Enterprise Rent-A-Car has more than doubled the number of alternatively powered vehicles in its fleet in 2018. So far this year, it has bought more than 2,000 hybrid and plug-in vehicles, which is twice the number acquired in all of 2017. The vehicles represent around 40% of the hybrid and plug-in electric cars made available by manufacturers to all rental fleets this year.
Enterprise has the country’s largest rental fleet of alternatively powered vehicles, which it expects to increase rapidly as demand from UK motorists for hybrid and electric technologies continues to grow.
“Rental businesses such as Enterprise have a central role to play in improving the sustainability of motoring in the UK,” said Ben Lawson, Vice President of Strategy for the UK & Ireland at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “We can now take advantage of the fact that many more manufacturers are producing hybrid and electric vehicles in volume and making them available to the rental sector.
“The composition of our fleet reflects customer demand. We are especially excited by the growth in hybrids as they make more sustainable motoring easy. Some of this demand is down to the growth of clean air zones, but there’s also a wider consumer acceptance of the technologies in alternatively powered vehicles.”
Enterprise is also one of the first rental companies to introduce electric vans to commercial vehicle operators looking for more eco-friendly solutions for inner city use and to support local authority goals on reducing emissions.
The company is additionally working in partnership with many local authorities across the country to increase access to hybrid and plug-in electric technology through car clubs. Enterprise Car Club launched its first dedicated electric vehicle car club with the Royal Borough of Greenwich during the summer to provide residents with access to more environmentally friendly motoring.
The purchase of more than 2,000 hybrid and electric vehicles by Enterprise so far this year comes from 10 different vehicle manufacturers, including Tesla, Toyota and Hyundai. This hybrid and electric fleet is now available across the country to both business and leisure customers at more than 470 Enterprise Rent-A-Car branches and on street at many Enterprise Car Club locations in more than 30 towns and cities.
Lawson added: “This year, anyone renting from Enterprise is more likely than ever before to drive away in one of many different hybrid or electric models from a number of manufacturers. As many people have not tried one before, it means we can offer a useful ‘test drive’ facility that may influence people to choose a hybrid or electric when they look to buy their next car.
“Rental is increasingly relevant as a mobility solution as more people turn to shared or ‘mobility as a service’ options, which integrate various forms of transport services, including shared and public transit, into a single mobility service that’s accessible on demand.
“We want to ensure people choosing Enterprise for all or part of their journey are travelling in vehicles that use the most sustainable and tried and tested technologies and that can be relied on to get them where they need to go every time.”
