Looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint while traveling? When it comes to car hires to zip around in, there are plenty of eco-conscious options that are much gentler on the planet.
Make an environmentally-friendly car hire part of your holiday by heading over to momondo.co.uk/car-hire and seeing what’s available at your destination by looking for the “Eco-friendly” filter in the search results. The filter boxes will appear if there are any electric or hybrid options available. Tick the boxes off and then look for the label with the green leaf marking the options that are more sustainable. More and more car hire companies are adding trendy eco-friendly cars to their offerings — so give it a try and see what pops up.
Are hybrid and electric really better for the environment?
It can indeed get a bit confusing when you start looking at different parts of the cars’ lifecycles, like CO2 emissions produced during manufacturing.
But when you look at the entire lifecycle, including emissions saved by using electric power instead of fuel while driving, both hybrids and EVs (electric vehicles) are kilometres ahead of the others — even more so if that car is using electricity produced from alternative energy and not from fossil fuels. Throughout their lifecycle, conventional cars actually produce more than twice as many CO2 emissions as EVs.
Save money by charging instead of fueling
Electricity costs a fraction of the price of petrol
Though hybrids do use petrol, they also have a battery that generates much of the power they consume. EVs take it even further by running entirely on electricity. So when looking at the higher price of hiring an eco-friendly car, remember that you’ll also be saving by refueling less often for your hybrid or paying only a very low charging fee for your EV.
If you’ve decided to go full on EV, keep reading for some tips to help you get the most out of your driving trips (most of them apply for hybrids too).
Know your charging points
It’s a good idea to plan out the trips you want to take while you’re on your holiday and find out where the charging points are along those routes. Many hotels also have charging points available on premises — so see if yours does too, or at least where the closest one to your hotel is. And make sure you’ve got a payment type that will be accepted by the charging points you’re headed for, like this one that’s accepted at stations all through Europe.
Stay calm and drive on
Master the art of Zen driving and make your battery happy
For optimal battery efficiency, avoid the road rage and instead focus on your driving style. Coast without accelerating when you can and give yourself time to accelerate gently after stopping. Driving without sudden and strong accelerations can increase efficiency by 30%.
EV batteries don’t do well in constant start/stop/crawl mode — and most drivers don’t either. So check ahead for any days at your destination when you suspect traffic will be heavy, like the start of a public holiday. Then steer clear of them at all costs.
Enjoy the perks!
In some places you get VIP treatment for driving an EV. Take Norway for example. There you can take advantage of free parking and the use of bus lanes during rush hour traffic (plus what feels like a charging point on every corner).
Drive cleaner in Southern Europe and Edinburgh
More fresh air for your holiday and the planet
Psssst: If you’ve already got a trip to Faro, Edinburgh, Mallorca or Málaga in mind, you might find it handy to know that these destinations offer several hybrid or electric car hire options for the eco-conscious traveler.
And remember, if you’ll be flying into Faro for example but also want to see the wonders of Porto while you’re in Portugal, it’s more sustainable to drive that shorter distance than fly — especially if there are multiple people traveling in that car. Plus, just think of all that gorgeous countryside you’ll be driving through.
Find an eco-friendly car hire in Faro
Give eco-friendly car hires a spin
Curious about bringing a hybrid or EV into your life on a full-time basis? Use the car hire as a convenient opportunity to try one out without the full commitment of buying. And enjoy the thrill of making an environmental statement while cruising along on your holiday!
Sources:
