Avis New Zealand Boosts Rental Fleet with Electric Vehicles

Avis New Zealand has added electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet to offer sustainable alternatives to customers as well as reduce transport emissions.

Avis customers are now able to book the latest BMW i3 Rex 94Ah electric vehicles in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Bruce Vincer, General Manager, Avis New Zealand, says this is the first step in the company’s move to introduce a larger fleet of EVs into the New Zealand rental car market.

“We plan to increase the sustainability of our fleet over the next few years and EVs will be an integral part of this.”

Vincer says adding EVs to the Avis fleet was a natural step in response to growing interest from its customers to not compromise and choose greener transport solutions.

“Our corporate travellers who rent a car from Avis drive an average of 116 kilometres each day, which is well within the single charge range of the BMW i3 Rex 94Ah.

“When they arrive in our major cities, we can now give them greater choice in how they get around. They will be able to quietly travel between business meetings and conveniently return the car without having to fill up,” Vincer says.

Vincer says EV capacity is often cited as an issue, but the BMW i3 Rex 94ah has a range of 200 plus kilometres before requiring a recharge. This is due to its range extender feature - a low-cylinder combustion engine which powers a generator that automatically engages when needed to keep the battery’s state of charge on a constant level.

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