On January 13, Enterprise was the first in the car rental industry to offer the Volt, which was rented to the Automotive Club of Southern California. "We appreciate that Enterprise is on the cutting edge of renting state-of-the-art, green vehicles," said Steve Mazo, manager of the Automotive Research Center for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
In preparation for the vehicles, Enterprise installed charging stations at select locations throughout California. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) manufacturer EV-Charge America installed the new multi-vehicle charging station at Enterprise’s Mark Christopher Auto Center rental location. The charging station provides easy access to vehicle charging, and multi-vehicle recharging, for Enterprise at the Ontario location.
Enterprise is working with a variety of EVSE manufacturers to install Level II chargers at its neighborhood locations in each city where EVs are offered to its customers. In addition to the locations where chargers are already available at Enterprise in California, several will soon be installed at rental locations in Washington, Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.
While most EVs can travel about 100 miles on a single charge, extended-range EVs like the Volt can travel up to 379 miles on a full charge and full tank of gas due to an on-board gas-powered generator. Both technologies accommodate the travel habits of the daily commuter, who drives an average of approximately 40 miles a day.
"We will continue to integrate new, clean fuel and engine technologies into our fleet to promote new alternatives like the Volt and help them become commercially viable," said Lee Broughton, director of corporate sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, the parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "Making EVs available through our network of Enterprise locations provides an opportunity for customers to try them out for consideration through an extended test drive."
Enterprise works with all automotive manufacturers as well as electric vehicle suppliers and advocates, such as the Electrification Coalition, to enhance awareness of EVs.
"Enterprise shares our belief that promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale will combat the nation’s dependence on petroleum," said Robbie Diamond, President and CEO of the Electrification Coalition. "This milestone for the rental car industry represents an integral element in our mission to diversify our energy sources."
To book an EV at the Enterprise Ontario location, go to www.enterprise.com. For the latest information about Enterprise’s commitment to alternative-powered vehicles and operating sustainably, visit its new sustainability web site: www.drivingfutures.com.
Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand with more than 6,000 neighborhood and airport locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Germany. Known for exceptionally low rates and outstanding customer service, Enterprise was named to BusinessWeek’s annual list of "Customer Service Champs" in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Enterprise has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among North American airport rentals in 11 of the past 12 years, according to J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study. In addition, Enterprise won Budget Travel magazine’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Award as their favorite rental car brand for customer service around the globe. Enterprise also received a 2010 Business Traveler Innovation Award — sponsored by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and The Wall Street Journal — for its outstanding and original environmental efforts in the travel industry. Enterprise of North America also is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world’s largest car rental network.
St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental service provider in the world, operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand through its regional subsidiaries. With more than 5,000 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population,
