July 27th, 2000
BUDGET EV RENTAL CARS OPENS ARIZONA'S FIRST NATURAL GAS AND HYBRID-ELECTRIC VEHICLE RENTAL FLEET
Country's Fastest Growing City Now Has Option to Rent Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
PHOENIX (September 28, 2000) - Budget EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car Corporation, opened Arizona's first natural gas and hybrid-electric vehicle rental fleet today at Budget Rent a Car of Phoenix. The Phoenix location is the company's first expansion outside California. Budget EV Rental Cars is the only U.S. company to exclusively rent environmental vehicles.
"Phoenix is the natural place to begin our eastward expansion," said Jeff Pink, president and founder of EV Rental Cars. "The state of Arizona is the leader in developing the market for clean fuel vehicles. The benefits of driving the cars are clear, and now the benefits of renting are equally compelling."
Budget EV Rental Cars' vehicles significantly reduce air pollution. As the fastest growing city of the past decade, Phoenix is facing serious air quality concerns. More than two-thirds of urban air pollution in the city is caused by vehicles, and the city's car rental industry ranks among the largest in the nation. Budget EV Rental Cars projects that it can prevent three to four tons of air pollution annually with a 50-car fleet.
For the first time, Arizona residents and visitors can rent natural gas and hybrid-electric vehicles. The Budget EV Rental Cars' fleet will include the Honda Civic GX and Ford Crown Victoria. These alternative fuel vehicles are eligible for the car-pool lanes, fuel for half the price of gasoline, and have as much power as conventional models.
In addition, Budget EV Rental Cars will offer the Honda Insight, the first hybrid-electric vehicle available in the U.S., which can travel 600-700 miles on a single tank of gas and never requires recharging from an outside source.
Budget EV Rental Cars Launches in Arizona
Budget EV Rental Cars will maintain a fleet of 50 vehicles and expects to increase the fleet size based on market response. Rates are comparable to conventional vehicles but fuel is less expensive. At the time of rental, Budget EV Rental Cars' specialists offer customers a five-minute vehicle orientation and review travel plans with them. There are roughly ten natural gas refueling stations in the Phoenix area.
Based between California and Arizona, the company maintains a fleet of more than 200 vehicles at seven locations including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Beverly Hills, Ontario, San Diego, San Francisco and now Phoenix, and has rented to more than 5,000 travelers. In addition to Phoenix, Budget EV Rental Cars plans on expanding to other major cities by the end of 2000 including Las Vegas, Dallas, Washington DC, San Jose, Burbank and Palm Springs.
Since 1998, EV Rental Cars has directly prevented more than eight tons of air pollution in California and has been committed to providing commuters with an alternative rental car choice and addressing air quality issues. For reservations call 877-387-3682 or visit the Web site at www.EVrental.com.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group, Inc. (NYSE: BD), Budget Rent a Car Corporation operates under the same name worldwide, with more than 3,000 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.
Budget's WorldClass Fleet is comprised of more than 30 percent specialty vehicles, ranging from sport utility vehicles, convertibles and luxury cars to minivans, pickups and environmental vehicles. In Europe, Budget was the first major car rental company to rent LPG (liquid petroleum gas) vehicles throughout the United Kingdom, and since 1996 has been offering electric cars in Paris and Lyons, and methane-powered cars in Sweden.
Accepting the Friend of Phoenix from Major Skip Rimsza
