Energy giant announces deal retail company to bring EV tech to Houston malls

plugging in

Two malls in town — The Galleria and Katy Mills Mall — soon see bp's EV charging Gigahubs. Photo via bp

Two Houston-area malls will be getting bp's electric vehicle charging technology thanks to a new global collaboration.

The global energy company will be bringing its global EV charging business, bp pulse, to 75 shopping facilities across the country thanks to a partnership with Simon Malls. Two malls in town — The Galleria and Katy Mills Mall — soon see bp's EV charging Gigahubs. The company will install and operate the chargers at the two area sites.

The deal aims to deliver over 900 ultra-fast charging bays that will support most make and model of EVs with the first locations opening to the public in early 2026. Other Texas locations include Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, and Austin’s Barton Creek Square.

“We’re pleased to complete this deal with Simon and expand our ultra-fast charging network footprint in the U.S.,” Richard Bartlett, CEO of bp pulse, says in a news release. “The Simon portfolio aligns with bp pulse’s strategy to deploy ultra-fast charging across the West Coast, East Coast, Sun Belt and Great Lakes, and we are thrilled to team up with Simon so that EV drivers have a range of retail offerings at their impressive destinations.”

Last month, bp pulse opened a EV charging station at its North American headquarters in Houston. The company plans to continue deployment of additional charging points at high-demand spots like major metropolitan areas, bp-owned properties, and airports, according to bp.

“As a committed long term infrastructure player with a global network of EV charging solutions, bp pulse intends to continue to seek and build transformative industry collaborations in real estate required to scale our network and match the demand of current and future EV drivers,” Sujay Sharma, CEO bp pulse Americas, adds.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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Top 6 Houston energy events to attend in February 2025

Energy Events

Editor's note: February is here, and the month is buzzing with forums, conferences, and the largest AI in Energy event. Here are six Houston energy events that you won't want to miss this month. Mark your calendars now, and plan ahead for the rest of Q1 via this guide.

February 4 — 2025 Brazil Summit: Energy at a Crossroads

The Brazil Summit, held at Rice University's Baker Institute, will explore Brazil’s evolving energy sector, including recent progress in energy transition regulations, as well as the 2024 U.S. election's implications for Brazil's future. Participants from Brazil and the U.S., including policymakers, energy leaders, financial experts and more, will join the summit, which is free to attend and open to the public.

This event takes place Tuesday, February 4, at 7:30 am. Registration is required. Click here to register.

February 10-11— 6th American LNG Forum

Join LNG industry professionals, innovators and policymakers to discover groundbreaking technologies that are driving the future of liquified natural gas. From market dynamics to decarbonization strategies, this is your chance to connect, learn and become part of the LNG revolution at American LNG Forum.

This event begins Monday, February 10, at the Westin Galleria Houston. Click here to register.

February 11-12 — Oil & Gas Automation and Technology Week

Oil and Gas Automation and Technology Week brings together oil and gas operators to share best-practice strategies for accelerating business transformation, decarbonization, and energy transition with disruptive technology. Expert speakers from the automation and technology space include Jack Hu, Dow; Partha Chatterjee, Shell; and Philippe Daroux, Chevron.

The two-day event takes place at the Sonesta Houston Hotel IAH Airport. Click here to register.

February 19-20— 7th Global Energy Forum 2025

The Global Energy Forum brings a bipartisan collective of U.S. Congressmen together with top energy executives to convene for off-the-record discussions in order to explore the energy strategies and solutions for a sustainable, clean, reliable and affordable energy future. Policymakers and executives from energy, finance, and technology will engage in dialogue on energy infrastructure, technological innovation, policy and regulation reform needed to respond to the global energy crisis.

This event begins Wednesday, February 19, at 7:30 am at the Petroleum Club of Houston. Click here to register.

February 24-25 — AI In Energy

Join 150+ senior operations, digital, data and AI leaders in Houston for the industry's largest AI in Energy event, and unlock the potential of AI within your operations. Key points of discussion include how to pair digital twins and gen AI, know when your critical assets need maintenance, move beyond pilot program to scale AI across the enterprise, and leverage generative AI and data intelligence to unlock asset reliability.

This event begins Monday, February 24 at 7:30 am at Norris Conference Centers' City Centre. Click here to register.

February 25-27 — 2025 Energy HPC Conference

The 18th annual Energy High Performance Computing Conference, hosted at Rice University by the Ken Kennedy Institute, is the premier meeting place for the energy industry to engage in conversations about challenges and opportunities in high-performance computing, computational science and engineering, machine learning and data science. Attended by more than 500 leaders and experts, this is a unique opportunity for key stakeholders to engage and network to help advance HPC in the energy industry.

