On the 15th Febraury 2011 on the "Car Hire Excess Insurance" blog site there was a blog "Rent an eco car"

The Stars'n'Bars in Monaco had a link to a company advertising electric cars to hire in Monaco which is Monaco’s first 4-wheel electric car rental company MC ECO RENTAL. The new company offers residents and tourists the chance to tour in and around the principality with zero emissions.

The fleet consists of 6 Estrima Biro, 2-seater urban cars that are 100% electric and be charged on a traditional plug. The cars can be rented by the hour, half-day, day, week or month. Reserve by telephone and the car can be delivered to your preferred location or picked up at the Stars'n'Bars.

Looking at the mc-eco-rental website you can hire these electric vehicles at starting price of €15. (More information about Monaco Here)

See Review "Interesting place to visit in the heart of the harbour" July 2012

Driving in Monaco

Now on the 15th April 2011 issue a Press Release "Connect by Hertz Brings Electric Vehicles and Charge Network to Companies and Car Share Members in the United Kingdom"

Connect by Hertz Brings Electric Vehicles and Charge Network to Companies and Car Share Members in the United Kingdom PwC Has Agreed to a Pilot Deal to Offer Employees Two Electric Vehicles as Part of the Firm's Sustainability and Travel Strategy .

The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ) has announced its global car sharing company Connect by Hertz is expanding its London fleet with electric vehicles (EV) for members to drive in and around the capital. This includes the introduction of pure electric i-MiEV vehicles from Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, as announced separately today, starting with two cars available for booking from immediate effect, with an hourly rate of just £4 (pounds sterling) per hour.

The company is also providing 16 charging stations across Central London and Greater London, as well as enabling its customers to access Source London's planned public charging points. In addition, corporate and university customers of Connect by Hertz will have the opportunity to add electric vehicles and charging stations to their pool fleets throughout the UK.

As well as the i-MiEVs, Connect by Hertz members will be able to hire a Nissan LEAF electric vehicle in London soon, and Renault's new and innovative range of electric vehicles by early 2012, as announced in February. Connect by Hertz first introduced an electric vehicle to its London Camden location in January 2010.

Mark Frissora, Chairman and CEO of Hertz Corporation, said: "The ability to book and drive electric vehicles by the hour has proven very popular with our Connect by Hertz members in the U.S. Given the appeal of the cars' zero emissions and low noise coupled with state-of-the-art driving features and the convenience of car sharing, we are excited about the future in London and the UK for both members of the public and our corporate customers."

PwC has agreed a pilot deal to offer employees two electric vehicles as part of the firm's sustainability and travel strategy. Based at their Westminster and Southwark locations in London, the pure-electric cars will operate with Connect by Hertz technology, and be charged on site at PwC offices as well as through the Hertz and Source London charging network.

Bridget Jackson, head of corporate sustainability, PwC, said: "We want to work with new technologies, to test how they fit in with our mix of needs, and find out what the practical issues of using electric vehicles more widely would be. It's a pioneering initiative for PwC and is part of our commitment to lower our overall transport emissions."

London is a prime location for electric vehicles and already has the highest number registered in the Capital than elsewhere in the UK. This is soon set to rise with the upcoming launch this spring of Source London -- the Mayor of London's electric vehicle charging network. With 1,300 publicly accessible points to be installed across the city by 2013, it will mean London will have more charge points than gas (petrol) stations, putting London on the road to become the electric vehicle capital of Europe.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: "Electric vehicles are perfect for city driving and great for London's environment, so I am pleased that Hertz and Connect by Hertz are helping promote their use to give more people the opportunity to try one out. These new vehicles will also soon be able to take advantage of our Source London's network, the first ever city wide electric driving scheme launching this spring."

Terri Wills, City Director for London, Clinton Climate Initiative, added: "The Clinton Climate Initiative is helping cities across the world to become more electric vehicle-friendly, so we welcome the addition of electric vehicles to Connect by Hertz in London. Not only will it enable people and companies to access electric vehicles more easily, but it could also help to grow the market."

The £4 hourly rate for Connect by Hertz members includes insurance, maintenance, cleaning, and roadside assistance. The current annual membership rate of £50 is currently free for a limited period. The vehicle has keyless entry via a smart chip-enabled Connect Card and is also kitted out with iPod/MP3 player connectivity. While in the vehicle, members can request assistance from the Member Care Centre via the in-car communications system.

