Electric Car Rental Program Launched
A government program being launched today offers a quick rental service for electric cars in Tallinn and Tartu.
Once the program is in full swing next fall, a total of 24 Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars will be rented by the hour through a mobile platform, reported uudised.err.ee.
The first hour is 6 euros and each hour thereafter 3 euros, with a 24-hour ceiling of 30 euros. For city commuting, the car batteries last about four hours in the summer and three in the winter, and just 50 minutes for highway travel.
In Tallinn, the pick-up and drop-off locations are the bus station, Viru shopping center, Tammsaare business center and Mustamäe Tehnopol. Cars can also be left at charging centers.
Tartu will initially only have one location, the AHHAA center next to the bus station. In the fall the program will be expanded to the train stations of both cities.
One of the rules of rental is that the cars must be returned in the city of pick-up.
The program manager, Mirja Adler, said the service is geared toward commuters who need a car rarely and for short drives. She said she also hopes the program will help promote electric cars in Estonia.
Those interested can register online.