Rental company adds 3,400 Priuses to its fleet

Car rental companies are going green, too. Hertz is spending $68 million to acquire 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrids, 100 of which are designated for the company’s Manhattan rental fleet. Hertz already rents hybrids in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.K. The hybrids complement Hertz’s signature Green Collection of environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient vehicles. Launched in September 2006, the collection includes more than 35,000 other vehicles with an average EPA highway fuel-efficiency rating of 31 miles or more per gallon, including Ford Fusion, Buick LaCrosse, Toyota Camry, Subaru Outback and Hyundai Sonata. Meanwhile, Hertz says 99 percent of its fleet is equipped with vapor recovery controls that reduce emissions given off during the fueling process; and its car washes recycle and reuse at least 80 percent of their wastewater. Hertz banned the use of chlorinated solvents at its maintenance facilities and only contracts with auto-parts vendors that recycle used oil. Hertz also made a $1 million donation to the National Park Foundation and a $250,000 donation to benefit The Mayor’s Fund for the Advancement of New York City, in recognition of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s environmental efforts.