I find it easier to believe that Hertz thought electric vehicles would be a big consumer draw but, as a sometimes renter, I have trouble seeing the appeal of dealing with something unfamiliar as a renter aside from maybe a one-time novelty.
I can see why car rental companies expect fossil fuel cars to be returned with a full tank, but for an electric car, they can charge it themselves. Being able to return the car without having to worry about recharging would make the electric cars more attractive.
The challenge here is that they didn't invest in building charging infrastructure at ALL of their locations (neighborhood centers, small airports, hotels, etc).
This is problematic because a renter that decides last minute to one-way their car from a prime location to a non-prime location without charging first essentially took that car out of rev service for the day. An ICE car would never have that problem.
This, of course, was fine when used EVs barely lost their value, but now that they depreciated like a rock since 2023, these cars are a cumulative black hole in forward revenue.
Interesting. I rent just about that often, but I try to get a car that I'm already familiar with. If I'm renting a car, I'm probably somewhere that I'm not familiar with and have my hands and brain full of other stuff that needs attention. The last thing I want to do is add "get used to a different car" to that list.
Most EVs, and Teslas particularly, have very different controls than the cars I am used to. I actively avoid them all mostly for that reason.
I make 2-3 long trips per year, and I rent a car for each. Why?
- I buy cheap, reliable transportation with a focus on commuting. You don't want to be in my car for several hours on a long trip.
- If I break down, the rental company takes care of it. I don't have to find a shop and wait for a part.
- I save a fortune. I know people who base their car-buying decision based off the couple of long trips they make per year. They end up paying 2x - 3x more for their car than I've paid for mine. They also typically have higher fueling costs and higher repair costs.
- When I do get an EV, I don't have one yet, I won't worry about range anxiety
That last point is what I never understood about Hertz - you should be pitching your rentals to EV owners as a solution for range anxiety on long distance trips. Easy peasy! You get sales. Not here's unfamiliar technology you're using in an unfamiliar place, figure it out! How did they ever think that was a smart idea?