Gore Bay man liked his first one so much he bought a second…to rent out
GORE BAY—Brad Wright and his family have been driving an electric vehicle (EV) for a few years now and have found it works fine in all seasons. It has worked so well, in fact, that Mr. Wright decided to take the plunge and offer an EV for rent on Manitoulin.
“Lots of people have been asking for rentals on the Island,” said Mr. Wright. “I saw a need for it on the Island. We have used an EV for five years and we have found that there is no better vehicle.” So, come the May long weekend, Mr. Wright will be offering a Tesla for rent.
“People will be able to rent the EV to tour around the Island, take road trips,” said Mr. Wright. While the EV will be based in Gore Bay, the business will offer delivery to other parts of the Island.
Cost for the vehicle will be very competitive, especially considering the lack of other car rental options available. “We set the price at $100 per day plus tax,” said Mr. Wright. Pretty cheap when you consider there is no cost for gas and a nominal charge for electricity charge up.
When it comes to charging the vehicle, there are a number of options. A level 3 charger such as the one Mr. Wright utilizes takes little more time to top up the battery than filling a gas tank. “Level 3 takes about 10 minutes and you are back on the road,” he said. “Level 2, like the chargers available at the Little Current Canada Post Office, would take a little longer. Level one, essentially a household plug, is not that fast; you might have to plug it in over a weekend.”
The EV is a white exterior and interior Tesla Model 3 with a 440km rated range. The EV also comes with premium internet connectivity, enabling Netflix, Disney, YouTube, video games and vast amount of audio options. Tesla supercharging is included with rental price, but level 2 charging is not. The EV does come with a mobile connector so you can recharge once you reach your destination should you require it (level 1).
Mr. Wright bought his personal Tesla Model 3 in 2018 and has wracked up 150,000 kilometres on it to date with no issues. “I was surprised at the huge gap between what these vehicles can do and what peoples’ perceptions are,” he said. “It has been a great vehicle.” He cites the low cost of maintenance as a big plus, noting there is little wear on the brakes as the engine does most of the heavy lifting in that regard. “Basically, it is topping up the washer fluid,” he laughs. The rental of the EV comes with unlimited kilometres.
Example drop off charges are: $10 to Gore Bay airport, $60 to Anchor Inn Hotel in Little Current and up to 50 kilometres from Gore Bay is $50. Pickup in Gore Bay is free.
The vehicle can be rented on turo.com and searching “Gore Bay.”
