Zipcar Partners with Honda

Zipcar and Honda have announced a partnership that makes Honda the preferred vehicle manufacturer for Zipcar. The partnership will focus on electric and hybrid cars, and will give the leading car sharing network access to the most technologically advanced and lowest emission vehicles from the automaker. This will make the transformational mobility service even more sustainable.

This deal will include the expansion of the Honda Insight hybrid, Fit EV battery electric vehicles, and CR-V compact SUV this fall. The Insight offers improved fuel economy, a sleek and aerodynamic style, and more features. The 2013 Fit EV is based on the company’s popular Fit hatchback and can operate an estimated 123 city-mile per charge; while it’s battery can recharge in three hours with a 240-volt circuit connection. The CR-V is the best-selling compact SUV in America right now and provides a more fuel-efficient engine design and upscale exterior style.

The manufacturer’s Accord Plug-In Sedan will be available in select Zipcar locations from the start of next year. This car is based on the Accord Sedan and uses a system that continuously moves through three different phases – direct-drive; gasoline-electric; and all-electric, which gets about 15 miles per charge. These phases maximise fuel and driving efficiency – particularly in the city. The agreement also builds on the carmaker’s long history of studying electric vehicles and other alternative fuel usage under urban transport conditions.

The car sharing platform is ideal for these types of cars, because it allows urban, tech-savvy motorists to get a firsthand experience with the new technology. It allows them to share those experiences and helps Zipcar respond to member preferences, which consistently rank Honda cars as some of the most popular. Zipcar will now be able to provide its members with more access to Honda models it already offers – including the CR-V, Insight and Civic. The 2012 Civic Sedan offers improved fuel economy.

Zipcar is a longstanding pioneer in using advanced technologies in vehicles. It was the first car sharing business in the US to introduce electric vehicles to Boston and the first to offer hybrids through a partnership with Honda in Seattle. Honda was established in the US in 1959 as American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Zipcar chairman and chief executive Scott Griffith says that the future of mobility is being molded by global trends, economic forces and evolving technology – concerns about climate change, how the next generation of motorists think about transport, more urbanisation. This partnership with Honda is a win-win, adding to the company’s range of smart and sustainable transport options and introducing members to the newest hybrid and electric cars, which will help increase overall awareness of these new technologies.

American Honda vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office, Steven Center says that they provide the most comprehensive range of vehicles that offer better fuel efficiency, enhanced safety for the cars and pedestrians, and reduced emissions while producing a consistently high level of product value and quality. As the leader of the car sharing market, Zipcar is the best option for them to showcase their newest energy-efficient transport technologies due to the strength of the brand, its geographic operational reach, and tech-savvy, connected and conscious members.