New Christchurch rental car hub future-proofed for EVs

Five of Christchurch’s biggest car rental brands – Avis and its subsidiary Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, and Apex – have joined forces to return to the central city in the new International Rental Car Precinct.

One of the features of the new $10 million rental car terminal that has been built on the corner of Manchester St and Kilmore St is its electric vehicle charging stations.

While most of the companies don’t currently use EVs, Thrifty general manager in New Zealand, Emma Gardiner, says her company is considering introducing them later in the year.

That means the new building has been future proofed for their introduction.

The only major rental vehicle company offering electric cars in advertisements is Snap Rentals and a handful of smaller ones, while Tourism Holdings was planning a trial of electric vehicles later this year.

In May 2016, the government announced a target is to double electric vehicle fleet registrations each year from the current 4027 to 64,000 by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, Christchurch’s new car rental building has the benefits of being purpose-built with plumbed drainage for the car wash, and other filters to ensure environmental protection, Gardiner says.