Car Rental company Hertz have today announced they have launched the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) to their rental car fleet as part of their “Green Collection” for those with an environmental consciousness.
Beginning as a pilot in Adelaide the Outlander PHEV will then be added to Canberra Airport’s fleet in the months ahead.
Eoin MacNeill, Vice President Asia Pacific, Hertz, said: “We are delighted to be able to introduce the state-of-the-art Outlander PHEV, offering customers a sublime driving experience and the option of minimising their carbon footprint whilst on the road.
“As a result of this partnership with Mitsubishi, which allows Hertz to boost usage of hybrids, we hope to introduce more PHEVs across Australia and New Zealand as public awareness increases.
An Outlander PHEV has is not a traditional hybrid as it is plugged in to charge the battery, while the petrol engine will still get a workout for those longer trips over the 50km range.
While Hertz are not adding charging infrastructure into the community, they have installed charging stations at their locations to keep them charged before pickup.
It’s not exactly a Tesla, but it’s a start. Thrifty in Canberra and Sydney have a Tesla for rent – not exactly a nationwide roll out though.
