Hertz has now announced more details: it will initially offer EVs as a car rental option at two pick

Hertz has now announced more details: it will initially offer EVs as a car rental option at two pick-up points quality inn suites in San Francisco: the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel and a Hertz Rent-a-Car office on Mason Street in San Francisco. EVs added to those fleets include the Nissan Leaf and EV Smart Car, with a plan to eventually add the Chevy Volt.
The cars will be available via the Hertz On Demand rental service (similar to ZipCar) through which members reserve and pick up cars as needed, and are not limited to daily rental, but are also offered an hourly rental option at between $6 and $8 an hour, according to Hertz.
One perk that EV renters will get is not having to return the car fully fueled. quality inn suites Renters can return the EV with a partially quality inn suites depleted battery, and the return valet will recharge the car to its full capacity at no cost to the renter.
Those who travel beyond range and need to recharge can use a Hertz card kept under the sun visor, the same as they would a gas card for any Hertz On Demand car. While Hertz recommends staying in range or planning a route with available EV stations along the way, should a driver become stranded they can call the Hertz Member Care Center for assistance, according to the rental car company.
The EV rentals for that Hertz location are not restricted to hotel guests. And not just Hertz renters, quality inn suites but any EV drivers staying at the Marriott, or eating at one of the hotel restaurants, will be offered free valet and car charging services when available.
Hertz also announced Wednesday it's partnering with GE Energy China to build out EV infrastructure and offer EVs in China's Shanghai region. But unlike the San Francisco plan, the Hertz plan in China will focus on offering companies and government agencies both the EVs and charging facilities as a bundled option by Hertz and GE Industrial Solutions. It's part of an effort to promote EV adoption in China.
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United quality inn suites States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, quality inn suites Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.