As Aotearoa's border reopens to more international visitors, those seeking to embrace New Zealand's environmentally friendly credentials will be able to access more electric hire cars than before.
Avis New Zealand has revealed it's added nearly 100 electric vehicles to its fleet, with plans to bring in even more over the next 18-24 months.
That will make it the country's largest electric car rental fleet, the company said.
Many companies offer EV rentals, including Snap, Europcar and Go Rentals, but Avis said its approach was different - with enough EVs so there's availability and the price being pegged to the cost of similar internal combustion engine cars.
Customers will be able to choose from the latest Tesla Model 3, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the Hyundai Kona in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the company said..
Lee Marshall, general manager of Avis New Zealand, says the integration of more EVs into its fleet is just the first step, and it's a signal of its desire to play its part in reducing climate pollution.
"We have been very conscious of New Zealand's goal to move to a more sustainable economy and its desire to lower carbon emissions," Marshall said.
"Our investment in e-mobility and new charging infrastructure at three airport locations ensures we're not only in the best position to capture growing interest in greener transport solutions, but also offers them greater choice.
"You'll start to see more Avis EV charging stations at other airport locations around the country soon."
Over the past two years the company has also focused on preparing for the restart of international travel to ensure tourists have more sustainable options to choose from.
One of the keys to that choice will be pricing the rental similar to that of traditional vehicles, making trialling one of the new EVs viable.
All three models available can get up to 430kms on a single charge, which gives customers a decent range before requiring a top up.
"To help support our customers once they've rented an EV from us, we've created two QR codes with quick start guides," Marshall said.
"They give easy to understand step by step instructions about charging, where to charge, how long it takes to charge and how far a charge lasts.
"We also have links to the Chargenet and Plugshare apps for customers to find the closest charging station to avoid any concerns about range anxiety during trips."
