BNL Employee Electric Vehicle Charging Program users group

["Bishai, Mary" <mbishai AT bnl.gov>]

Dear EV Users,

 

Have any of you rented an EV on BNL business travel? I tried it out on a short 1 day trip to Fermilab in the Chicago western burbs. I had noticed that AVIS had a bayful of Teslas M3 and Bolt EUVs at O Hare and were advertising them so I booked a regular AVIS economy car through CONCUR since it doesn’t offer the EV options and then when I went up to the counter I asked if I could switch to the EV and specifically asked for a Chevy Bolt EUV (I like buttons!). They gave it to me for $28 more per day (base rate was $61 for the economy car) under the vehicle group label “Cool Cars”. I got the car – which had only 271 miles on it - at 70% SOC and returned it at 40% SOC (70 miles driven) and was charged a fuel service fee of around $12 (I was told that if I  returned  it at 70% SOC there would be no fee).

 

When I checked AVIS online to change the booking ahead of time it was $61 for the economy car and $200 for the EV but I’d read online if you ask at the counter or call directly ahead of time they give it to you for cheaper so that it is what I did. I arrived at 11:00am on a Monday morning and they only had 1 Tesla and 2 Bolts left.

 

I don’t know if BNL will reimburse the extra $28/day – doubt it. And if they allow EV rentals, the rule about not refunding fuel service fees has to change because there are far less fast charging stations available than gas stations. The Fermilab L2 chargpoint stations didnt allow me to use them either.

 

Any one had any experience renting an EV they can share?

--------------------

Dr. Mary Bishai   

                  

Senior Physicist                                       Office: 3-160

Brookhaven National Laboratory        Tel: +1 631-344-4877

Bldg 510E, P.O. Box 5000                      FAX: +1 631-344-4741

Upton, NY 11973-5000                          E-mail: mbishai AT bnl.gov

USA