Connect by Hertz members will be able to use the company's 16 charging stations, based on Chargemaster technology, at London City Airport, Heathrow Airport, Russell Square (London), Marble Arch (London), Old Kent Rd (London), and Uxbridge. Connect by Hertz will also work closely with its corporate and university customers to launch dedicated charging stations on location across the country.

The Connect by Hertz electric vehicle placements in London and the UK are part of the Hertz Global EV program, which will offer a variety of 100 percent electric and plug-in hybrids to car sharing and rental customers worldwide.

Hertz Global EV is championing an electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle mobility ecosystem, incorporating transportation options and a charging station grid for ease of use. As the world's largest general-use car-rental brand, Hertz is uniquely positioned to introduce multiple groups of consumers -- urban drivers, university students, travelers and corporations -- to all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As part of this strategy, Hertz is forming partnerships with manufacturers, charging station providers, municipalities, NGOs, corporations and other stakeholders

During the next several months, Hertz Global EV will leverage the company's rental and car sharing locations as bases for vehicles and charging stations, and tap into its technology -- including sophisticated fleet management tools and the consumer-facing NeverLost GPS system -- to help form an EV grid.

is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand operating from more than 8,500 locations in 146 countries worldwide. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 83 major airports in Europe, operating both corporate and licensee locations in cities and airports in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

The Company also operates the Advantage car rental brand at 26 airports in the U.S. In addition, Hertz operates one of the world's largest equipment rental businesses, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, offering a diverse line of rental equipment, including tools and supplies, and new and used equipment for sale from approximately 325 branches in the United States, Canada, China, France, Italy, Spain and Saudi Arabia.

Source Hertz

Driving in The UK

You can rent a car from Hertz via Carrentals.co.uk - More information on Carrentals.co.uk Here

What about the London Congestion Charge with electric vehicles?

According to the Transport for London website April 2011"Electrically propelled and Plug in Electric Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) below qualify for a 100 per cent Congestion Charge discount. You will need to register with us to receive the discount. More information Here

Hopefully Car hire rental companies will register thie vehicles to save the renters this charge.

For more information about the London Congestion Charge CLICK HERE

Electric car hire in Orlando, Florida USA - September 2013 see article on blog site

Going to Monaco?: Find out more about the South of France - Monaco (The Cannes Film Festival - Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival - Jazz à Juan- Jazz in Juan Festival, Historic Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix Historique de Monaco - Places to visit in the South of France - Cote d'Azur Rental Properties and a lot more by clicking on the image below)

Nice Airport gets new Car rental terminal - June 2011

Historic Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Feature Here

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Hertz to Start Offering the Mitsubishi i-MiEV in the UK - April 19th, 2011

According to brand new reports, car hire giant Hertz is going to be offering the battery powered Mitsubishi i-MiEV to its UK fleet. This is a huge move for the car rental company and offers even more choices for consumers in the UK.

To start with, this car is only going to be offered to customers who are part of the company’s Connect by Hertz car-sharing club. In fact, only two of these cars will be offered to start with. However, soon after that, Hertz does plan on expanding this plan. In fact, they hope to soon add more cars to its fleet so that people all across the UK can have access to these cars if they choose.

This car rental giant is always looking for new ways that they can cut down the CO2 output of its car rental fleet. In fact, the company said that the travel industry is starting to change. People are looking to change the way that they travel, with a lot of them are looking for greener options, and Hertz wants to be able to offer them these options if they want them.

Hertz also said that they want to make sure that its easy for consumers to recharge their car’s battery while they are out. Thus, this is why they have already installed 16 different charging stations all over London. Apparently the car’s battery can be charged to 80 percent of power in just 30 minutes.

The managing director of Hertz in the UK, Neil Cunningham, said that the company is already using these kinds of cars in the United States. They now want to roll out this idea to cities in Europe as well. They want to offer these cars in areas where there is a demand for electric cars.

Source: Paul Mayer - CompareCarrentals.com (see Carrentals.co.uk for more impormation about CompareCarrentals / Carrentals.co.uk and hiring a Hertz car via them)

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See also:

Rental cars are cleaner and safer than private ones, research finds - December 2011

CAR2GO moves to Vienna - November 2011

Electric vehicles are too expensive BVRLA - September 2011

Rent an eco car in Monaco - February 2011

The High Cost Of Having A Car In London - Article