egmCarTech

Zipcar made an announcement earlier this month that it will be adding electric-vehicles to its fleet of car-sharing services. The two vehicles include the all-electric Citroen c1 and a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius prototype.

“Since early in this decade, Zipcar has been integrating alternative vehicles into the fleet — giving our members the opportunity to push the envelope and evaluate a range of advanced-vehicle technologies,” said Scott Griffith, chairman and CEO of Zipcar.

Nonetheless, in a recent interview with Earth2Tech, Griffith said that Zipcar is a while away from offering a wide selection of electric-vehicles. He said that the company needs to see and study data about maintenance costs, battery reliability, battery-charging infrastructure needs and the “opportunity cost for having the car sit (idle) for charging.”

As of 2004, Zipcar has added nearly 1,000 hybrids to the fleet, more than any other car sharing company in the world. To date, the company estimates more than 100,000 unique members have driven an EV or hybrid.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Earth2Tech (via GreenCarAdvisor)

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