EVs for Rent: A New Power Trip for Alternative Drivers

Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport now have an alternative to that gas-guzzling rental car: an electricity-guzzling rental car.

EV Rental Cars is set to open today at Budget Rent A Car facilities at LAX, marking the first rent-by-the-day operation in the U.S. to offer electric vehicles. The opening also represents the culmination of a two-year crusade by EV Rental Cars President Jeffrey Pink to create a way for drivers to try EVs without handing over the big bucks, typically $400 to $500 a month, required with long-term leases.

The price of renting an electric vehicle at EV Rental Cars, whose partners include Budget and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, will be comparable to that of many gas-powered vehicles. But there’s no refueling fee and no last-minute dash to a gasoline station to top off the tank.

However, renters will be responsible for finding recharging stations during their turns behind the wheel. EVs run about 70 to 90 miles between charges, whereas a typical gasoline-powered vehicle can go 300 miles or more between fill-ups.

Battery-powered vehicles have been available commercially for two years, primarily in California, but have met with limited success. Only about 1,000 of the 3 million cars and trucks newly registered in California in the last two years are electric.

“None of these cars are moving, because people don’t know anything about them,” Pink said. “It is our hope that as consumers become more familiar with EVs through ventures such as this one, they will be more inclined to lease them on a long-term basis.”

Renters will have the option of choosing among 20 vehicles from six manufacturers, at an introductory rate of $39.95 a day: General Motors Corp.’s EV1 sports car, Honda Motor Co.’s EV Plus minivan, Ford Motor Co.’s Ranger pickup, Toyota Motor Corp.’s RAV4 sport-utility vehicle, DaimlerChrysler Corp.’s Epic minivan and Nissan Motor Co.’s Altra EV. Two of the models, the Epic and the Altra, previously were unavailable to California consumers.

After a brief training session, renters are sent off with a map of the more than 300 local charging stations, many of which provide free, utility-subsidized charging.

Budget Rent A Car became a partner in the project because EVs fit the unusual profile of its fleet, said Sandy Miller, chief executive of parent Budget Group Inc. The Lisle, Ill.-based rental unit already offers a large selection of specialty and luxury cars, representing about a third of its fleet, and it has introduced EV rentals in France.

As a partner, the DWP is subsidizing the cost of the recharging equipment at Budget’s LAX location and providing an electric bus to ferry passengers from terminals to the Budget lot.

Pink said he spent months in Washington lobbying officials before winning a $100,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.