Enterprise Rent-A-Car Expands Electric Vehicle Fleet to 11 California Cities

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - Oct 27, 2011) - Customers now can rent electric vehicles (EV) from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 11 California cities. EVs and charging stations were added to rental locations in Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Encino, Newport Beach and Riverside.

Enterprise already offers EVs in California at branches in Ontario, Pasadena, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Thousand Oaks, and operates the largest network of EV rentals in the state. With more than 5,500 car rental locations within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, Enterprise is uniquely positioned to introduce drivers to EV technology.

Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council's Plug In Santa Barbara group is leading the charging station installation efforts in the Santa Barbara area. Supported by a group of cities, businesses and utilities, the group plans to have 50 charging stations installed in Santa Barbara County by the end of 2011 and is developing an EV Readiness Plan for the Central Coast.

"The addition of electric vehicles to Enterprise's downtown Santa Barbara rental location helps move us toward our goal of providing residents and visitors with sustainable transportation options," said Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider. "EVs are a huge step forward environmentally, as they average 100 mpg equivalent, produce zero tailpipe emissions, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 75 percent on California's green grid."

Palm Springs
Another community active in the advancement of electric vehicle infrastructure and adoption is Palm Springs, California. City of Palm Springs Sustainability Director Michele Mician was the first renter of the local Enterprise's Nissan LEAF.

"With partners like Enterprise, we are educating the community about electric vehicles and other alternative fuel technologies that decrease carbon emissions and further our urban sustainability and mobility goals," said Mician. "Providing sustainable transportation options to our visitors and residents is incredibly valuable, and we are lucky to have innovative companies like Enterprise leading the way in our City."

"We're focusing much of our electric vehicle rental rollout efforts in California due to the state's commitment to EV infrastructure development," said Lee Broughton, head of corporate sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, and this week put out its inaugural Corporate Sustainability Report. "Our customers can experience the ultimate test drive when renting a vehicle. With the largest network of car rental locations, Enterprise is a key part of the value chain, helping manufacturers conduct hundreds of thousands of test drives that are essential to the adoption of new technologies like EVs."

EV rentals from Enterprise are available in California, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Portland, Seattle, Hawaii and New York. Enterprise locations in Florida, Arizona and other states will also offer EVs in the coming weeks. Enterprise currently rents Nissan LEAFs and Chevy Volt EVs and does not charge a refueling fee for vehicles returned without a full charge.

Enterprise's focus on sustainable vehicle technology led it to join the Electrification Coalition in 2010 and the U.S. Department of Energy's "Clean Cities" National Clean Fleets Partnership this year.

Customers can visit www.enterprise.com to learn more about the availability of EVs and hybrid rentals, or call 1-800-261-7331 to make a reservation.

About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957 and known for an extensive network of locations, everyday low rates and outstanding customer service, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand that has been named to BusinessWeek magazine's annual list of "Customer Service Champs" in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Enterprise also has ranked "Highest in Rental Car Customer Satisfaction" among North American airport rentals for the last seven years in a row, according to the 2004-2010 results of an annual North American airport car rental survey of leisure and business travelers. Further, Enterprise won Budget Travel magazine's 2010 and 2011 Readers' Choice Award as their favorite rental car brand for customer service around the globe.

Enterprise operates more than twice as many locations as its nearest competitor and continues to lead the home-city market, with local car rental revenues currently experiencing double-digit growth. Enterprise Rent-A-Car operates not only as a key provider for insurance replacement, weekend getaways and special occasions, but also as a local transportation alternative. For example, many consumers rely on mass transit during the week or simply cannot afford to purchase or maintain a vehicle on their own -- so they often depend on local Virtual Car® rental service and take advantage of Enterprise's "everyday low price," including popular weekend rates starting at $9.99 per day (the rate includes 100 free miles a day). Enterprise received a 2010 Business Traveler Innovation Award -- sponsored by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and The Wall Street Journal -- for its outstanding and original environmental efforts in the travel industry. For more information about Enterprise's environmental stewardship and long-term commitment to the sustainability of its business, visit www.DrivingFutures.com and follow @LeeBroughton on Twitter. This news release and other Enterprise Rent-A-Car announcements are available at the Enterprise Holdings press room.