EV car rental - experiences?

[Warks]

Couldn't find any discussion on this so wondering what experiences people have regarding hiring EVs (electric vehicles) overseas. I'm looking at a Tesla Y which comes in around 20% more expensive than what they show as similar vehicles (RAV4, Forester etc). Given the price of fuel this should easily pay for itself but then there is a cost to charge so wondering if it works out. There seem to be Tesla deals that offer unlimited charging for about $40 per day but I'm not convinced that's worth it. Given the longer range of the Y (400-500km reportedly) I will probably only have to charge four times during the 11 day hire. A tank of fuel would be $120 at least. So maybe $500 worth of fuel vs $25 per charge (I have seen some rates like this but not sure of the difference between fast and overnight charging).
The more I think about it, typing it out here, makes me think it's going to end up about even. But you are smart people, I'm sure you've thought this out. What are your experiences?

 

[ZigZagWanderer]

My only experience of EVs in Europe is the incredible jams of cars endlessly circling at motorway service stations waiting for a space to charge. I automatically avoid any service station that displays the charging symbols.

I also imagine that working out how to use the charging systems could be problematic. I can never use electric bikes because they won't accept my foreign credit cards. I now have a European debit card, but probably not accepted either. The instructions are very rarely translated, either.

I’ve seen English people struggle to charge their cars with instructions written in English. I imagine it's a nightmare if they're in a foreign language.

Sorry I can only point out problems, perhaps others can be more positive.

 

[VPS]

Paging @bpeteb

Red Hot the red Tesla takes us to the Mornington Peninsula

A quick two nighter to the Mornington Peninsula where neither of us had ever been before. For our mode of transport I wanted to go electric. I've always wanted to hire a Tesla and decided on booking through evee www.evee.com.au. Just after we booked Sixt advertised the addition of Model 3s to...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[bPeteb]

Here in Oz Warks? VPS has posted link to our recent trip.

We rented through evee. https:/evee.com.au. The process was very simple. As these cars are all privately owned they come with access to charging via the owners account/s, and usually a toll pass. We were charged about $25 for our supercharger recharge (20-80%) and use of toll roads. This bill was sent to us about a week after we got home. They are also places you can charge for free, such as the brewery we went to. Others charge minimal amounts for top ups.

Our car had a 25m extension cord. If we'd been in an end apartment we could have plugged in and fully charged each night for nothing. Contact where you are staying to ask if you have accessed to a place to overnight charge.

They are a couple of apps that you use to look for charging points. Plugshare, Chargefox and Evie. They tell you what the charger is, what it costs, user reviews. You stop for lunch and if possible charge for an hour. You go shopping and if there are chargers top up again. It's just a different way of traveling.

We'll definitely do it again.

If you're looking to do it oversees then maybe look for something similar to evee

 

[BAM1748]

I don't think it will be financial cost, but if you vacationing it will be the time cost.

 

[Warks]

Thanks for the replies. I neglected in my post to mention it's about Iceland! I thought Iceland would be awash with EVs as they are almost totally powered by renewables there and fuel is expensive but it's probably supply issues so far.
Good points about charging at accommodation, handy to check with the owners before we travel so we can sort out the spots to charge in advance if need be. If I eventually book one I'll let you know how I go. It's not until May next year so a while yet but I've been warned to book car hire well in advance.

 

[bPeteb]

Thanks for the replies. I neglected in my post to mention it's about Iceland! I thought Iceland would be awash with EVs as they are almost totally powered by renewables there and fuel is expensive but it's probably supply issues so far.
Good points about charging at accommodation, handy to check with the owners before we travel so we can sort out the spots to charge in advance if need be. If I eventually book one I'll let you know how I go. It's not until May next year so a while yet but I've been warned to book car hire well in advance.

Iceland is just so amazing. Only spent a few short days but managed to get up to the north coast, Golden Triangle and few days in the capital. The vastness of it is quite something.

 

[docjames]

BIL rented via one of the majors and got an MG EV SUV.

Cons: bit cheap and nasty car overall, place they were staying at didn’t have fast charging / high rate charging
Pro: could connect via normal type socket and let it trickle charge overnight. Never needed a roadside fast charger fo the travel they did (BNE airport to Stradbroke, short trips on Stradbroke, Stradbroke to suburban Brisbane a week later (unplanned with two day delay courtesy JQ midyear school holiday meltdown), suburban Brisbane to airport. Didn’t have to return with any minimum charge was a huge plus (No fuel stop hassles on way to airport). Rental rate not dissimilar to an “normal” small SUV.

Feedback was they’d definitely go for ECV again for a similar trip.

