Places To Live

Hertz Sending Electric Car Fleet to Orlando

A partnership between the rental giant and Florida city should add 6,000 electric vehicles for tourists and rideshare drivers

By FTL Staff

May 12, 2023

More electric vehicles are coming to Orlando.

New electric cars will be available for Orlando tourists, rental and rideshare drivers. Unsplash

Hertz and Orlando are teaming up to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and to extend the financial and environmental advantages of electrification throughout the theme-park capital of the world.

Hertz hopes to add up to 6,000 rental EVs to its fleet in Orlando as part of the cooperation, making them accessible to both leisure and business travelers as well as rideshare drivers. Hertz will support the installation of up to 50 public fast chargers in the Greater Orlando area, in collaboration with bp, to help expand charging. Additionally, Hertz is collaborating with Orange Technical College (OTC) to give its auto-servicing students access to EV gear and training. Through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, Hertz is also offering summer employment.

“We are thrilled to partner with Mayor Dyer to launch “Hertz Electrifies” in Orlando, the largest rental car market in the world,” said Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO. “It seems fitting that we are launching this public-private partnership during National Travel & Tourism Week, given the city’s enormous importance as a destination for travelers around the globe. Hertz is excited to expand our EV offerings to our diverse customer set in Orlando, and to partner with Orlando Technical College to help bring EV education and training opportunities to students.”

Hertz Electrifies Orlando supports Mayor Dyer’s 2030 Electric Mobility Roadmap objectives, which include accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in a variety of transportation sectors and building a strong charging ecosystem in order to lower emissions that are harmful to the public’s health, increase climate change resilience, and make EVs more accessible and affordable for all communities.

“We have the opportunity to transform our transportation landscape as we work to be the most sustainable city in the southeast,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Our partnership with Hertz Electrifies will help us meet our goal of accelerating electric vehicles and expanding charging infrastructure. We are making Orlando ready for the future and working to ensure that everyone experiences the benefits that electric mobility options can bring, including our future workforce.”

Hertz is donating an EV to Orange Technical College along with EV education and training resources so that the college may integrate EV technology into its auto repair programs and support the future generation of EV technicians.

“Having access to electric vehicles provides critical hands-on experience with new technology for students in Orange County,” said Dr. Maria Vazquez, Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools. “We are truly grateful for Hertz for donating this vehicle and we look forward to a future partnership to increase education and training opportunities.”

As part of the multi-city rollout of this nationwide public-private project, Orlando is the fourth city to join Hertz through Hertz Electrifies. Read more about the program here.