Hertz Tests E-Bus Shuttle at LAX

Now there’s a free airport shuttle bus that takes a charge. The Park Ridge, New Jersey-based Hertz Corporation —the world's largest general-use airport car rental brand — has begun testing an electric bus created in partnership with Shenzhen, China-based BYD Co. Ltd. at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The eBus-12 is the first electric vehicle to be used as an airport shuttle by a rental car company.  

The BYD (”Build Your Dreams”)  pure electric eBUS-12 is able to run 155 miles on a single charge in urban conditions — more than enough for Hertz's use at its airport locations — and its energy consumption is less than 100 kWh per 60 miles.  The eBUS-12 is designed with the customer in mind, with a low floor and ample space to allow easy passenger loading and unloading, and the bus has specially engineered sound insulation for a quieter cabin experience.   

With a lower cost of ownership than a traditional gas powered bus, replacing just one traditional bus with the eBUS will reduce emissions by over 320 kg of CO2 (per 150 miles traveled) and save Hertz an average of $76 per day, per bus in fuel costs (assuming that 32 gallons of diesel at $3.20/gal are replaced with $25.92 in electricity for $0.08/Kwh — the nighttime EV charge rates in LA).

Concurrent with this announcement, BYD cut the ribbon at its new North American headquarters, located along the Figueroa Corridor in Los Angeles on October 25 — bringing up to 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the area, and seeking to launch privately owned BYD dealerships nationwide. Dealerships will sell BYD’s landmark dual-mode electric and e6 pure electric vehicles to consumers and commercial fleets, all-electric long-range eBUS commercial buses, rapid charging stations, LED and solar street and parking light systems, residential solar systems. The company is 50 percent U.S.-owned and has the backing of investor Warren Buffett via his MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, the utility division of Berkshire Hathaway.

“Our city’s environmental leadership and focus on the development of green tech jobs continues to attract innovative companies, such as BYD,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Los Angeles welcomes BYD and the region’s partnerships with the Shenzhen Province as they invest in our vision of a more sustainable future.”

"Hertz is aggressively moving forward with its Global EV program, introducing electric vehicles into its worldwide fleet and testing other electric vehicles as they become available," said Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark P. Frissora. "Hertz's mission is to provide the most technologically advanced mobility solutions to our customers, including the buses we use as part of our everyday operations at airports.  We continue Hertz's track record of innovation by being first to deploy an all-electric shuttle bus in the US."

In its first year, the Hertz Global EV initiative has grown from a vision to a market presence in cities around the world— including New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, London, and Shenzhen—offering a diverse fleet of EVs from manufactures including BYD, Nissan, GM, Mitsubishi (News - Alert), Renault, Daimler and Tesla. As part of its strategy, Hertz is forming partnerships with automakers, charging station providers, municipalities, NGOs, corporations, and other stakeholders.