 

[RooFlyer]

Iceland is just so amazing. Only spent a few short days but managed to get up to the north coast, Golden Triangle and few days in the capital. The vastness of it is quite something.

Here's a good trivia question (think steamy glasshouses). Which country is Europe's biggest supplier of bananas?

 

[bPeteb]

Here's a good trivia question (think steamy glasshouses). Which country is Europe's biggest supplier of bananas?

there was a lot of steamy in Iceland , oh, and glasshouses

 

[33kft]

but if you vacationing it will be the time cost.

Have you driven an EV before? Most of the time you just plug in at your destination and let it charge while you go about your day (or at night when you sleep). I did that just today at Melbourne Museum. The idea that you have to stand by while it charges is a myth, it is true only when you are travelling continuously beyond the range of a full charge, and even then these are DC fast chargers so it would be 40 mins to a full charge only if you arrived with 0% SoC and if you were charging to full which you wouldn't (you charge what you need to get to your destination and then plug in there)

The realistic experience for EV owners is that when we drove Mel to Adl recently, at more than half of the stops we made all up for charging (3 each way) I had to repark the car because I was done charging (probably max 15 mins for any of those stops) before everyone was done with their rest stop. Imagine how much inconvenience that 40 mins all up was out of an 8 hour drive. The answer is that it wasnt because ultimately we were stopped for longer than that for rest breaks, we just took those breaks while charging. Unless you are really dead set on non stop driving, it's a non issue.

 

[BAM1748]

Have you driven an EV before? Most of the time you just plug in at your destination and let it charge while you go about your day (or at night when you sleep). I did that just today at Melbourne Museum. The idea that you have to stand by while it charges is a myth, it is true only when you are travelling continuously beyond the range of a full charge, and even then these are DC fast chargers so it would be 40 mins to a full charge only if you arrived with 0% SoC and if you were charging to full which you wouldn't (you charge what you need to get to your destination and then plug in there)

The realistic experience for EV owners is that when we drove Mel to Adl recently, at more than half of the stops we made all up for charging (3 each way) I had to repark the car because I was done charging (probably max 15 mins for any of those stops) before everyone was done with their rest stop. Imagine how much inconvenience that 40 mins all up was out of an 8 hour drive. The answer is that it wasnt because ultimately we were stopped for longer than that for rest breaks, we just took those breaks while charging. Unless you are really dead set on non stop driving, it's a non issue.

I don't remember saying you have to stand with the vehicle.

Time cost for me is going somewhere away from where I want to be, waiting for a charger, running back to a Tesla fast charger if using one before it starts ramping up the cost once you've had you time which becomes another time and financial cost.

If you have limited time while on holidays I don't want to be spending it pandering to a vehicle power supply.

To your point of driving Melbourne to Adelaide, I do get in the car and drive say Sydney to Adelaide in one go and yes I stop but I want to go via more interesting out of the way places than a main road can offer and stop where I choose.

 

[33kft]

Time cost for me is going somewhere away from where I want to be

You don't have to

waiting for a charger

you don't have to

running back to a Tesla fast charger if using one before it starts ramping up the cost once you've had you time which becomes another time and financial cost.

you don't have to

You just plug it in overnight, at wherever you're staying. That's exactly what I said in my post. You charge it like a mobile phone. You can charge it through the day, too, if you have somewhere to plug in to. It isn't that you need to use a supercharger if you exceed the range of the car, it's that you need an SC if you exceed the range of the car in a single non-stop drive. I only use superchargers when I drive interstate. I do that maybe 2 or 3 times a year, and that's probably on the high side for the average Australian.

Now I think it's fair to say if you're renting the vehicle at your destination, it's unlikely you're exceeding the range all that often. I don't rent a car at home and drive interstate in it, I do silly things sometimes but that's beyond it.

If we work on your definition of what wasted time is:

yes I stop but I want to go via more interesting out of the way places than a main road can offer and stop where I choose.

you must know some scenic petrol stations in just the right spot, because I'm pretty sure your petrol doesn't fill up overnight.

You can go ahead and cherry pick the negatives but back to my point, unless you're outdriving the range of your car in a day, you:

1. do not need to wait to charge
2. don't even need to visit a supercharger, therefore
3. don't need to be on that main road
4. don't need to move anything at any time to avoid charges

And if you do outdrive the range of the car, then you need to stop at a charger like you need to stop at a petrol station. If I missed the reason for a lack of need for petrol on an interstate drive then you could set me straight. And they aren't all that scenic on either side of the fence, but I think some chargers outdo petrol stations...

Like Silos Estate in Berry:


Or Nowra:


Or Ovens: