DETROIT — Hertz Corp. will offer an electric version of the tiny Smart fortwo for rent in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco in the coming months, the companies announced Monday.
The electric cars will be available starting Dec. 15 through a car-sharing program in New York, with Washington to follow in the first quarter of next year and San Francisco in the second quarter, Hertz said.
The rentals are part of Hertz’s global electric vehicle program which offers electric and plug-in hybrids to car sharing and rental customers worldwide.
Smart, which is part of German automaker Daimler AG, already is offering a limited number of electric fortwos for lease to companies, governments and individuals. The vehicle will be distributed nationwide in 2012 with its third generation of electric technology, Smart said.
The electric fortwo has an estimated range of 84 miles on a single charge, although that will vary with terrain and weather conditions. It takes less than eight hours to charge the car’s batteries from a 220-volt outlet, Smart said.
Park Ridge, N.J.-based Hertz Corp. said in November that it will offer Coda Automotive cars at its California locations beginning next year. It also has agreements with General Motors Co., Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota Motor Corp. to provide electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
Also, Nissan Motor Co. will sell 500 Leaf electric cars to Enterprise Rent-A-Car starting in January, as the Japanese automaker aims to put more drivers behind the wheel of its battery-powered vehicle.