Speaking at the National Summit on Energy Security in Washington, DC this week, Taylor said the group would be introducing the Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iOn and Nissan LEAF to new markets in the coming months through its rental businesses and WeCar car sharing subsidiary.

But, he pointed out, the process is dependent on the state of the market, public policy and a suitable recharging infrastructure.

‘Given the economic and national security benefits of reducing the nation’s dependence on oil, there is a need to put as many EVs into the marketplace as possible while still addressing the driving requirements of the American public. This transition is – and should remain – an evolutionary process,’ he said.

Incorporating Enterprise, Alamo and National, the group is the world’s largest rental company by number of employees, fleet size and revenue. It operating over one million cars and trucks globally and has 5,500 offices in the USA, putting it within 15 miles of 90% of the country’s population.

Enterprise was also the first company to offer the Chevrolet Volt as a rental car, and began trials of eight Peugeot iOn vehicles and 11 charging stations in London last month. Its EV programme has included electric fleets in Southern California, Tennessee, Hawaii and New York.

‘Every year, the car rental industry puts 1.6 million vehicles on the road in this country,’ added Taylor. ‘And our industry’s future depends on keeping passenger vehicles – and the fuels required to power them – economically viable and acceptable to society.’