San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Zipcar COO Mark Norman stood side by side on February 18th to announce a unique PHEV and EV partnership. Zipcar plans to insert a handful of plug-in hybrids into its vehicle rental fleet in San Francisco in the next few months. San Francisco’s bona fides as a green city make it an obvious place for Zipcar to test out its new vehicles. Zipcar’s participation in this project originated from the intersection of customer interest and technology.
Zipcar is a unique business offering cars for rent on an hourly and daily basis. Zipcar drivers in major cities like Chicago, Boston and San Francisco can check out vehicles without worrying about rental insurance and other barriers to access. We will need to wait and see what the rental rates on the PHEV will be but the fact that the rate covers fuel, parking and other expenses should appeal to cost-conscious drivers.
The company will use a Toyota Prius hybrid outfitted with a Hymotion L5 plug-in converter in its Bay Area experiment. The plug-in Prius cuts 66% of greenhouse emissions compared to the standard model while achieving 100 miles per gallon in electric mode. Zipcar customers can drive up to 40 miles on all-electric power, a considerable distance in San Francisco’s tightly designed neighborhoods. Zipcar lots will be able to keep PHEVs fully charged until customers are ready to drive due to the plug-in module.
Zipcar is simply meeting the demand of its users in offering a green alternative in the Bay Area. The firm conducted a survey last year among its members that found overwhelming (80%) support for the introduction of PHEVs and EVs. By investing in a few Toyota Prius plug-ins, Zipcar can garner positive attention and earn more money by keeping its green vehicles on the road.
The city of San Francisco will benefit greatly if Zipcar customers swoon for the Prius plug-in at local lots. Gavin Newsom has overseen the introduction of EV charging stations in San Francisco along with several programs to break down the barrier between public transit and the workplace. The only blockade between the Zipcar/San Francisco collaboration and local vehicle revolution is the inevitable concern by some consumers with vehicle ownership. The convenience of picking up and dropping off a Zipcar PHEV or EV should trump the financial burden of owning a conventional vehicle in these troubled economic times.
