You'll soon be able to Leaf an Enterprise Rent-a-Car lot driving Nissan's new battery car.
The first chance many potential customers will get to drive the new Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle could come at an Enterprise Rent-a-Car lot.
The company plans to begin offering 100 Leafs for rent, starting next January, shortly after the debut of the BEV, which is targeted to go to fleet markets first, then follow up with retail sales in late 2011. Enterprise says it will start with eight markets, including Los Angeles, generally seen as the country’s most battery car-friendly city.
The rental firm hasn’t yet set a price for a daily rental of the Leaf, though a spokeswoman hinted it will likely be higher than a similar-sized gasoline-powered vehicle. But that applies to the compact Nissan sedan itself.
The Japanese maker plans to bring it to market at $32,780, though that will be offset by a $7,500 federal tax credit available for advanced high-mileage vehicles like Leaf and the new Chevrolet Volt – which General Motors has announced will be marketed for $41,000 prior to the tax credit. (Click Here for the complete story.)
Enterprise already rents a number of hybrid-electric vehicles and believes there will be a growing market for alternative power, the company indicated.
But renting a pure battery-powered product will require more preparation than with a vehicle like the Toyota Prius, or even the Volt, which can both run on gasoline. Leaf has to first be plugged in to the electric grid to achieve its promised 100-mile range, so Enterprise will begin installing chargers at 100 of its rental locations, starting in November.
They’ll be located in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Seattle, Portlan, Knoxville and Nashville, the company says.
Traditionally, automakers have seen two advantages to tying up with rental companies like Enterprise. For slower-selling models, the outlets help absorb excess production. But they also provide a way for a maker to introduce a new model to the public.
Not that Nissan necessarily needs that additional exposure. The maker claims it has already taken about 17,000 orders for the lithium-powered vehicle, the first of which will be delivered in December.