Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2011, and its figures, including 14 charging points on Formentera, an initial investment of around 100,000 euros and plans to add electric cars and expand to other islands, are from April 2011.
As we’ve discussed in previous articles, one of the businesses of the future comes in “green”, since society is increasingly aware of the environment. Two entrepreneurs, Toni Ruiz and Steve, show us how it’s possible to help the environment and make a business out of it, in this case on the island of Formentera.
As they tell us, Formentera is one of the tourist destinations that stayed clear of the property boom, keeping natural landscapes that are practically untouched. These two entrepreneurs noticed that in high season, when the island draws thousands of tourists, the traffic of combustion-engine vehicles rose considerably, leaving the inevitable environmental footprint and turning the idyllic island into a noisy place.
That’s when they decided to set up Greenecorent, a company that rents out eco-friendly vehicles and tries to make tourists and islanders aware of the importance of looking after the environment, with quiet vehicles that emit no CO2.
The company rents out electric and conventional bicycles, electric motorbikes and, soon, electric cars.
Part of these entrepreneurs’ work involved negotiating with the public authorities to get free charging points made available to users, to encourage the use of non-polluting vehicles.
Toni Ruiz tells us that Formentera, with 14 charging points in 82 km², now has the highest concentration of charging points in the world. With an initial investment of around €100,000, they are optimistic because they have noticed how interested tourists are in renting this kind of vehicle during their stay on the island, so they don’t rule out expanding their business model to other islands soon.
See also: 5 profitable business ideas for 2013
We applaud their initiative and wish them the very best of luck in the future.
To find out more about Formentera, you can visit Viveformentera. To learn more about this eco-friendly vehicle rental company, visit Greenecorent.
Let’s hope initiatives like this encourage other entrepreneurs to take the plunge with this kind of business model.
Further reading
- Privalia, an online clothing outlet
- Business ideas for this year
- Gay and lesbian tourism as a business idea
- Business tourism: another excellent idea
Featured image: Ana Ulin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