This event begins Tuesday, February 25, at Rice University. Click here to register.

Geothermal energy startup's $600M deal fuels surge in Houston VC funding

by the numbers

The venture capital haul for Houston-area startups jumped 23 percent from 2023 to 2024, according to the latest PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor.

The fundraising total for startups in the region climbed from $1.49 billion in 2023 to $1.83 billion in 2024, PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor data shows.

Roughly half of the 2024 sum, $914.3 million, came in the fourth quarter. By comparison, Houston-area startups collected $291.3 million in VC during the fourth quarter of 2023.

Among the Houston-area startups contributing to the impressive VC total in the fourth quarter of 2024 was geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy. PitchBook attributes $634 million in fourth-quarter VC to Fervo, with fulfillment services company Cart.com at $50 million, and chemical manufacturing platform Mstack and superconducting wire manufacturer MetOx International at $40 million each.

Across the country, VC deals total $209 billion in 2024, compared with $162.2 billion in 2023. Nearly half (46 percent) of all VC funding in North America last year went to AI startups, PitchBook says. PitchBook’s lead VC analyst for the U.S., Kyle Stanford, says that AI “continues to be the story of the market.”

PitchBook forecasts a “moderately positive” 2025 for venture capital in the U.S.

“That does not mean that challenges are gone. Flat and down rounds will likely continue at higher paces than the market is accustomed to. More companies will likely shut down or fall out of the venture funding cycle,” says PitchBook. “However, both of those expectations are holdovers from 2021.”

This story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

Halliburton's clean energy cohort tops trending news for January 2025

Trending News Tidbits

Editor's note: We're taking a look back at the top energy transition headlines from the second half of January 2025. Here are the five most-read EnergyCaptialHTX stories, from Halliburton's new clean energy cohort to Texas' top ranking among U.S. manufacturing hubs.

1. Halliburton names 5 clean energy startups to latest incubator cohort

Texas-based 360 Energy is part of Halliburton's new clean energy cohort. Photo courtesy of 360 Energy

Halliburton Labs has named five companies to its latest cohort, including one from Texas. All of the companies are working to help accelerate the future of the energy industry in different ways. The incubator aims to advance the companies’ commercialization with support from Halliburton's network, facilities and financing opportunities. Continue reading.

2. Houston Auto Show returns this month as part of new innovative coalition

The Houston Auto Show and Houston Boat Show (Houston AutoBoative) run from Jan. 2–Feb. 2. Photo via Houston Auto Show/Facebook

The Houston Auto Show and Houston Boat Show (Houston AutoBoative) returned to NRG Center this month, and for the first time, the popular events are part of the Automotive Experience Alliance (AEA). Launched in October, the AEA is a coalition of about 30 auto shows that aim to drive innovation and standardization throughout the auto show industry. Continue reading.

3. Being prepared: Has the Texas grid been adequately winterized?

How has the Texas grid improved since Winter Storm Uri in 2021? Getty Images

As Houston braced for historic winter weather, guest columnist Sam Luna, director at BKV Energy, asked the question on many Texans' minds each winter. In this article, Luna explores how the Texas grid has improved since Winter Storm Uri in 2021. Continue reading.

4. Geothermal exec on Houston expansion, commercialization and more

Axel-Pierre Bois, XGS Energy's Chief Technology Officer. Photo courtesy XGS Energy

Challenges in energy transition often center around two questions: Where will organizations find the resources? And how will projects be financed? XGS Energy's next-gen closed-loop geothermal well architecture addresses both issues head-on. The California-based company saw massive growth in the Houston market last year and recently completed a 100-meter field demonstration in central Texas, marking a major milestone for its technology's commercialization and potential for scale. In an interview with EnergyCapital, Axel-Pierre Bois, XGS's Chief Technology Officer, shares what drew him to the geothermal space, why XGS is expanding in Houston and what the company's plans are for the year ahead. Continue reading.

5. Texas ranks as No. 2 manufacturing hub in U.S., behind only California

A new study puts Texas at No. 2 among the states when it comes to manufacturing. Photo via Getty Images

Texas ranks among the country’s biggest hubs for manufacturing, according to a new study. The study, conducted by Chinese manufacturing components supplier YIJIN Hardware, puts Texas at No. 2 among the states when it comes to manufacturing-hub status. California holds the top spot. Continue reading.

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