Charged EVs | Orlando pilot gives a blueprint for electrification of rental automobile fleets

A brand new report from a nonprofit referred to as the Electrification Coalition particulars the teachings discovered from a public-private partnership that examined the deployment of EVs in a big rental automobile fleet. The report shares key findings from the Drive Electrical Orlando Rental Pilot, which incentivized vacationers to lease EVs in Orlando, the most important rental automobile market within the US.

The multi-year program was led by the Electrification Coalition in partnership with Enterprise Lease-A-Automobile, the Metropolis of Orlando, and several other resorts and theme parks. Program companions incentivized participation by offering unique perks to Enterprise prospects who rented EVs, together with free parking, complimentary valet service and free charging. The outcomes point out that the rental automobile trade can play an necessary function in accelerating client adoption of EVs.

“Rental automobile corporations function among the largest light-duty automobile fleets within the nation, so the electrification of this trade can be essential within the shift to an electrical transportation future,” mentioned Ben Prochazka, Government Director of the Electrification Coalition. “Drive Electrical Orlando put the buyer behind the wheel of an EV throughout a trip—an ideal alternative to expertise all the advantages of this know-how. This system engaged shoppers in the course of the early levels of EV market progress, and it might now function a roadmap for the rental automobile trade to go electrical.”

Some key insights from the research:

• Two thirds of EV renters surveyed indicated that their expertise made them extra more likely to buy an EV as their subsequent automobile.
• Incentives had been useful instruments to draw program members. Perks resembling VIP parking and free charging generated extra client curiosity in renting an EV.
• Because the rental automobile trade incorporates EVs into its fleets, it should be proactive in overcoming limitations to the transition. Firms must plan for employees coaching, onsite charging at rental facilities and buyer schooling on EV operation and charging.

“In some ways, we had been blazing a brand new path with every step of the DEO program,” the Electrification Coalition’s Prochazka mentioned. “This pilot helped us dig into the challenges and establish methods for EVs to succeed as rental automobiles. Because the variety of EV fashions grows, and entry to charging stations will increase, it’s our hope that the rental automobile trade will use the teachings we discovered to construct a mannequin that may efficiently electrify rental fleets throughout the nation.”

Based on Bobit Enterprise Media, automakers offered 494,960 models to US rental fleets within the first quarter of 2020. The extraordinary scale and speedy turnover of those fleets provide distinctive alternatives to spice up EV adoption. The rental automobile trade is a significant supply of used automobiles, supporting a market that’s extra accessible to middle- and lower-income shoppers.

Rental companies have been providing Teslas in early-adopter markets resembling Norway for years, however adoption within the US has been gradual. Nevertheless, issues at the moment are beginning to transfer rapidly. Rental large Hertz gave the entire EV trade a lift with final yr’s announcement that it might add as much as 100,000 Teslas to its fleet. Now the corporate has introduced plans to purchase as much as 65,000 EVs from Polestar over 5 years.

Supply: Electrification Coalition