Enterprise Rent-A-Car Offers Seattle Drivers Chance to Rent Electric Vehicles
Washington Part of Nation’s Largest EV Rental Roll-out
SEATTLE – July 13, 2011 – Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV) rentals are now available to Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers in Seattle at the University District rental location at 5715 Roosevelt Way NE as part of the nation’s largest EV rental roll-out. Enterprise installed a charging station manufactured by EV Charge America at the University District location. There is no refueling cost for returning a vehicle with less than a full charge.
“This is a chance for our customers to rent the future today, whether for a test drive, a fuel-efficient rental or just out of curiosity,” said Lee Broughton, head of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental. “Adding EVs to our fleet is a priority and we are committed to bringing them to our customers. We can do that by leveraging our large network of Enterprise Rent-A-Car neighborhood locations to connect local drivers with electric vehicle technology.”
With more than 30 car rental offices in the Puget Sound region, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is uniquely positioned to introduce drivers to EV technology. In fact, Enterprise’s vast network of locations includes more than 5,500 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, more than twice as many as its nearest competitor.
Enterprise EVs are currently available in Southern California, Texas, Tennessee, Hawaii, New York, and London, and Enterprise is also launching EV rentals today in San Francisco and Portland, Ore. Enterprise will add more EVs as they become available from manufacturers and as the infrastructure to support them expands throughout the United States. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car neighborhood network will offer these new EVs – including all-electric Nissan LEAFs and extended-range Chevy Volts – in new markets, including North Carolina. The vehicles also will be available through the Enterprise Rent-A-Car business rental program and WeCar car-sharing program.
“Turning over a new leaf with your transportation choices just got easier, thanks to Enterprise,” said Stephanie Meyn, program manager for Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition. “Now, drivers throughout Seattle can experience the benefits of electric vehicles – from fuel savings to less pollution. Plus, they are really fun to drive.”
Universityof Washingtonemployees have the opportunity to test drive the Nissan LEAF at the university’s motor pool Wednesday, July 13.
Enterprise Holdings is a charter member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership, a public-private alliance that helps large companies reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels and fuel-saving measures into daily operations.
Level 2 (220-Volt) charging stations have been installed at Enterprise locations offering EVs. In addition to making Nissan LEAFs available, Enterprise earlier this year became the first to offer rentals of Chevy Volt extended-range EVs to customers when it added the vehicles to its Ontario, Calif., rental location.
Visit http://www.drivingfutures.com/ for additional information about Enterprise’s sustainability efforts and fuel-efficient fleet. Customers can visit http://www.enterprise.com/ to learn more about the availability of EVs and hybrid rentals, or call 1-800-261-7331 to make a reservation.
About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been named to BusinessWeek magazine’s annual list of “Customer Service Champs” in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Enterprise also has ranked “Highest in Rental Car Customer Satisfaction” among North American airport rentals for the last seven years in a row, according to the 2004-2010 J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Studies.
St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings owns and operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand. With annual revenues of $12.6 billion and more than 68,000 employees, Enterprise Holdings also operates, through its regional subsidiaries, more than 1 million cars and trucks, making it the largest car rental service provider in the world measured by revenue, employees and fleet. For more information about Enterprise Holdings’ environmental stewardship and long-term commitment to the sustainability of its business, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com/sustainability and follow @LeeBroughton on Twitter. [This news release and other Enterprise announcements are available at the Enterprise Holdings press room.]