All-electric rental cars are on their way

[phantom power]

As early as January, electric cars will be available at the nation's two largest auto rental companies.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, North America's largest car rental firm, unveiled plans last week to offer about 500 Nissan Leaf all-electric cars, initially at dealerships in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland and Seattle.

This came a few months after Hertz, the world's largest car rental company, said it planned to offer Leafs at a handful of locations in the United States and Europe next year. A fully charged Leaf has a range of about 100 miles.

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Fully charging a Leaf takes up to eight hours at a charging station and 20 hours from a standard home outlet. If travelers don't have time to recharge the car before returning it, the rental firm must take the vehicle out of service to recharge it.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/16/1778055/all-electric-rental-cars-are-on.html#ixzz0wsaxTaad