[FESTIVAL] Renting an electric car on holiday

[Felicity11]

We know many guests are returning to travel and are aware of the impact they have on

environment around them. Transport is one the biggest creators of emissions and many guests who travel are looking to lower their emissions by renting an electric car when on holiday. In some parts of the world electric cars are very popular and there is great infrastructure in place to support those who drive electric cars but coming to a new country or city and trying to familiarise yourself with an electric charging network can be daunting.

There are a couple of things you can do to help your guests make the most out of renting an electric car while on holiday.

Find out what car rental companies in your city offer eclectic cars for rent and the types of electric cars they offer.

Look up what charging networks are available for your guests to access and the

costs involved and availability.

Find out if the guest will need to rent or bring their own charging cables with them

as they travel.

Find out the names of the charging networks in your country so you can help your guests plan their travel and easily find where they can charge their car. Many will

have apps with a map that your guest can set up an account with.

If you do offer electric vehicle charging from your listing be sure to specify the type of

charging you have, rapid or slow charging and the types of connection you can support, also, mention if you have any cables that guests can use while they stay with you or if they will need to bring their own.

While electric car charging may seem like a minefield to begin with, especially if you do not own an electric car, simply doing a little bit of research on what is available in your local area will be greatly appreciated by your guests. Have you ever driven an electric car ? What did you think of it?

[Clara116]

@Felicity11 Thanks for your post about something I've been curious and now have the motivation from you to check it out for certain. Times are changing and how we adapt to those changes is critical especially when it has to do with our environment. 

Do you own an electric car? Or did you take it on that holiday? Its a whole new world to explore and I think we need to check it out to be better informed. Thanks for the motivation.

Best regards and happy travels, Clara

[Felicity11]

Hi @Clara116 

Thanks for reading my post and I am so happy to hear it is something you have been curious about. 

We currently do not own a electric vehicle - yet but are hoping to get one soon. In Australian and New Zealand the electric vehicles are not as common as in other parts of the world. 

We rented this one to drive around New Zealand while catching up with family and friends. Some family have electric vehicles and were able to give us some great tips, other family members were very curious about the car and our experience with it. 

There is a growing trend towards sustainable tourism and if you have guests who will be hiring a car, by hiring an electric car or travelling using your own electric car you are lowering your emissions. If we as hosts can help our guests know more about where they can charge up and the networks that are available to them then it will only make the process a little easier for them and us. 

I am so happy to hear this is something you want to explore. You may find that your local host group has members who drive an Electric car in your area so they may be able to help you to understand more. There is a lot of information available when you google or you could even ask a local electric car rental company.!

[Clara116]

@Felicity11 thanks for your response which I certainly appreciate. As community leader here I will indeed post asking about charging and ownership of electric cars locally funny I didn't think about asking them but its good to know and also if their guests are driving many electric cars.

thanks again,

best to you, Clara

[Laurelle3]

@Felicity11  good topic we have discussed this as we know it is the way in the future as @Clara116 asked did you hire an electric car for a holiday. I just looked up where the nearest charging station to our Airbnb and it is 30 kms away. Most of the charging stations are on the main highway in NSW. We have talked about putting a charger on our house near the guests parking but until there is a demand it cango on the future list.

[Felicity11]

Hi @Laurelle3 

Great to hear from you and thank you for reading my post.

We did hire this for our holiday in New Zealand to catch up with family and friends.   This was the second time we have hired a electric car for a holiday and we did learn a few things along the way.  One of which was how to cope when the only public electric charger in the town you are staying in  - is broken.. eek. A few stressful moments however the key learning was to not hire a car with out a electric charging cord that you can plug into the home you are staying in. Our nearest charger was 45km away or a 50 minute drive away.  

There are a number of key things we can do as hosts to help our guests who do drive EV's keep them charged up. Simply knowing that the nearest charger is 30kms away is wonderful.  If your guests bring a charging cable with them, is there suitable access at your listing so they can charge up there. 

Another thing that we saw in New Zealand was another network of chargers that were installed in lodges and small hotels.   There may be a network like this close to you and if there is a charger like this it may be worth calling to ask what the deal is with it.  For instance when we were caught short in Turangi and could not use the main charger we called in on one of the local lodges who was listed to have a electric charger but they would not let us use it as we were not guests. However another lodge and small motel were very friendly and very kindly let us use there chargers.    I don't think we as individual hosts need to install chargers just yet but finding out where our guests can charge up and what is available is very handy! - and your guests will appreciate it!

[Daniel1651]

What a great article, @Felicity11 !
These days I installed solar panels at home and the next step will be a high-speed charger for my guests' cars. Inviting them to know a little more is also a great adventure 🙂 Thanks for your useful tips!

[Felicity11]

Hi Daniel 

Great to hear from you and that is wonderful that you have solar panels at your home.  

I am sure a car charger will be very much appreciated by guests who travel using a EV.  In the mean time just finding out where they can access a rapid charger will be a big help and if they can have easy access to a place to plug in a three pin charger I am sure they will be very happy.   This is such  great discussion talking about Electric vehicles and how we as hosts can help guests keep there vehicles charged easily and enjoy their holiday. 

So happy to hear you enjoyed the article! 

[Quincy]

Great article @Felicity11! I've used one of those hybrid cars when I was on vacation in Norway. I believe it was able to drive up to 50km on the battery. It would recharge itself every time you use the brakes. It also came with a charging cable for at-home charging (which quite a lot of homes in Norway seemed to support/offer). 

I'd love to try a fully electric car for my next trip 🙂