Budget EV Rental Cars achieves 5 million miles
provided by Budget Rent a Car Corporation | |
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Budget EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car, is the only company renting hybrid, natural gas, and electric vehicles. The company estimates that, by driving 5 million miles, the fleet has saved over 130,000 gallons of gasoline that would have been used by conventional rental cars. Equally as valuable is the air pollution prevented by the rental vehicles, calculated at over 20 tons. This environmental contribution has won the company numerous awards, including the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Hero Award from the US Department of Energy. “Since October of last year, when the fleet reached the one million mile mark, EV Rental Cars has continued to build momentum,” said Jeff Pink, president of EV Rental Cars. “Logging four million more miles in the span of only twelve months shows that customers value the benefits of driving environmental vehicles.” The consumer benefits of driving EV Rental Car's clean fuel vehicles include access to carpool (HOV) lanes even with no passengers in the car, reduced fuel costs, no charge for returning the car on empty, and free parking in many cities. To date, the company has rented to 35,000 customers. Most of these customers had never driven a clean fuel vehicle before, but chose to rent because of the benefits they offer. “Our customers can feel good knowing that they are making a difference in the global environment and reducing our dependency on outside sources for fuel,” says Pink. EV Rental Cars had planned to announce a new rental location at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC on September 13. The prolonged closure of that airport due to the terrorists attacks delayed the opening, but EV Rental Cars is now successfully serving customers in Washington, DC at both Reagan National Airport and at Union Station. EV Rental Cars began rental operations in December of 1998 with a fleet of 11 cars at Los Angeles International Airport, and has grown to more than 350 cars at 14 airport locations in California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC. Among the electric, hybrid, and natural gas-powered cars available for rent at the EV Rental sites are the Honda Civic GX, Toyota Prius, and Nissan Altra. Also, pre-owned Honda Insights, Honda Civic GX, and Ford Crown Victorias can be purchased through the company. Those interested in renting or buying alternative fuel vehicles can call 877-387-3682 or visit EV Rental on the web at www.evrental.com. Budget Rent a Car Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group, Inc. (NYSE: BD), is one of the world's top three car and truck rental systems. The Budget system, which operates under the same name worldwide, has more than 3,200 airport and local market locations in over 120 countries and territories. Budget has nearly 1,000 corporate-owned and franchised locations in the United States. The Budget WorldClass Fleet is comprised of more than 30 percent specialty vehicles, ranging from sport utility vehicles, convertibles and luxury cars to minivans, pickups and environmentally friendly vehicles. |
udget EV Rental Cars, the only environmental vehicle rental company in the United States, announced in November that it's fleet has accumulated over 5 million miles, a distance equivalent to circling the globe 200 times. The achievement is notable as the country explores alternatives to traditional oil resources, and is a testament to the growth of the environmental vehicle industry in the United States.