Electric Rental Cars

A major development literally on the road towards sustainable tourism in the Dutch Caribbean has been taken by offering the opportunity to rent electric cars, also known as EV’s. Once fully charged, these four seater cars have a range of over 55 miles / 88 km and run at a maximum speed of 60 miles / 95 km an hour.

Recently, Commodore Suites introduced two of these EV’s for rental at the hotel. For now, Commodore Suites is the only hotel that offers EV rentals on Sint Maarten. The general manager of the hotel, Arnaldo Phelipa states, “This green initiative fits perfectly with our business aim of operating a boutique hotel on the basis of clean and renewable energy.”

Renting one of the EV’s at Commodore Suites, will cost $55 for a full day, thus 24 hours. However, Mr. Phelipa explains “Some of our short-term guests, only want to rent a car for a few hours. At $10 per hour, renting one of our EV’s is a green, clean and mean bargain.” The rental charge includes insurance cover and there are no extra fees or costs.

The EV’s are provided with its batteries fully charged and additional charging is free at Commodore Suites. A distinctive EV charging station has been created on the car parking lot in front of the hotel. Mr. Phelipa explains that the batteries take only 4 hours to complete a full charge, which mostly happens overnight. A complete round trip around the whole island is about 25 miles / 40 km, meaning that with full charge the EV’s can drive around the island twice and still reach back to the hotel in time.

To conclude, Mr. Phelipa says “Our EV’s offer a good ride since they are noiseless, quite roomy with smart interiors and have plenty of window space to admire the islands landscapes.” Renting one of the EV’s can easily be done at the front desk of the hotel.

Caption: Mirna Hodge from Commodore Suites charges a rental EV at the new EV charging Station in front of Market Garden.