Hybrids for Rent at Portuguese Airports

18 January 2005

AFP reports that Avis offices at Portugal’s three busiest airports are now offering arriving travelers the option of renting hybrid vehicles.

A total of 25 hybrids, which combine a conventional gasoline engine with an electric motor, are available at Avis car rental offices at airports in Lisbon, second-city Oporto and the southern city of Faro, said the president of environmentalist group Quercus, Francisco Ferreira.

It is the first time that US-based Avis has offered the hybrid vehicles for rent at any of its locations in Europe, local officials from the firm said.

To encourage their use the rental price of the Honda and Toyota hybrids will be equal to the lowest price for a rental of a regular vehicle.

In the US, hybrid rentals appear to be the domain of a few, small specialty companies. Of the majors, only Hertz appears to have a few hybrids in the fleet.