Travel Tips

Travel Tip: When Renting Electric Cars Makes Sense

Locations in this article:  Honolulu, HI Shanghai, China
Gasoline prices are going up with practically no end in sight, but more and more destinations are offering the option of renting an electric vehicle. Sounds great, right? Well, not always.

Although, electric vehicles may seem like the smart option to save money while on the road, they may not always be the best solution when driving long distances or in rural places.

The biggest problem is obvious…you need access to charging stations.

The first place to start is with a smartphone app, such as ChargePoint, that will navigate where you can recharge the electrical rental.

Honolulu, Hawaii already has hundreds of electrical-car-charging stations installed through its Hawaii E-V Ready program.

In Rotterdam, Netherlands, they’re installing more than 1,000 charging stations and they’ll give free parking permits to people who use EVs.

Hertz knew electric vehicles would be in high demand in China, especially in Shanghai where extra taxes are added for gas-powered vehicles. So they partnered with GE to set up charging stations across the country and shipped over a fleet of vehicles.

But while the concept is a great one for saving fuel and money, it’s not a widespread solution for travelers…just yet.

For more information, visit the Eco Travel archives.

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