Enterprise Rent-A-Car to Cut Carbon Emissions 6.5 Million Pounds with Energy-Efficient Technology Solution

Business Wire, April 21, 2008

Company Chooses Environmentally Friendly Thin Client Solution For Rental Transaction Computer System Linking More Than 7,000 Offices

ST. LOUIS -- Enterprise Rent-A-Car this summer will complete a multi-year rollout of a new rental transaction system that streamlines the company's rental processes - and offers significant environmental benefits in the process.

The new system - ECARS[TM] 2.0 - connects the reservations, billing and reporting operations of more than 7,000 Enterprise rental offices around the world. Instead of using personal computers for ECARS[TM] 2.0, Enterprise is deploying a network of 45,000 energy-saving thin client terminals.

Use of the technology will enable Enterprise to cut its annual carbon dioxide emissions by 6.5 million pounds - a reduction of nearly 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per branch office per year.

"This system produces tremendous operational efficiencies, but it was important to us to maximize environmental efficiencies as well," said Craig Kennedy, Enterprise's chief information officer. "One of the key choices we made in developing the ECARS[TM] 2.0 system was going with thin client terminals. It's a choice that will soon provide a big payoff by increasing our energy efficiency and reducing our company's overall environmental footprint."

The network of more than 45,000 thin client terminals - operated through 743 terminal servers - connects Enterprise rental offices throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Puerto Rico. Hewlett-Packard helped develop the system, a less expensive and more environmentally friendly approach than the conventional use of PCs.

Thin clients use only 13.6 watt-hours and 2.4 watt-hours of electricity in active and passive states, respectively, compared with the 77.1 watt-hours and 1.8 watt-hours consumed by PCs. Over a network of more than 45,000 units, this adds up to significant energy savings with no compromise of operating requirements when comparing the thin client terminal server approach to a full-PC system.

Conserving energy and reducing emissions through technology is an important priority for Enterprise. The company is a contributor member of The Green Grid, a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. The Green Grid promotes the adoption of energy efficient standards, processes, measurements and technologies.

The thin client servers complement Enterprise's environmental stewardship platform, the rental car industry's most comprehensive. It includes:

* Offering an industry-leading carbon offset program that enables customers to offset the carbon emissions associated with the average vehicle rental - with a dollar-for-dollar company match of up to $1 million to fund additional projects.

* Operating the world's largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles.

* Embracing new, clean technologies such as E85-capable FlexFuel vehicles and hybrids.

* Pledging to plant 50 million trees over 50 years at a cost of $50 million, as part of the 50 Million Tree Pledge, a unique public/private/nonprofit partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

* Funding renewable fuels research through a $25 million gift that created the Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, one of the world's leading plant research centers.

"At Enterprise, we have a very active and strategic approach to environmental stewardship, particularly as it relates to our fleet of more than 1 million vehicles," Kennedy said. "But our commitment doesn't stop there. Today, we don't undertake any IT project without factoring in the energy and environmental impact of our decisions. The thin client project is one great example of how that thoughtful, responsible approach can pay dividends for the company and the environment.

"We know we have a responsibility to address the parts of the world we touch with our business. We believe we're making smart choices to meet that responsibility," Kennedy said.

More information about Enterprise's environmental initiatives can be found at www.keystogreen.com.

About Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is headquartered in St. Louis and serves customers in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Germany. Enterprise is North America's largest car rental company in fleet size, number of locations, and annual revenue, ranking No. 18 on the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies in America. Enterprise has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among airport rentals in eight out of the past nine years, according to J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study(SM). Enterprise is owned by the Taylor family, which acquired the National Car Rental (www.nationalcar.com) and Alamo Rent A Car (www.alamo.com) businesses in 2007. For more information about Enterprise, visit www.enterprise.com.