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure

The 3 big stories

  • Presto integrates bp pulse into fleet roaming platform

  • Congress moves surface transportation reauthorization forward

  • Pod acquires EO Charging out of administration

Plus, featured jobs and news.

Enjoy,
Steve

Industry News

Presto has signed a deal with bp pulse that adds the British oil giant's growing US fast-charging network to Presto's app. Fleet, rideshare, rental, and last-mile delivery drivers can now find bp pulse chargers, check available, and start a session through the same app they already use for EVgo, EVConnect, Blink, and other Presto partners.

bp pulse is actively expanding its US footprint. The company opened its sixth charging hub near Chicago O'Hare in December, adding 40 fast chargers to a network that already includes sites at LAX, SFO, Boston Logan, Houston Hobby, and Fort Lauderdale. bp pulse has also signed a deal with Simon Property Group to build 900 charging bays across 75 sites starting in 2026.

Presto was founded in 2023 by former Uber executives JJ Raynor and Ashwin Dias. The company has already signed similar deals with Blink (August 2025), EV Connect (April 2025), and EVCS. Presto's goal is to connect large fleets like Uber, Hertz, Avis, and Zipcar to the patchwork of US charging networks through a single app.

Steve's take

Utilization rates will determine whether deals like this are successful. bp pulse has spent the last two years building expensive flagship hubs at LAX, O'Hare, SFO, and four other airports. Presto’s partnerships with Uber, Hertz, Avis, and Zipcar create a steady stream of demand that will keep those chargers busy. I expect Presto and its competitors will announce similar deals with other major US charging operators over the next 18 to 24 months.

Power and Policy

After months of delays and negotiations, this past Thursday the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee advanced its long-awaited five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act. The legislation represents Congress's first major effort to reshape federal transportation policy since passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021 and will establish funding and policy priorities through FY 2031.

Perhaps the most consequential EV-related provision in the committee package is the creation of a federal annual registration fee for electric vehicles.

Under the proposal:

  • Battery electric vehicles would pay an annual federal fee of $130, increasing gradually to $150 over time.

  • Certain plug-in hybrid vehicles would pay $35 annually, eventually rising to $50.

  • Revenue would be directed toward addressing the chronic funding shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund.

Committee leaders argue that EV adoption is accelerating while fuel tax revenues—the traditional source of federal highway funding—continue to decline. Because EV owners do not pay federal gasoline taxes, lawmakers from both parties have increasingly supported a "user-pays" model that requires electric vehicles to contribute directly to road maintenance and infrastructure investments.

While the legislation does not eliminate federal support for charging deployment, early analysis indicates that charging infrastructure is no longer receiving the same level of emphasis that it enjoyed under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. Industry observers have noted that the proposal includes reduced emphasis on new charging investments while prioritizing core highway and bridge infrastructure.

Rob’s take

The committee markup is an important milestone, but significant hurdles remain. So what happens next? The House and Senate must still develop and reconcile competing reauthorization proposals before the current surface transportation authorization expires on September 30, 2026. Transportation leaders have acknowledged that timing remains uncertain, particularly given the election-year political environment and ongoing debates over transportation funding levels.

For EV charging companies, utilities, state DOTs, and local governments, several issues will be worth watching over the coming months:

  1. Whether Congress preserves existing NEVI funding commitments.

  2. Whether additional EV user fees emerge during House or Senate consideration.

  3. How charging infrastructure is treated relative to traditional highway investments.

  4. Potential reforms to federal permitting and project delivery processes.

  5. The extent to which states retain flexibility to invest federal transportation dollars in EV charging and alternative fuel infrastructure.

The House markup confirms that electric vehicles are in a new phase of federal transportation policy. Rather than focusing primarily on accelerating adoption, lawmakers are increasingly asking how EVs fit into long-term transportation finance and infrastructure planning.

For the charging industry, the message is clear: federal support is unlikely to disappear, but future policy debates will be centered on accountability, utilization, and fiscal sustainability rather than rapid expansion alone. The outcome of the reauthorization process will help determine whether the next five years of federal transportation policy continue to accelerate charging deployment—or shift toward a more market-driven model.

Emerging Tech

EDF-owned Pod (formerly Pod Point) has acquired EO Charging out of administration, adding their depot charging specialist's software platform, customer contracts, and remaining team. EO's customer base includes Amazon, DHL, Tesco, UPS, FedEx, and several major UK bus operators. With this deal, Pod becomes the largest EV charging services provider in the UK, expanding its footprint from home, workplace, and public charging into commercial depots.

EO Charging has been slowly unwinding. After an expensive international expansion into the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy, the company completed a £25M shareholder recapitalisation and launched an accelerated M&A process in January. EO entered administration on April 8, 2026, cutting 69 of its 93 jobs.

Depot charging is one of the fastest-growing segments of the UK market, driven by fleet electrification mandates, but it is also the segment most constrained by grid capacity. EO's software plugs directly into Pod's existing smart charging and flexibility trading capabilities. Combined with EDF's energy supply, Pod can now offer fleet operators an integrated depot, energy, and flexibility stack.

Steve's take

EO Charging is a cautionary tale. The company had big-name customers, solid technology, and 12 years in the business, and it still ran out of money. Their efforts to sell charging hardware never made enough profit to cover the cost of expanding into the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy. 

I've made this point before. Charging is a services business, not a hardware business. The companies that survive this wave of consolidation will be the ones with utility partners, access to energy markets, and steady software revenue. Pod has all three with EDF. US readers should pay close attention to the depot software space. Grid limits and long waits for new connections are even worse here than in the UK, and the companies that can charge more vehicles using less power will have significant pricing power. I expect we’ll see more acquisitions like this one over the next several quarters.

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⚡️Steve and Rob

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