Car Hire and the environment. How eco-friendly is it to hire a car?
With much talk in the media about the environment and the ecological impact of virtually everything we do, it’s time to take a look at the car rental industry to see how “green” car hire is and what the rental firms are doing to become more eco friendly.
Most of the major car rental companies have already recognised the growth in customer demand for low emission cars and have started to change their fleets to accommodate. The range of low emission cars currently available is quite limited, both in options and rental locations, but it’s growing quickly with changing patterns in customer demand.
So, who’s doing what?
Avis Sweden has invested in more than 400 of the new ethanol-powered Saab 9-5 BioPower cars, along with around 75 Ford Flexi-fuel and 20 Toyota Prius. In the US, Avis have added 500 Nissan Altima Hybrid vehicles and 1,000 Toyota Priuses to their fleet. In the UK they have reduced their rental fleet emissions by 4%. Avis has also been a carbon neutral company since 2000.
Hertz have introduced a “green collection” which allows you to choose from a range of cars that offer a weighted CO2 output level of less than 140g/km and achieve 40 - 65 MPG, depending upon vehicle size. This weighted CO2 level is already below the 2008 voluntary levels set by the EU for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. This collection is available from 50 selected outlets across Europe.
Holiday autos have also launched a range of hybrid cars in selected locations across Europe through its rental partners. If you want to go really green though and live in London, why not try out an electric car. Future Vehicles (www.futurevehicles.co.uk) was one of the first to set up in this market, offering cars within the M25 area.
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