Hertz considering a green future

Hertz International president Michel Taride

Mr Taride speaking at the presentation

The Hertz Corporation has its eyes set on a greener future for the rental car industry, but has admitted that there is no magic bullet to achieve this.

“There is not a single solution to the green issue,” Hertz International president Michel Taride told e-Travel Blackboard.

In Sydney for the announcement of Hertz’s acquisition of Ace Rental cars and alliance with Apollo Motorhomes, Mr Taride said “the move to electric cars is not a simple process”, but added that the elements required for its success “are all converging”.

“We are partners with GE (General Electric) who build charging stations,” Mr Taride said.

The Hertz International president commented that “the whole issue was about battery life” but was confident things were moving in the right direction.

“New technology will see batteries recharged in 22 minutes and not a couple of hours like now,” Mr Taride told e-Travel Blackboard.

The comments follow the acquisition late last year by Hertz of Melbourne based car sharing company Flexicar, which has become part of the rental company’s “Connect by Hertz” programme.

“We are the only global car sharing club,” Mr Taride said.