I'm able to get a great deal on a one way rental of a tesla 3 from the airport to drop downtown before a cruise. I can see there are a few superchargers downtown, but it looks like all are in paid parking garages. There are a few "destination" chargers, all in hotels and not in mine. Does anyone have experience renting an EV in the area and where I can charge withtou paying big bucks for parking. The reviews on the charger in the paid garage near the cruise pier are bad - lots of reports of getting tickets for $90 for using the charger even while in the car.

Is it through Hertz? Is that your only trip to make? Hertz will allow a return without a full battery. I don't know which other conventional car rental agency allows a Tesla rental except Hertz which is why I assumed. If your only trips are airport -> hotel/hotel-> downtown, then I think you'd be fine on a single charge.

Does your hotel offer conventional, trickle charging instead from a standard wall outlet?

I'm sure you know that especially in major cities, overnight parking onsite comes at a premium, even for non-EVs. Where are you currently planning to park your car overnight even if you didn't need to charge it?

Avis. My TV has been flooded with TB12 charging himself at Hertz, but nope, its a Tesla 3 "or similar" from Avis. It's only 98CAD so I figured worth a try just to see what the car is like - I've never driven an EV. Upgrading that to a Y is only 30 more. Parking at my hotel is only $30 CAD, but unlike about a dozen area hotels with "destination" chargers, mine doesnt have one and who knows if I can find a regular outlet to charge. Hotel front desk isnt sure. We're undecided about driving around, but have a half day on arrival and the morning before the cruise to explore, and I havent even been to Stanley Park when visiting before, so figure I'll drive around at least bit. I recognize the pain of EV rental cars - the fill up on return is a pain as it takes a while compared to a gas car. Seems Avis charges $30 or $35 for returning it between 10-70% charged, so that may be the easiest thing to do. Some chargers say "see valet" at the hotels, but do they really serve non guests? Hmmmm..

Ah, okay, by expanding on your itinerary you've clarified to me that you have a lot more time in Vancouver that I had assumed from your OP heheh

Assuming it's actually a Tesla Model 3 and not another EV equivalent,

I'm going back to your first post, here, and I don't see the Superchargers you mention in paid garages.

There are two superchargers which are publicly accessible just outside of Downtown, which you can combine with a nearby walk for brunch or into the Park Royal Mall the next morning, for example, or just sit in the car as it charges to 75%-ish. For the range you've consumed as estimated in your last post, I actually don't even think you'll have time to leave the car, it won't take more than 20 minutes to charge to a desireable level if you're using the really quick Superchargers. This map URL only lists Tesla-ready charging stations, but of course the broader EV charging network is available to you via the adapter in the vehicle's trunk. You'll find these additional chargers by searching for any nearby EV chargers on Google Maps or a web resource dedicating to documenting Vancouver's EV charging network. You'd find those general chargers at malls or other public venues, like for example, at Stanley Park's Vancouver Aquarium. You might have to use an app or external live data source to see whether these charging spots are occupied or approaching capacity before you begin your trip here, though for Tesla stations the car itself should know the current occupancy and demand of Superchargers and Tesla-approved non-Superchargers.

I think you'll find ample time and publicly-accessible charging locations to top-up to 75% the morning before you return your vehicle. Or even charging to 100% the previous evening and then consume some of that range heading to nearby sights before your cruise. While this does mean you have to plan for it, I hope this would negate the worry of wanting to trickle charge overnight at the hotel, since it doesn't seem like the hotel is sure they offer it. (what kind of hotel doesn't know if they offer EV charging??)

If you're going to a Supercharger, don't forget to use the vehicle's interface to navigate to one, so that the car can warm up and prime the battery as you head within a few miles of the charger, just so that it charges faster and you're wasting less time (and money) idling at one

Awesome and super helpful! Thanks much. I'm looking forward to dipping my toe into the EV life. Maybe my next car will be one! Will report how it goes

Hey!
You can locate charging stations on your route from Google Maps, Tesla map, and Plugshare. I personally use Plugshare, because It allows me to see if the parking is paid or free (Click on the station and you'll se all the details). Also, it allows me to check reviews of other EV owners, helping me to check the credibility of the charging station.

Good luck!

Just did two separate EV rentals on two consecutive days in Vancouver. It was alright...

Annoyances:

-BC Hydro's fast chargers aren't Tesla compatible and the Model 3 rental I had didn't include the appropriate adapter. The following day's rental included more adapters, but none of them would have fit the previous day's charging need.
-It seems like all day long is a peak period for any of the in-town superchargers, at least the ones in PoCo, Richmond, and the one nearest the Olympic Village
-Don't forget to make sure some idiot didn't set a charging ceiling on your vehicle before you took possession. I parked at a supercharger at 75%, went inside and had a quick meal, only for me to come out and realize it was capped at 80% by the previous user, and I'd incurred maybe $5 (~10 mins) in idling fees as a result. UGHHHH
-The Google Maps API they're using gives wonky directions in Metro Vancouver. They're direct, sure, but they seem to be avoiding a better route at times. My SO (who was with me) and I are both transportation engineers who worked on some early Google mapping tech in Canada, so we both thoroughly examined these issues. Most egregiously, we left a wedding 30 mins early, and some of the guests had caught up to us and said hello at an adjacent lane.
-Visited two shopping malls with sizable parkades (I do parking minimums in Alberta for a living lol, this is relative), yet they only had two EV chargers/parking stalls. I went to one of them at 5AM, and it wasn't turned on, understandably, since the mall wasn't open, but that's more my problem
-Ton of churches and restaurants have EV chargers, also indicated on Google Maps (not the Tesla layer though), but they aren't even turned on!!!!

Pretty cool:

-On the flip side, a fair number of schools and paid parking lots will offer trickle charging, EV parking incurs no premium, just plug and go and pay the regular parking fee
-The supercharger network is well-used at 5 to 6 AM, thankfully the electricity is a bit cheaper at this time
-Despite the Google Maps issues, the battery pre-conditioning en route to a supercharger works great and saved us a bit of time and money

A little late to the game here but as a local I'll add most of the free access tesla charging stations are in the suburbs. There is one fairly close to the airport, which is about 30 minutes out of downtown. Im unsure if the dealership on w4th offers free charging access but it may be worth checking.

Would love to hear what your experience was with renting an EV in Vancouver. I have thought many times about renting one around town as a mini tester before taking the plunge myself and buying an EV. As a Richmond resident, the only experience I have is watching the massive lines for the Superchargers that are available at Richmond Centre. I would assume for an EV to be viable, you'd have to install a charger at home and take advantage of the cheaper overnight rates and the convenience of having a full car every morning.

Depends on how much/far you're going to drive on a daily/weekly basis. Drive Richmond to Vancouver 5x a week (200 Km a week?) and you may be o.k. with 120V @ 12-15A charging. Enough people where I live don't even drive for work anymore (retirees making a statement) that 120V @ 12-15A for them is sufficient. Short charging may reduce battery life As far as chargers go, hope you have a garage where the circuit break panel box is located close by to minimize installation and materials cost.

At any rate, BC Hydro does not currently have timed rates, just usage tiers but it has applied to the BCUC for time rates.