Looking at the highways, electric vehicles are increasingly becoming the cars that Atlanta residents drive. A new deal between car rental giant Hertz and the City of Atlanta aims to accelerate the trend.
Hertz chair and CEO Stephen Scherr and Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens launched Hertz Electrifies Atlanta, a public private partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and expanding the environmental and economic benefits of electrification throughout Atlanta.
Hertz, Mayor Team Up To ‘Electrify Atlanta’
As part of the partnership, Hertz aims to bring up to an additional 4,000 rental EVs to Atlanta – including models from GM, Tesla and Polestar – for availability to leisure and business customers as well as rideshare drivers.
In partnership with bp, Hertz will support the installation of up to eight public fast chargers at its Hertz Uber Rental and EV Charging Location near Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In addition, Hertz is partnering with Atlanta College and Career Academy (ACCA) to help bring EV education and training opportunities to its students and making summer job opportunities available through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
“We are thrilled to partner with Mayor Dickens in launching Hertz Electrifies Atlanta, particularly given the city’s position as a global transportation hub and an important center of innovation and commerce,” said Stephen Scherr, Hertz chair and CEO. “As Hertz creates the largest electric vehicle rental fleet in North America, we are proud to bring a range of EVs to our broad customer set in Atlanta, and to work with Atlanta College and Career Academy to help train the EV workforce of the future.”
The initiative aligns with Mayor Dickens’s pledge to put Atlanta on track to meet City of Atlanta Historic Clean Energy Plan goals to transition to 100% clean energy by 2035. In addition, Hertz’s partnership with Atlanta College and Career Academy and participation in the Youth Employment Program underscores the Mayor’s Year of the Youth initiative.
“The City of Atlanta wants 100% clean energy for 100% of Atlantans by 2035, and public-private partnerships like the Hertz Electrifies Atlanta initiative will help us move closer to our goal,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “This initiative will help ensure our students have access to a high-growth industry and be part of our green energy future.”
Atlanta is home to Hertz’s third largest total fleet and third largest EV fleet in the U.S., which will expand significantly through Hertz Electrifies. Additionally, Atlanta is an important location for EV rideshare driving, through a partnership between Hertz and Uber.
Nearly 50,000 drivers on the Uber platform have rented electric vehicles from Hertz through the partnership, traveling over 260 million miles with zero emissions nationally and 15 million miles with zero emissions in Atlanta.
To support its growing rideshare business in Atlanta, Hertz is working with bp pulse to support the installation of publicly accessible EV fast-chargers at the Hertz Uber Rental and EV Charging Location near Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“At Uber, we believe that climate change is an urgent global challenge we must all tackle together,” said Bob Rupp, Director of Vehicle Operations, Uber. “Our partnership with Hertz is designed to accelerate the adoption of EVs across America, including right here in Atlanta. We’re excited to see even more electric vehicles on the road and look forward to working with industry partners, like Hertz, to find new, innovative, and affordable ways to help drivers in Atlanta go electric.”
As part of its work with Atlanta College and Career Academy, Hertz is donating a Chevy Bolt and providing EV educational and training materials to enable the school to incorporate EV technology into its auto servicing curriculum.
“Access to hands-on experience with the latest technology is critical for Atlanta Public Schools scholars as we prepare them for careers we can’t even begin to imagine,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring. “We are very thankful to partner with Hertz to bring an electric vehicle to our flagship auto servicing program at Atlanta College and Career Academy and look forward to working together to ensure students have the skills they need to succeed in the future.”
Atlanta is the third City to partner with Hertz through Hertz Electrifies, as part of a multi-city rollout of this national public-private initiative.