ENTERPRISE TO RENT VOLTS, LEAFS

Enterprise Rent-A-Car To Offer Electric Cars; The car rental giant goes green offering the new Chevrolet Volt extended-range and Nissan LEAF electric vehicles
John Shimkus, January 19, 2011 (Energy Digital)

"…[C]onsider taking advantage of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s new line of electric vehicles…The car rental giant…will be introducing the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, Motor Trend’s 2011 “Car of the Year,” to their collection of rentable vehicles, with the first fleet and electric charging station being made available at the Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, California. As the cars become more available there will be additional locations offering electric vehicles and charging stations. The company is also introducing 500 Nissan LEAFs to their line-up.

"Typically, electric vehicles have posed practicality problems, since they can travel on average only about 100 miles on a single charge, which can be difficult in this transition period where there are not a lot of charging stations yet available. Extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt are capable of traveling much further than their all-electric counterparts thanks to an on-board gas-powered generator."

Car-of-the-Year Volt soon to be for rent at Enterprise (click to enlarge)

[Lee Broughton, director of sustainability, Enterprise Holdings:] "By embracing new, clean fuel and engine technologies like electric vehicles, Enterprise can help the passenger vehicle remain relevant by giving alternatives a chance to become commercially successful…"

Soon to be for rent at Enterprise (click to enlarge)

[Jeff Morrell, vice president, Enterprise Rent-A-Car:] "Purchase demand for electric vehicles has been impressive, and we anticipate similar demand from rental customers…We're committed to using our fleet and industry-leading network as a sort of 'petri dish' to promote new alternatives and prove their feasibility in the marketplace."

"Enterprise Rent-A-Car employs over 68,000 people, has a fleet of more than 1 million cars and trucks, and annual revenues average $12.6 billion, making it the largest car rental company in the world…It is ranked No. 17 on Forbes’ 'Top 500 Private Companies in America.'"