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News: L. a. Zipsters to get a charge out of driving with new Honda fit EVs

February 14, 2015 • admin

Zipcar, Inc., the world’s leading car sharing network, with the support of la City Councilmember Eric Garcetti, today announced the introduction of 2013 Honda Fit EV battery electric vehicles (BEV) into the Zipcar L. a. fleet.

The addition of the recent electric vehicles in La comes as a result program announced by Honda and Zipcar in April 2012, in which Honda became a Zipcar preferred vehicle manufacturer with a focal point on hybrid and electric vehicles. The agreement between Honda and Zipcar gives Zipcar members increased access to Honda’s most technologically advanced, lowest emission vehicles, making an already transformational service much more sustainable. In the course of the program, Zipcar is planning to feature additional Honda EVs into the company’s fleet over the process this year.

“We are thrilled in an effort to offer Honda Fit EVs to our members inside the L. a. area through Zipcar’s program with Honda,” said Jeff Shields, general manager, Zipcar La. “The new EVs will enhance the sustainable transportation options our Zipcar members have available to them and make allowance La residents and visitors to further reduce their carbon footprint, all while driving probably the most technologically-advanced and fun cars at the road.”

The new Honda Fit EVs can be found to all Zipcar members ages 21+ for hourly reservations, ranging from $8.75 per hour.

“Zipcar’s operation in Hollywood is easing parking congestion, reducing pollution and putting people to work,” said Eric Garcetti, who represents Hollywood as a City Councilmember and who supported Zipcar’s opening and expanding locally. “These cleaner, quieter vehicles are an awesome addition to the neighborhood.”

The first of the brand new Honda Fit EVs can be found at 6464 and 6565 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, in commercial buildings managed by Paramount Contractors & Developers, Inc (PCD). The vehicles can be found in Zipcar branded parking spots with charging stations.

Owner of Paramount Contractors & Developers, Brian Folb stated, “Paramount Contractor & Developers has long been on the forefront of creating ecofriendly buildings, and was some of the first developers in Hollywood to include solar panels and electric chargers into their properties. Naturally we’re thrilled that now, with the addition of the Honda Fit EVs, we are able to be the primary LA area buildings to provide electric vehicles from Zipcar.”

To help introduce the brand new Honda Fit EVs to La Zipsters, Zipcar will hold events on Friday, March 29 from 12noon- 4pm inside the lobbies of both 6464 and 6565 Sunset Boulevard. La residents and PCD tenants are invited to forestall by to take a look at the brand new Honda Fit EV vehicles, and Zipcar members can take them for a test spin. The development also will include refreshments and technology demonstrations of ways the EVs work.

Honda’s 2013 Fit EV, according to its popular five-passenger Fit, earns a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, and an unprecedented low consumption rating of just 29 kilowatt hours per 100 miles. The 100-percent electric Honda Fit EV incorporates a 20-kilowatt-hour Lithium-Ion battery and a compact 92-kilowatt AC synchronous electric motor that generates 189 ft-lb of torque. When connected to a 240-volt circuit, the Honda Fit EV battery can also be recharged in below three hours from a low charge indicator illumination point.

Zipcar is a longstanding pioneer in using advanced vehicle technologies.  It was the primary car sharing company inside the U . s . to introduce electric vehicles, starting in Boston in 2002, and the primary to give hybrid vehicles through a partnership with Honda in Seattle in 2003. Zipcar member surveys show a sturdy interest within the use of advanced technology and alternate fuel vehicles within the program.

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