Enterprise Rent-A-Car Adds 5,000 Hybrids to Nationwide Fleet; Establishes Nearly 80 'Hybrid Branch' Locations in U.S.
Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
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2.03.2009 - 09:00am ET
News from:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Adds 5,000 Hybrids to Nationwide Fleet; Establishes Nearly 80 'Hybrid Branch' Locations in U.S.
Addition Doubles Number of Hybrids in World's Largest Fleet of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles; Customers Now Can Reserve Hybrids from Designated Locations Online or by Phone
(CSRwire) ST. LOUIS, MO. - February 3, 2009 - Enterprise Rent-A-Car is adding
approximately 5,000 additional gas/electric hybrids to its nationwide
fleet and designating nearly 80 rental locations across the country as
"hybrid branches." The designated "hybrid branches" have a high
concentration of the new hybrids available and, for the first time,
customers can reserve these hybrids online or by phone.
Enterprise already was home to the world's largest fleet of fuel-efficient
vehicles. The addition of nearly 5,000 hybrid vehicles more than doubles
the amount of hybrids the company owns. Hybrids can achieve greater fuel
economy, use less gasoline and have fewer emissions than traditional
vehicles.
The new hybrids will be available at nearly 80 locations in 24 major
markets across the country, including the 10 busiest airports for business
travelers in the United States. Markets include California (Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno); Colorado (Denver); Florida
(Orlando, Tampa); New York (Albany, Ithaca, New York City, Rochester);
Oregon (Eugene, Portland); Texas (Austin, Dallas, Houston); Atlanta;
Boston; Detroit; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; St. Louis; Seattle; and
Washington, D.C.
Customers in these markets will be able to choose from several makes and
models of hybrid vehicles including the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima, Ford
Escape and Toyota Camry. Rental costs will vary according to market
conditions; rates also will vary at locations throughout the country.
"Whether they're traveling for business or pleasure, our customers
continue to seek out environmentally friendly vehicle options," said Jeff
Morrell, Vice President of Business Development for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
"Doubling our fleet of hybrid vehicles nationally is in direct response to
that demand and furthers our commitment to help grow the market for new
engine technologies and alternative fuels."
Customers can reserve a hybrid at any of the designated "hybrid branch"
rental locations online at www.enterprise.com or by calling
1-800-RENT-A-CAR.
The designation of "hybrid branches" nationwide continues Enterprise's
environmental commitment to growing the market for alternative fuels and
technologies. The Enterprise family of companies, which is owned by the
Taylor Family and includes the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental
and Alamo Rent A Car brands, has the industry's most comprehensive
environmental sustainability platform that includes:
Embracing new, clean technologies – In addition to the focus on hybrids,
Enterprise has designated eight "E85/FlexFuel" branches where as much as 30
percent of the local fleets are FlexFuel vehicles capable of using E85 (a
blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline). In addition,
Enterprise fuels those vehicles from a nearby E85 fueling station.
The world's largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles – Nearly 450,000
cars in the combined Enterprise, National and Alamo fleet average a
highway fuel efficiency rating of at least
28 mpg or better; nearly
230,000 average 32 mpg or better; and nearly 425,000 have earned the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay certification mark – a
distinction the EPA grants to vehicles that emit relatively low levels of
both regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases such as CO2.
Customer Carbon Offsets – Enterprise, National and Alamo customers can
offset the
CO2 emissions of their rental cars by opting to pay $1.25
per rental to fund certified offset projects through TerraPass. The
company's charitable foundation will match customer contributions
dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million.
Research – In 2007, the Taylor family donated $25 million to create the
Enterprise
Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, where top
scientists are working on alternatives to finite fossil fuels by finding
new ways to create fuel from renewable, reliable plant sources.
Conservation – The company's charitable foundation has pledged $50
million to plant
50 million trees over 50 years through the 50 Million
Tree Pledge, a public/private/nonprofit partnership with the Arbor Day
Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. Trees are being planted on public
lands in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
All told, over the past several years the Taylor family and their
companies have contributed or pledged more than $120 million to
environmental initiatives. For more information about the full
environmental platform, visit www.keystogreen.com.
About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957 and headquartered in St. Louis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is
an internationally recognized brand with the largest fleet of passenger
vehicles in the world today, more than 700,000 cars and trucks.
Enterprise also operates a network of 7,000 neighborhood and airport
rental locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and
Germany. Enterprise of North America is part of a global strategic
alliance with Europcar, creating the world’s largest car rental
network.
As North America's largest car rental company, Enterprise is known for its
exceptionally low rates, neighborhood convenience and its outstanding
service, including picking up local customers at no extra cost. Ranked
No. 18 on the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies in America, Enterprise has
branch offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S.
population. In addition, Enterprise has ranked highest in customer
satisfaction among airport rentals in nine out of the past 10 years,
according to J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study. For
more information about Enterprise, visit www.enterprise.com.
For more information please contact:
Lisa Martini
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
314-512-2353
erac.com
Becky Vollmer
Fleishman-Hillard
314-982-9198
www.enterprise.com
News Categories:
Sustainability and Renewable/Alternative Energy
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