Hertz is expanding its rental fleet in San Francisco to include electric vehicles (EVs) from Nissan. The rental agency has introduced an electric car sharing service that can take some of the hassle out of renting a car.
Rich Broome, Hertz's Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, said the Leafs will be available for around $40 per day or for $8-10 per hour through the On Demand car sharing program. This is a reasonable price for consumers to test out an electric vehicle and, as we predicted, many folks will get their first taste of driving electric behind the wheel of someone else's vehicle.
The convenience of not needing to recharge the vehicles is worth any extra cost for many travelers. As anyone who rents vehicles knows, taking time out to refuel the car is inconvenient or can add an expensive surcharge if you're running late. Starting and finishing each day with a fully charged vehicle is a benefit that is sure to lure some folks to hotels that offer the service. It also makes workers more productive by eliminating a time sink and the associated stress of wondering where the gas station is in an unfamiliar location.
Broome said demand for plug-in vehicles is so great that Hertz would lease up to 5,000 of the vehicles, but there aren't that many available. Hertz also plans on adding Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids soon.
Hertz, which also offers EV rentals in Washington D.C., New York, and London, is far from alone in offering EV rentals, with Enterprise and Avis also bulking up their fleets with emissions free vehicles.
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