But when you rent a hybrid car, you can save money on gas and support the environment at the same time. Plus, if you're thinking of buying one, renting before hand is a great way to check out the new technology.
Whatever the reason, customers are lining up at EV Rental cars.
Thanks to Jeff Pink's entrepreneurial spirit and his mission to save the planet, EV Rentals opened its doors in 1998 as the first and only hybrid electric rental company in the U.S. And Pink now has the biggest fleet of these vehicles anywhere in the country.
There are over 400 hybrids to rent in eight western airport locations – Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Phoenix and Las Vegas. And Pink now has a partnership with discount Fox Rent A Car and is getting ready for expansion with plans for 2,500 brand new hybrids.
As you may already know, these cars are pretty hard to come by. There just aren't that many available and they're certainly not accessible at the gas car fleet prices offered to Hertz and Avis. This means EV Rentals has to buy their automobiles one at a time at retail prices. But they do get some help through government consumer education program grants.
Right now, you have a choice of renting a Toyota Prius, a Toyota Highlander and a Honda Civic Hybrid. All three are recommended by Consumer Reports and get between 35 mpg to 60 mpg in town and on the road.
And, in the state of California, with a hybrid, you get to drive in the carpool lane even when you're driving alone. That, by itself, can save you a small fortune in time and money when tooling around LA.
EV Rentals' mission is to "provide the most technologically advanced environmental vehicles to the general public as soon as they're available, to educate the public and to raise the awareness of the benefits of driving clean-fuel vehicles, and to create a market for clean vehicle technology."
The management team at EV Rentals believes it's time for people to start thinking more about protecting the environment. They're extremely proud to have prevented over "100 tons of air pollution and to have passed on to their customers more than $1 million in fuel cost savings by acting environmentally."
However, be aware that when you rent a hybrid car, it will probably cost you more than for a conventional gas model. And, even though you pay less for gasoline, you'll still have to drive a lot of miles each day to make up the difference.
Right now, until auto manufacturer's economies of scale kick in, owners of these exciting new vehicles have the same problem.
But consider this. When renting a new Prius in LA, you'll be driving the same car Leonardo DiCpario drives. I'm sure he considers the extra expense as either an investment in the environment or the cost of being extremely cool. You could too!
Maria Cuttini is author of the 40 page "Hybrid Car Buyer's Guide." For a limited time, Maria is offering free downloads of her book at http://www.AlternativeCarNews.com Visit the site today to learn more about hybrid cars and how do hybrid cars work.
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