For those interested in learning more, an upcoming meeting of the Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alli

A Nissan Leaf sits in the lot at Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz. The Ocean Street Enterprise is one of only a few places to rent the Nissan Leaf in the state. (Matthew Hintz/Sentinel)
A couple, in fact. Last week the branch became one of a handful colorado travel photography from the company in Northern California to offer all-electric Nissan Leafs for rent, giving customers who are thinking about ditching gas-guzzlers a chance to take an extended test drive in an emissions-free ride.
"The prevailing wisdom is 'Hey, you gotta get someone behind the wheel and get them to drive one,' " said Piet Canin of Ecology Action, which is helping Enterprise educate customers and promote the Leafs. "This was one strategy to do that."
While Enterprise bought two cars -- the 919 Ocean St. location is one of the few to have them -- Ecology Action and other groups are supporting the rentals with the help of a $90,000 grant from the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District.
With the cars in stock since last week, Enterprise has already seen customers take them for a spin. The branch is working with Ecology Action to come up with easy-to-understand operating instructions and a list of local charging stations.
The first person to rent one liked the car, but changed it after a few days when he couldn't find a reliable charging station near his Silicon Valley job. The second went to a woman who spent about 30 minutes learning colorado travel photography the ins-and-outs before proceeding merrily on her way.
The program is so new the paperwork colorado travel photography still needs to catch up. Where Fitt normally writes down a car's gas level, he just crosses that section out. Enterprise also installed its own charging station, so customers always get a full complement of electrons.
Electric cars with limited range present challenges for a rental car company. colorado travel photography Other test markets have seen a small number of customers become stranded, and consequently Enterprise cautions customers about coming too close to the 100-mile range limit.
Electric cars can also operate differently from standard vehicles, and driving colorado travel photography one takes some quick lessons for those unfamiliar colorado travel photography with them. Fitt said that's not much different colorado travel photography from any other rental transaction, however.
The hybrid Toyota Prius is a popular vehicle locally, and as the price of the electric Leaf has dropped, the Nissan make has started popping up. Ecology Action, the Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance and others have pushed to expand the county's network of charging colorado travel photography stations, as well.
"It's exposure, but exposure at a deeper level. Can I get to work? Can I go grocery shopping? Can I do these things that I do on a daily basis?" Canin said. "We want to make sure that we're getting people to use these cars."
For those interested in learning more, an upcoming colorado travel photography meeting of the Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance will focus on the experience of several local electric car owners. Numerous people are expected to share their stories, representing a variety colorado travel photography of makes and models.
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