Let us electrify your next vehicle rental!

Electric vehicles have been around for a very long time in the UK. Most people hearing electric vehicles, think Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes, General Motors, Rivian, NIO, XPeng or any other major EV manufacturer. However, mass produced EVs have been around for almost 80 years in the UK, since 1940’s in actual fact. The first mass produced EV in the UK was capable of reaching top speed of 20 mph, and had a range of up to 80 miles on a single charge, of course we’re talking about the humble milk float. They offered many benefits, that are relevant even today: quiet, no emissions, cheap to run, road tax & London Congestion Charge exempt as well as a lifespan of up to 30 years.

Technologies of electric vehicles, the way we know them today, have vastly improved over the years. The very first modern era electric car was launched by General Motors, EV1, which was launched in 1996 and was discontinued after 3 years, as GM believed that it is a very niche unprofitable market.

Fast forward to 2008, when a small company based in California, joined forces with Lotus. They used Lotus Elise chassis and put some batteries in the vehicle, and the very first Tesla Roadster was born and the rest is history.

The main drawback of owning an electric car is the cost of purchasing one, as EVs tend to be 30%-50% more expensive than internal combustion engine counterparts. On the flip side, the running of a EV, is a lot more cost effective. Some of the manufacturers claim, that cost per mile can be as low as £0.04, in comparison a petrol counterpart would be around £0.12. A trip from Green Motion Office in Central London (225 Edgware Rd, Paddington, London W2 1JU) to Green Motion Office at the Manchester Airport (Boundary Farm, Styal Rd, Manchester M22 5YA) is 193 miles, which would translate into £7.72; if the driver is carrying 3 passengers, then this cost could be as low as £1.93 per person, for a trip from London to Manchester. Congestion Charge in London cost £12.50 alone, which EVs are exempt for.

Green Motion, now offers Electric Vehicle hire across multiple of our locations: Manchester Airport, Belfast Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Central London, London City Airport and Newcastle Airport. We have trendy VW ID3’s available at all the locations, as well as Model 3 Tesla is being offered through our locations at Central London, London City Airport.

Benjamin Hunter, the director at Popcorn Rocks Ltd (operates Green Motion Manchester City and Manchester Airport under a franchise agreement ), offers his advice on things to consider when booking Electric Vehicle hire:

“Booking an EV:
When looking at your broker site or direct with the rental company the wording on the listed vehicle is important. If you book something with 'or similar' in the listing you are not guaranteed a full EV and may be given a hybrid or even a normal petrol or diesel vehicle of a similar size. Customers need to look for the 'guaranteed group' or 'guaranteed make and model' listings, these will only be loaded by companies that can assure their customers of a full EV. If you want to double ensure your booking is going to be an EV then it maybe worth calling ahead to the branch to double check as rental fleets change hourly and demand driven issues can occur.

What Next?:
You've booked your EV and are confident that this is what you'll be getting. At this point its worth considering what you are using the car for and where you are travelling too.

- What is the make of car you are likely to receive from the rental company? If its a Tesla for example this will give you access to their supercharge network as well as normal public charge points.
- Do you have a public charging station map on your phone?
- Do you have a UK sim / phone to download charging apps, make payments and activate public charge points?
- What charging cables are the company supplying with the vehicles?
- How far are you looking to travel during your rental? It maybe worth planning your route around charging stops and allowing for the extra time needed. There are apps to help with this. (I think Google now offer this on Maps)
- Does the accommodation your staying at have charging facilities? Most EV's have a 3 pin standard cable and a fast charge cable, but not everywhere is going to let you use them or they may not reach a socket.
- What level of charge does the rental company expect you to return the vehicle with? Any, half etc. This may mean an extra planned charging stop on your return journey and more time needed if you have a flight or onward journey plans.”

Please feel free to reach out to us, or if you have more questions. Let us electrify your next vehicle rental!

Green Motion Manchester Airport 0161 260 0420

Green Motion Belfast Airport 028 9093 9093

Green Motion Heathrow Airport 020 8619 7000

Green Motion Gatwick Airport 01293 855100

Green Motion Central London 020 7186 0000

Green Motion London City Airport 020 7186 0016

Green Motion Newcastle Airport 0191 250 5600