Enterprise Rent-A-Car now offers Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicles for daily and weekly rentals at its Mark Christopher Auto Centre branch in Ontario, California.

Enterprise added the Volt to its fleet in early January and is working with all auto manufacturers to make electric vehicles (EV) available to consumers for rental at its neighbourhood and airport locations, and through its WeCar car-sharing program. 

On January 13th, Enterprise was the first in the car rental industry to offer the Volt, which was rented to the Automotive Club of Southern California.

“We appreciate that Enterprise is on the cutting edge of renting state-of-the-art, green vehicles,” said Steve Mazo, manager of the Automotive Research Centre for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

In preparation for the vehicles, Enterprise installed charging stations at select locations throughout California. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) manufacturer EV-Charge America installed the new multi-vehicle charging station at Enterprise’s Mark Christopher Auto Centre rental location.

The charging station provides easy access to vehicle charging, and multi-vehicle recharging, for Enterprise at the Ontario location.

Enterprise is working with a variety of EVSE manufacturers to install Level II chargers at its neighbourhood locations in each city where EVs are offered to its customers.

In addition to the locations where chargers are already available at Enterprise in California, several will soon be installed at rental locations in Washington, Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.

While most EVs can travel about 100 miles on a single charge, extended-range EVs like the Volt can travel up to 379 miles on a full charge and full tank of gas due to an on-board gas-powered generator.

Both technologies accommodate the travel habits of the daily commuter, who drives an average of approximately 40 miles a day. 

“We will continue to integrate new, clean fuel and engine technologies into our fleet to promote new alternatives like the Volt and help them become commercially viable,” said Lee Broughton, director of corporate sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, the parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

“Making EVs available through our network of Enterprise locations provides an opportunity for customers to try them out for consideration through an extended test drive.”

Enterprise works with all automotive manufacturers as well as electric vehicle suppliers and advocates, such as the Electrification Coalition, to enhance awareness of EVs.