Photo: @PolitiReality via Twitter
When Hertz announced buying 100,000 Teslas in 2021, many thought this would be a success story. Hertz confirmed in September that demand for Tesla cars in its fleet has been very strong, although pictures and stories shared on social media paint a different situation.
Hertz wowed everyone in October 2021 when it announced buying 100,000 Tesla cars in a bid to electrify 25% of its fleet until 2024. Based on Hertz’s reports from September last year, the Tesla venture couldn’t have been more successful. People flocked to rent electric vehicles, seduced by the low rates and the advantage of not paying for gas for their rentals. Or so said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr.
“Demand has been very, very solid,” Scherr said in an exclusive Yahoo Finance Live interview in September 2022. “We’re seeing demand not just among leisure travelers, but also among corporate travelers, where in fact, corporations want their employees in an electric vehicle to satisfy some of their own carbon footprint objectives.”
This might be true, but stories shared on social media paint a different picture. Customers have unpleasant memories of driving a rented Tesla, and at least in the Boston area, Hertz parking lots are filled with Teslas that nobody wants to rent. It appears Uber drivers are the most likely customers to rent a Tesla, following a Uber-Hertz deal signed last spring, and not even they want to drive a rented Tesla.
Twitter user @PolitiReality posted pictures of hundreds of Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cars clogging a Hertz parking lot in Boston. Looking for a Hertz rental car online in the Boston area reveals that Tesla has the lowest rates, at $56,50 per day, whereas a Ford Focus small sedan costs more than double. Another user confirmed a similar situation at Hertz car rental in Chicago O’Hare airport (ORD). However, a Tesla rented at the Hertz office inside San Francisco International airport (SFO) could cost as much as $400 a day.
Based on the stories shared online, we figured Hertz had problems convincing its customers that electric vehicles are worth considering. The situation is better in California because the EV adoption rate in the state is the highest in the U.S. Nevertheless, people are still reluctant to try an electric vehicle in other areas. And when they do, they often don’t know how to drive them efficiently and end up disappointed.
An ICE driver shared on Reddit their experience renting a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz, and we must say the rental giant has a lot to do to educate its customers. Reddit user bomgd3 rented their Tesla from the Hertz office at Chicago O’Hare airport for $72 per day, and the car indicated an 83% battery charge. We say they were lucky, considering other users reported an almost completely depleted battery when they got theirs. The state of charge was enough to drive 280 miles (450 km), according to the trip computer, but it dropped to just 50 miles (80 km) after driving around 160 miles (260 km).
That’s not out of the ordinary, considering the winter temperatures. Unfortunately, not having experience with electric vehicles left the Hertz customer disappointed. They spent a while looking for a plug to charge and found one that promised to charge the car from 20% to 80% in about an hour. Unwilling to miss dinner, they gave up, probably unaware they could’ve let the car charge while eating. In the end, they charged the car to 75% of the battery at a Supercharger nearby the Hertz rental center in about 25 minutes.
Nevertheless, they complained about the $20 Supercharger fee, which means Hertz did not clarify that they can charge for free in the Supercharger network. The customer didn’t get to pay, but they still expect to be billed in the future for this expense. This has made them think they could fill up a gas rental car for the same money and drive further without the hassle. In the end, the real loser is Hertz. The company needs to step up if it wants to have an electric fleet in the future, or the customers might not be there to oblige.
Hertz wowed everyone in October 2021 when it announced buying 100,000 Tesla cars in a bid to electrify 25% of its fleet until 2024. Based on Hertz’s reports from September last year, the Tesla venture couldn’t have been more successful. People flocked to rent electric vehicles, seduced by the low rates and the advantage of not paying for gas for their rentals. Or so said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr.
“Demand has been very, very solid,” Scherr said in an exclusive Yahoo Finance Live interview in September 2022. “We’re seeing demand not just among leisure travelers, but also among corporate travelers, where in fact, corporations want their employees in an electric vehicle to satisfy some of their own carbon footprint objectives.”
This might be true, but stories shared on social media paint a different picture. Customers have unpleasant memories of driving a rented Tesla, and at least in the Boston area, Hertz parking lots are filled with Teslas that nobody wants to rent. It appears Uber drivers are the most likely customers to rent a Tesla, following a Uber-Hertz deal signed last spring, and not even they want to drive a rented Tesla.
Twitter user @PolitiReality posted pictures of hundreds of Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cars clogging a Hertz parking lot in Boston. Looking for a Hertz rental car online in the Boston area reveals that Tesla has the lowest rates, at $56,50 per day, whereas a Ford Focus small sedan costs more than double. Another user confirmed a similar situation at Hertz car rental in Chicago O’Hare airport (ORD). However, a Tesla rented at the Hertz office inside San Francisco International airport (SFO) could cost as much as $400 a day.
Based on the stories shared online, we figured Hertz had problems convincing its customers that electric vehicles are worth considering. The situation is better in California because the EV adoption rate in the state is the highest in the U.S. Nevertheless, people are still reluctant to try an electric vehicle in other areas. And when they do, they often don’t know how to drive them efficiently and end up disappointed.
An ICE driver shared on Reddit their experience renting a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz, and we must say the rental giant has a lot to do to educate its customers. Reddit user bomgd3 rented their Tesla from the Hertz office at Chicago O’Hare airport for $72 per day, and the car indicated an 83% battery charge. We say they were lucky, considering other users reported an almost completely depleted battery when they got theirs. The state of charge was enough to drive 280 miles (450 km), according to the trip computer, but it dropped to just 50 miles (80 km) after driving around 160 miles (260 km).
That’s not out of the ordinary, considering the winter temperatures. Unfortunately, not having experience with electric vehicles left the Hertz customer disappointed. They spent a while looking for a plug to charge and found one that promised to charge the car from 20% to 80% in about an hour. Unwilling to miss dinner, they gave up, probably unaware they could’ve let the car charge while eating. In the end, they charged the car to 75% of the battery at a Supercharger nearby the Hertz rental center in about 25 minutes.
Nevertheless, they complained about the $20 Supercharger fee, which means Hertz did not clarify that they can charge for free in the Supercharger network. The customer didn’t get to pay, but they still expect to be billed in the future for this expense. This has made them think they could fill up a gas rental car for the same money and drive further without the hassle. In the end, the real loser is Hertz. The company needs to step up if it wants to have an electric fleet in the future, or the customers might not be there to oblige.
@KailashConcepts after seeing this post I went and looked at Hertz's Boston locations.
— KCR Equity Research (@KcrEquity) January 13, 2023
Look at the image from me going to book a car.
A $TSLA Model 3 costs < half of a $F Focus to rent.
Calling @BradMunchen @gnoble79 and the rest... pic.twitter.com/KmYrncv8L2
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