Hertz, which is one of the largest rental car companies in the world, has launched a big EV rental program in the United States, which will not only increase the number of electric cars in its fleet but also improve the charging infrastructure.
Dubbed Hertz Electrifies, the program will kick off in Denver, Colorado, where the rental company will add up to 5,200 EVs to its fleet for customers and rideshare drivers, and will install both Level 2 and fast chargers at Denver International Airport and various Hertz locations.
Additionally, the company will support the installation of publicly accessible EV chargers across neighborhoods in Denver through a partnership with BP Pulse, and it will offer summer job opportunities through the Denver Youth Employment program, as well as provide EVs, tools, and training to Montbello Career and Technical High School for students who are enrolled in its auto certificate program.
“Our goal is to reduce Denver’s carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, and expanding the use and availability of electric vehicles will play a major role in helping us achieve that goal. This partnership with Hertz will provide invaluable data about where we need charging infrastructure the most, as well as provide new opportunities with this new technology to create good-paying jobs for our current and future workforce,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “Electric vehicles can benefit every community in Denver, and we’re proud to work with Hertz to ensure that electrification opportunities reach across the city.”
Hertz doesn’t mention what cities will follow after Denver, but says that “In partnership with mayors across the country, Hertz will bring its EV fleet to American cities, while supporting the build out of charging infrastructure, creating educational and training opportunities for high-quality jobs in a new era of mobility, and engaging with local organizations to extend the benefits of electrification to underserved communities.”
It’s a welcome initiative that seems to address two problems at once – increasing the adoption rate of EVs among people who don’t know much about them (by offering the chance to rent one) and training young enthusiasts that might not have a chance to study EVs otherwise.
This isn’t the first time Hertz publicly supported electric vehicles – back in 2022, the rental agency ordered 100,000 Teslas, and then went on to order another 175,000 EVs from General Motors and an additional 65,000 zero-emissions cars from Polestar, bringing the total to 340,000 electric vehicles in its fleet.
