Lotus Car Rental Alternative Fuel Assessment
Erik Larson, Linda Sherman, Christopher Sessoms
Comm/215
February 2, 2013
Winifred Winstead Donnelly

Introduction The creation of a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be a wise decision for the Lotus Car Rental Company. There are two major issues that are on the minds of people these days, the environment and money. By creating a fleet of alternative fuel based automobiles the Lotus Rental Care Company can help ease the fears of people in both categories. By having the ingenuity to have a fleet of alternative fuel automobiles; the Lotus Car Rental will set themselves apart from the rest of the rental car companies. Lotus Car Care will be the leaders in environmentally safe car rentals. The following research paper will discuss the background of this topic, the costs of working with alternative fuel automobiles, the technical aspects of alternative fuel, the environmental aspects of alternative fuel as well as discuss some recommendations for the Lotus Car Rental Company. Background The Lotus Car Rental Company is looking into adding a fleet of alternative fuel sourced vehicles to their supply. Alternative fuel sourced vehicles are classified as being resources other than petroleum. A few of these sources are produced here locally and some are derived from renewable sources. They often produce less pollution than does gasoline. ("Alternative Fuel Vehicles", 2012). Hybrids are also considered to be an alternative sourced vehicle. A Hybrid vehicle is one that utilizes more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion ("Edmunds.com", 2009).
Financial Feasibility
Several factors influence the financial feasibility of adding alternative fuel vehicles to the fleet: vehicle cost, maintenance, advertising, and return on investment. Additional considerations include: market