Senator Feinstein's Office Helps Kick Off the Continuing EVolution of Alternative-Fuel Vehicles
(Sacramento) -Budget EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car Corporation, today announced the opening of its first electric and natural gas vehicle rental fleet in Sacramento, based at Budget's airport location. Through this effort, Budget EV Rental Cars strives to further the evolution toward widespread use of environmental vehicles (EVs) in the United States.
The opening of Budget EV Rental Car's Sacramento location, the company's first location to open since its debut at Budget's Los Angeles International Airport facility last December, was highlighted by Stacey Krum from Senator Dianne Feinstein's office, who made a special appearance as the company's 1,000th renter. Krum officially kicked-off the event by offering Senator Feinstein's support for the increased use of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Other key political figures, including Chairman William Keese of the California Energy Commission, were also on hand to offer their support.
"We are confident that this program will increase awareness of the benefits of driving clean-fuel vehicles," said EV Rental Car's President Jeff Pink. "We hope that visitors and residents of Sacramento and Los Angeles consider the rental of electric and natural gas vehicles as a great way to help the environment, and view EVs as a safe, cost-efficient and reliable rental option."
The launch of EV rentals in Sacramento is a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car, with support from Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Natural Gas Vehicle Association, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Sacramento International Airport, the Air Resources Board, the California Electric Transportation Coalition and the California Energy Commission.
Budget EV Rental Cars will initially offer a combined fleet of 20 EVs including the following models: Ford Ranger EV, General Motor's EV1, Honda Civic GX (Honda's first compressed natural gas vehicle), Honda EV PLUS and Toyota Rav4-EV. These EV rentals will be offered at a special introductory rate, starting as low as $44 per day depending on the model.
At the time of rental, Budget EV Rental Cars employees offer customers a 10-minute orientation of the vehicle and review travel plans with them. Many of the electric vehicle models can travel up to 100 miles before being recharged, while the natural gas vehicles can travel up to 200 miles. There are currently 20 natural gas fueling stations and 100 electric charging stations in the Sacramento area, and charging is free.
Until recently, EVs were available only for long-term lease. Now short-term renters, environmentally conscious travelers and consumers looking to "try before they buy" have the opportunity to drive EVs on a daily basis. Both, electric and alternative-fuel vehicles offer cleaner vehicle technology and a reduction in air pollution, providing the planet with strong hope for improving air quality.
Since 1998, EV Rental Cars has been committed to providing commuters with an alternative rental car choice and addressing air quality issues. With the support of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and Congressman Ron Packard, EV Rental Cars plans to open additional locations in California this fall. Based at Budget's Los Angeles International Airport location, the company maintains a fleet of more than 40 vehicles. For more information, customers can call (877) 387-3682; write to EV Rental Cars at 9775 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045; or visit the company's Web site at www.EVrental.com.
Budget Rent a Car Corporation, the world's third largest car and truck rental system, and EV Rental Cars have joined together to offer EV rentals to consumers. This new effort to support cleaner living is aided by major automobile manufacturers and their EV products. EV Rental Cars lease the EVs and rent them to the public through Budget, using Budget's locations, operations, marketing support and lot space
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group, Inc. (NYSE: BD), Budget Rent a Car operates under the same name worldwide, with more than 2,900 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 World Class Fleet is comprised of more than 30% 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.
