Looking to save a few dollars on gas or shrink your carbon footprint? An electric vehicle might catch your eye at the rental counter. But where do you start if you’re an E.V. newbie?
If you’ve driven only a gasoline or diesel vehicle, you’ll find operating an E.V. to be a different experience. Even humdrum E.V.s accelerate with Porsche-like responsiveness. And with gas prices at stratospheric levels, recharging is easier on the wallet. You may also avoid paying pollution charges and even highway tolls in some countries.
E.V.s come with a learning curve, though. Ranges have grown, but they’re still considerably shorter than those of their gas-powered siblings. That means factoring in time for charging stops and familiarizing yourself with plugs and adapters. You’ll also need to adjust some driving habits.
Here are some tips for going electric. Once you get the hang of it, you may never want to rent a gas-powered car again.
How Do I Find an E.V. to Rent?
Electric vehicles are becoming easier to find, but they may not be available in all places or at all times of year.
In Norway, where about 98 percent of new car sales are electric, more than half of Hertz’s offerings are E.V.s. All of Europcar’s rental cars in Oslo are electric, while about 40 percent of Sixt’s are. Europcar and Sixt also offer a handful of E.V.s in London.
In North America, Hertz says it makes electric vehicles available “in markets where E.V. adoption and charging infrastructure are more developed.” But a recent check of Hertz’s website showed few or no E.V.s available in major markets like Los Angeles and San Francisco and at New York City airports. Enterprise showed a similar absence of options in those locations.
To find E.V.s, start with online travel sites like Booking.com, Expedia or Travelocity, all of which allow you to filter search results for electric vehicles. You can then book there or on the rental company’s website, if you prefer (say, for loyalty program points).
The peer-to-peer car rental company Turo has E.V.s in a range of cities. Another service, Eon, offers an E.V.-only rental fleet of models from Lucid, Rivian and Tesla, and will deliver one fully charged to an airport, hotel, home or office — your phone unlocks it.
What’s the Deal With Range?
If you are feeling range anxiety, here’s a bit of good news: Some luxury electric vehicles can go more than 400 miles on a full charge, though a majority of modern E.V.s last around 300 miles.
Hertz bases its quoted range on the battery being 100 percent charged, but don’t expect to receive the car at that level — 80 percent is more common. Europcar bases its range on 80 percent, a level that makes batteries last longer. “Charging more than 80 percent is when battery cell damage begins,” said Paul Frey, the vice president for propulsion, charging and energy at the electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive.
Range also depends on how much city and highway driving you do. Unlike a gas-powered car, an E.V. is more efficient in the city than on the freeway.
Another consideration: In Europe and the rest of the world, rental agencies’ quoted range figures tend to be about 20 percent more optimistic than U.S. figures, which are based on tests by the Environmental Protection Agency. Ask about your specific vehicle’s range at the rental counter.
How Do I Drive This Thing?
First, rein in that lead foot. E.V.s have a lot of power and take off quicker than gas cars. You don’t want to peel out in the parking lot.
E.V.s often have a “regenerative braking,” or “one pedal,” mode, meaning that when you take your foot off the accelerator, the vehicle automatically slows down. That reduces the need to use the regular brake pedal, letting you essentially drive with one foot. Regenerative braking also helps recharge the battery.
If one-pedal driving feels uncomfortable, some models have an option to either turn it off or adjust the force of the braking.
How Do I Charge It?
When you use the built-in navigation app in many E.V.s, the app will usually show you when and where to charge, often even telling you how many charge bays are empty.
Commercial charging equipment generally falls into three standards: NACS (Tesla’s Supercharger), which is becoming dominant in the United States. The older CCS1 standard is still popular in Canada, though NACS is also making inroads there. CCS2 is used in large parts of Europe, Australia and Asia.
If you rent from a major company in the United States, you will probably be able to use Tesla, in addition to ChargePoint, Electrify America and EVgo, charging stations, and the vehicle should come with the necessary adapters. If you are not sure, ask at the counter before heading to the lot.
Depending on the vehicle, Tesla Superchargers take 20 to 30 minutes to charge to 80 percent; other commercial chargers can take an hour or longer. To save time and money, don’t bother charging the vehicle to 100 percent. Squeezing in that last 20 percent can double your wait time.
How Do I Pay for Charging?
Many, but not all, charging stations in the United States have credit card readers, though some require drivers to pay through an app. If you’re renting in North America, it’s a good idea to download the Tesla app.
In Europe, E.U. regulations mandate that commercial charging stations accept credit and debit cards, though rental companies also link with apps like Shell and Elton, which allow renters to pay using a credit card or, in some cases, add the charge to their bills.
If you’re renting from Hertz in Europe, you may be able to use the company’s physical keychain charge fob to pay.
Give yourself extra time to download and set up a payment app before you leave the rental counter, and however you choose to pay, ask an employee to give you a walk-through.
Can I Skip a Final Charging Stop?
Generally, rental companies ask you to return the vehicle with at least an 80 percent charge. But stopping for a 30-minute recharge may not fit into your plans, especially if you’re rushing to catch a plane.
Some rental companies will allow you to pay an upfront charging fee. That way you can return the vehicle with less charge than you started with. Europcar charges around 50 euros, or about $56, for that option. In the United States, Hertz offers a prepaid charging option, but Avis and Enterprise do not.
If you don’t pay the upfront fee and don’t charge the vehicle before returning, you’ll be billed for the electricity plus an additional fee. The costs vary by location and rental company, but they can be surprisingly steep.
Some companies, such as Hertz, charge an additional fee if you return the vehicle with less than 10 percent battery level. Letting the charge fall that low can damage the battery.
The post A First-Timer’s Guide to Renting an Electric Vehicle appeared first on New York Times.
