Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s a shocker in more ways than one. Earlier this month, Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced that it would soon be offering Chevrolet’s Volt at the company’s Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, California, and we reasonably assumed that renters best watch out for any unforeseen charges that may arise from returning it with a dead (or near-dead) stash of batteries. For anyone who has rented a gasoline-powered automobile in the past score, you’ll know that returning a whip with a fuel tank that’s just 90 percent full won’t quite cut it, and you’ll be stuck ponying up for your oversight. Thankfully — at least at Enterprise — a similar surcharge setup will not be applied to electric vehicles. Lisa Martini, a spokesperson for Enterprise, got in touch with us to clarify the outfit’s plans, and they’re shockingly consumer-friendly:

“[Enterprise] does not plan to charge customers for bringing back EVs without a full charge. Enterprise is installing charging stations at locations that will offer EVs, and plans to charge the vehicles once they’re returned.”

That pretty much sums it up for at least one major rental company, and we can only hope that everyone else publishes similar intentions before their accountants publish something to the contrary. Power to the people, eh?

Will rental car companies ding you for returning half-charged electric vehicles? Enterprise won’t. originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not one to be one-upped by Hertz — which already announced a plug-in rental program that’ll include the almighty Tesla Roadster and the diminutive Smart Fortwo — Enterprise Rent-A-Car has just announced that it’ll be the first to offer Chevrolet’s Volt later in the month. The company’s Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, California will have an undisclosed amount in stock for daily and weekly rentals, and it sounds as if it’ll be grappling for more just as soon as they roll off of the production line. For those who can’t quite make it down to the desert, Enterprise will be offering 500 Nissan Leaf vehicles nationwide, with charging stations already installed in Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Monica. No word on what type of fee you’ll be hit with when you bring it back with only 20 percent of the batteries charged, but you can rest assured the bigwigs at Enterprise are already thinking about it.

Continue reading Enterprise to offer Chevy Volt in California, probably ding you for bringing it back half-charged

Enterprise to offer Chevy Volt in California, probably ding you for bringing it back half-charged originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes! Another reason to write about the darling and awesomely-named Wheego Whip LiFe! This time, it’s good news indeed, as the all electric micro-car has received EPA certification. The cars, which are priced at a reasonably affordable $32,995 (or $25,495 after the Federal tax credit), are now simply waiting for final approval from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration before they can roll into dealerships. It looks like the cars will ship at the beginning of the year now, with production well underway for the past few months. We’ll take two, please.

Wheego Whip LiFe grabs up EPA certification originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, sure — gas is bound to hit $4 a gallon before 2020, but you can buy an awful let of petrol with the money you’ll save from dodging Fisker’s increasingly expensive Karma. ‘Course, those looking to blow 100 grand on an eco-friendly automobile are probably doing so just to throw Ma Earth a bone, but still — money matters. Originally teased way back in the fall of 2007, Fisker’s first plug-in hybrid still hasn’t ended up anywhere near mass production, but it has managed to see two rather significant upticks in price all the while. Right around two years ago, we saw the $80,000 MSRP boosted by $7,000, and today, prospective customers are being notified via email that the Karma’s base price is now sitting at $95,900 before a $950 destination fee. Granted, the company insists that this includes an integrated solar roof panel (valued at $5,000), and it still starts at $1,400 less than a Panamera S. And yeah, that base price does shrink to $88,400 after you include federal tax incentives. That said, we’re doubting high-rollers that were dead-set on handing over $73,000 or so after tax breaks are currently stoked about an increase this large, particularly when there’s still no definitive ship date. To Fisker’s credit, we’ve seen General Motors go through similar trials and tribulations surrounding the Volt, and even at $95k, you’ll be hard pressed to find more sexy than this on four (street legal) wheels.

Fisker raises Karma plug-in hybrid base price to $95,900, brings that 750i back into consideration originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, are you confused about the presence of two MPG numbers on your newly delivered Volt? Fear not, the folks at GM are doing their best to educate the huddled masses about the Volt’s industry-leading fuel economy, and just how the EPA arrived at the car’s previously released 93MPG (electric equivalent) and 37MPG (straight gas, homey) ratings. No word on plans for a film explaining where the missing 137MPG went. Check the video after the break.

Continue reading Chevy explains why two MPG numbers are better than one

Chevy explains why two MPG numbers are better than one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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