Hertz to offer electric vehicle rentals in London

The global car sharing company Hertz Corporation is expanding its London fleet with electric vehicles (EV) for members to drive in and around the capital.

Under the rental scheme, includes the introduction of pure electric i-MiEV vehicles from Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, as announced separately today, starting with two cars available for booking from immediate effect, with an hourly rate of just GBP4 (pounds sterling) per hour, the company said in a statement.

The company is also providing 16 charging stations across central and greater London, as well as enabling its customers to access Source London's planned public charging points. In addition, corporate and university customers of Connect by Hertz will have the opportunity to add electric vehicles to their pool fleets throughout the UK, it added.

These Locations include Heathrow, London City Airport and Uxbridge. The fully-electric vehicles have a range of 90 miles and on a 30 minute charge can regain 80 percent of their power.

The ability to book and drive electric vehicles by the hour has proven very popular with our Connect by Hertz members in the U.S and given the appeal of the cars' zero emissions and low noise coupled with state-of-the-art driving features and the convenience of car sharing, we are excited about the future in London and the UK for both members of the public and our corporate customers, Mark Frissora, Chairman and CEO of Hertz Corporation said.

During the next several months, Hertz Global EV will leverage the company's rental and car sharing locations as bases for vehicles and charging stations, and tap into its technology - including sophisticated fleet management tools and the consumer-facing NeverLost GPS system - to help form an EV grid, it added.