Europcar New Zealand is now offering an all-electric vehicle fleet for rent in Auckland and Christchurch.

The all-electric e-Golfs are part of Europcar’s sustainability strategy, which was implemented with Volkswagen New Zealand and Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch airports earlier in the year.

The joint venture involved corporate travelers driving the e-Golfs on business trips at no cost. Now, the general public will be able to do the same, following a thorough e-Golf test run of 1278 kilometers that was spread out over five days from Auckland to Christchurch.

“We needed to know exactly what our clients would experience driving the electric vehicle, especially on extended trips as a major component of our customer base consists of tourists,” said Stephen Jones, general manager of Europcar New Zealand. “We needed to be absolutely sure that our electric vehicle fleet and the e-Golf are safe above all else, reliable and convenient.

“Since beginning our customer experience exercise, we have been approached by several regional hotel owners and operators with a keen interest in setting up charging stations to cater for eco-conscious travelers — a clear trend on the rise,” added Jones.

Earlier this year, Europcar won nearly $200,000 in funding under round two of the Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund as part of 15 government initiatives to promote environmentally friendly motoring outcomes for New Zealand — with a target of doubling the number of electric vehicles every year to reach 64,000 by 2021.

Europcar is using the funds toward charging infrastructure and marketing costs with an intention to promote electric vehicles.