Hertz Italy Launches smart fortwo Electric Vehicle in Rome for Italo-NTV train customers
19 June 2012
The Hertz Corporation in partnership with Italo-NTV, the first European private high-speed railway operator, will offer Italo customers the ability to rent smart fortwo electric drives from the Hertz locations at the Rome Tiburtina and Rome Ostiense train stations. These electric vehicles can be booked from €8 (US$10) per hour through the website http://www.hertzitalo.it using the special Italo discount code, and will be powered at charging units provided by Enel, Italy’s largest electric utility.
The program is a step in the Manifesto di Roma Capitale (Rome Manifesto) to increase the number of electric vehicles and other sustainability initiatives in Italy’s capital city. Electric vehicles in Rome have free of charge access to designated parking areas and no ZTL (city center zone) limits.
The zero emissions two-seater is powered by a lithium-ion battery developed by Tesla Motors Inc. A fully charged battery is sufficient for up to 135 kilometers (84 miles). The discounted rental rates are available to Italo customers as part of the exclusive partnership agreement between Hertz and Italo-NTV.
Hertz is the first car-rental company to deploy EVs and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric) on three continents—in the US (available to the public in New York, Washington, DC and San Francisco); the UK (London) and now Italy in Europe; and China (Shenzhen). Hertz added the smart fortwo electric drive to its EV fleet in the US in 2010, with the zero-emission car now available in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC.
At $10/hour it will be cheaper than the average local taxis run and certainly a lot less than the $90+ for the 50 minutes taxis drive to the local airport. This may become one of the best clean way to link the local airport with downtown points for people with not too much baggage.
Posted by: HarveyD | 19 June 2012 at 09:51 AM
I commend Hertz for offering this option. However, this vehicle may leave a bad impression of EVs.
Posted by: danm | 19 June 2012 at 10:10 AM
danm....drive a Smart around town and you will be impressed. You may find it better than a large boat on wheels.
Posted by: HarveyD | 19 June 2012 at 11:19 AM