Budget Announces The First Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Cars For Rent
8 March 2000
Budget EV Rental Cars Announces The First Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Cars For Rent
-- Honda Insight Travels 600 to 700 Miles on Single Tank --
-- Company Adds New EV Rental Location in Ontario, CA --
LISLE, Ill., March 8 What's environmentally friendly, runs
on gasoline and electricity, and according to the Environmental Protection
Agency, breaks the 70-mpg barrier? The all-new Honda Insight hybrid. Budget
EV Rental Cars, a joint effort between EV Rental Cars and Budget Rent a Car
Corporation, today announced the first gasoline-electric Honda Insight hybrids
for rent at Budget's Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Beverly Hills
locations. This represents yet another step in the ongoing evolution toward
alternative-fuel vehicle use since Budget EV Rental Cars began offering the
first electric vehicle rentals in the U.S. in December 1998.
Budget EV Rental Cars will initially offer a fleet of five Honda Insight
two-seater coupes, with another 40 - 50 to be added throughout the year. The
company currently offers a combined fleet of 50 environmental vehicles (EVs)
in California including the following models: Ford Ranger EV, General Motors
EV1, Honda EV PLUS, Toyota RAV4-EV and Honda Civic GX (Honda's first
compressed natural gas vehicle). EV rental rates currently range from
$44 - $125 per day. The Honda Insight hybrid will rent for a special
introductory rate of $99 a day.
"We're delighted to be adding the highly anticipated Honda Insight hybrids
to our environmental fleet of electric and natural gas vehicles," said EV
Rental Car President Jeff Pink. "The greatest advantage of the Honda Insight
is that it can travel from 600 to 700 miles on a single tank, and it never
requires recharging from an outside source."
Budget EV Rental Cars this week expanded its location network to offer the
Honda Civic GX natural gas vehicle at Budget Rent a Car's Ontario, California
location. The Civic GX has become a mainstay of the Budget EV Rental Cars
fleet, and EV Rental Cars and Honda have recently agreed to increase the fleet
tenfold over the next six months.
At the time of rental, Budget EV Rental Cars specialists offer customers
an orientation of the vehicle and review travel plans with them. While many
of the electric vehicle models can travel up to 100 miles before being
recharged, and natural gas vehicles can travel up to 200 miles, the Honda
Insight hybrid can travel between 600 and 700 miles on a single tank.
First Honda Insight Renter
Eric Howard of the National Environmental Trust (NET), a national
environmental education service, will be Budget EV Rental Car's first Honda
Insight renter. He plans to take the hybrid from Los Angeles to New Orleans
on just three tanks of gas. Once in New Orleans, Howard will join NET's
Pollution Solutions Tour 2000, which will visit 43 cities in 16 states between
March and June, and encourage residents to save energy and money by reducing
global warming pollution. The Honda Insight will participate in the tour as a
prime example of pollution reduction.
Honda Insight Highlights
-- First gasoline-electric hybrid available in the U.S. - designed to
achieve world-class fuel economy and ultra low emissions
-- Best EPA ratings in history - 61 mpg city / 70 mpg highway
-- Produces 84% fewer hydrocarbons and 50% less NOx than a typical car
-- Battery pack never needs recharging by an outside power source - the
motor acts as a generator during deceleration and braking to recharge
the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA(TM)) batteries
-- Advanced aerodynamics - unique profile featuring a rounded nose, low
overall height, tapered body, front air dam, teardrop shape, rear wheel
skirts and plastic undercar cover to create a smooth, flat underbody
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 effort to support cleaner living is aided by major automobile
manufacturers and their EV products. EV Rentals leases the EVs and rent them
to the public through Budget, using Budget's locations, operations, marketing
support and lot space.
Since 1998, EV Rental Cars has been committed to providing commuters with
an alternative rental car choice and addressing air quality issues. Based at
Budget's LAX location, the company maintains a fleet of more than 50 EVs.
Vehicles are available to rent from Budget's LAX, Sacramento, Beverly Hills
and Ontario locations. For more information, customers can visit the
company's Web site at http://www.EVrental.com; call 877-387-3682; or write to EV
Rental Cars at 9775 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group, Inc. , Budget Rent
a Car operates under the same name worldwide, with more than 3,000 airport and
local market locations in over 120 countries and territories. Budget has more
than 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.