Richmond entrepreneur Jason Gagné is taking his crusade for all things “green” to the streets.
He already runs the print company Greener Print, which subscribes to environmentally sustainable practices. And now he has branched out, driven in part by his love of automobiles, to offer a service that rents high-priced, hybrid and electric-powered luxury cars.
Located on the eastern end of Westminster Highway, EV Rentals was officially opened on Earth Day (April 22), but the sight of three, high-performance, upmarket, super luxury vehicles parked side-by-side in front of a stand of electric charging stations has, for weeks prior, already caused quite a stir.
“I see people rubber-necking as they drive by,” said Gagné as he walked by a sleek Tesla Model S, then a seductively curvy Porsche Panamera Hybrid and an almost sinister-looking, black, BMW i8 that looks more like a futuristic race car than a ride that can help reduce your carbon footprint. “People have been starting to notice.”
Hopes are that car-lovers and environmentalists will get on board and give the trio of super cars a try, with some using their time behind the wheel as an extended test-drive before they buy from a dealer, or for those car enthusiasts, the opportunity to cross off an item on their personal bucket list.
“I love cars and technology, in general,” Gagné said, adding his service is just the third of its kind in Canada – there’s two in Montreal and a smattering of others across the U.S., with a cluster in California. “So, it was natural that I fell in love with electric vehicles, as well.”
But when they first appeared on the market, starting with hybrid (gasoline/electric) models about 10 years ago, Gagné wasn’t financially equipped to indulge in them.
“I was either in school or going back to school and they were very expensive for the average person,” he said. “But eventually, I was able to buy one. And that was my BMW i3, which was a joy to drive because of the instant torque an electric car provides.
“Driving an electric or hybrid car is quite like nothing else because the response is so immediate. And they are green. They have very low emissions, or none at all.”
When it came to relocate his print business from the Bridgeport area and add the electric car rental arm, he initially sought more conservatively-priced models to stock his fleet until he discovered the insurance coverage for them was as pricey as insuring the pricey stable of premium luxury vehicles he now offers.
“It didn’t make much sense, so now we have these three beautiful cars for people to try,” he said, adding cars that incorporate electric drive either partially or fully is the way of the future as traditional, fossil fuel supplies dwindle and the environmental tide turns towards cleaner modes of transportation.
Plus, Gagné said he likes being an early adopter of new technology.
“I like being ahead of the curve. And they (EVs) also cost about a tenth of the cost to run than normal, gasoline-powered cars,” he said. “And maintenance is almost next to nothing.”
So, who’s going lay down between $400 to $600 for a one-day rental (there are discounts for lengthier terms and an opening special 20 per cent reduction)?
Gagné said he has discovered that Metro Vancouver is one of the global hotspots for expensive, super car ownership and is optimistic that will translate into a market eager for a test drive.
“If you are paying about $200,000 for an i8 you might want to try it out first, because once you buy one it depreciates so quickly,” Gagné said. “I see so many advertised that are one year old with about 3,000 km on them that are being sold for $30,000 to $40,000 less than they were originally purchased for.”
He’s also had the odd enquiry from parents keen on chauffeuring their kids to a grad party, birthday celebration or another special event using a vehicle that will garner plenty of attention.
“Also, we’re very green here in Vancouver,” he said. “There are already a lot of electric cars bought in this market. Tesla alone is selling five or six a day at somewhere between $100,000 to $150,000 a piece.”
Since EV Rentals is not in the city core, plans are to offer clients free taxi service to pick up a car. But ultimately, Gagné hopes to have a location close to or at YVR to, in part, capitalize on the foreign driver market that makes up a small portion of the airport’s annual car rental business he estimated at around $100 million.
“No one out there (YVR) is offering the super luxury car rentals, especially with electric vehicles, as an option,” Gagné said. “It’s like with my print business. There was no one else doing it, quite surprisingly, and then I was the guy who started it.
“That’s what I’m doing with the electric car rentals, with hope of creating a trend here with more, cleaner cars on the road.”
