Unique Environmental Company Receives National Award

Philadelphia, PA (June 7, 2001)

Budget EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car Corporation, was recognized as an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Hero at the recent 7th National Clean Cities Conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Department of Energy's Director of the National Clean Cities Program, Shelley Launey, announced Budget EV Rental Cars as a recipient of this honor and remarked, ãThe Clean Cities concept is a good one, but frankly it's the people that make it work. A fleet becomes an Alternative Fuel Vehicle fleet because there was a champion that made it happen. ã

Accepting the award, Jeff Pink, President, EV Rental Cars recalled, ãI decided to pursue alternative fuels because at the time I had a one-year old son. The smog is so bad in California, and I didn't want him to grow up with that, so I decided to do anything I could to help clean the air.

Budget EV Rental Cars is the first and only company in the United States that rents only environmental vehicles to the general public. The company has ten locations with Budget Rent a Car Corporation in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Palm Springs, Burbank, Ontario, Phoenix, and its newest locations now in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Since the company began renting vehicles in December 1998, it has accumulated more than two and one-half million miles on its environmental vehicle fleet, served over 13,000 customers, and directly prevented more than 10 tons of air pollution. Budget EV Rental Cars numbers over 250 environmental vehicles in its fleet, including natural gas, hybrid-electric, electric, and low emission gasoline vehicles.

ãOnce you drive an AFV, you fall in love with it. They're clean, and they get good mileage,ä Mr. Pink remarked enthusiastically. ãNow people are starting to realize that AFVs are the wave of the future. They're great vehicles."

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.