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Hertz orders 100k Teslas

bloomberg.com

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Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#191

Post by paranoidrobot »

HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #74
aqzman wrote: post #15

I say this having never driven a Tesla, but are they really suitable rental cars? My understanding is that Tesla vehicles differ quite a bit from regular ICE vehicles, to the point that there's a bit of a learning curve to operating the car. I'd be interested to hear from a Tesla owner on this. Maybe it's a non-issue.

My concern with renting one (which for now would stop me from doing it), is the scarcity of charging locations. Not sure how far apart they are in most locations nowadays, or what wait times are like, but if I'm on vacation (which is when I most often rent), then no hassle is worth it. There are gas stations everywhere.

Tesla have a massive charging network of their own, plus you can use all/most of the other public charging stations. In most locations in North America, Europe, Australia as well as some Asian countries you have good access to charging infrastructure.

Tesla's navigation software will show charging locations, as well as add stops automatically if you're planning a route that's too far for the current state of charge.

Plugshare is a good site for finding chargers of all types.

https://www.plugshare.com/

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#192

Post by buildsjets »

zibzab wrote: post #63
uxp100 wrote: post #23

I assume there is a little bit of a "meme stock" element to this, the reddit folks will love it, but I think I would pay a small premium for an electric car when renting (unless I needed long distance). More likely I pay a premium for that than for than the higher end ICE car options at car rental.

The problem is that when you are renting from Hertz you are probably new to the area and don't know where you are going and if there are any charging stations nearby.

That sounds like a 20’th century problem. Most of us have smartphones these days, which typically come pre-loaded with navigation software.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#193

Post by hellbannedguy »

pengaru wrote: post #99

I look forward to not having to give a flying fuck about fuel level upon returning my next rental car. Enabling rental companies to fill up their vehicles on-site without requiring becoming a gas station alone is a glaringly obvious rental EV win.

They will eventually charge for electricity.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#194

Post by caf »

aqzman wrote: post #15

I say this having never driven a Tesla, but are they really suitable rental cars? My understanding is that Tesla vehicles differ quite a bit from regular ICE vehicles, to the point that there's a bit of a learning curve to operating the car. I'd be interested to hear from a Tesla owner on this. Maybe it's a non-issue.

We've given plenty of friends a chance to drive, it takes maybe 30 seconds to explain the drive stalk and park brake.

The driving with regen is if anything similar to a dodgem car.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#195

Post by toast0 »

moralestapia wrote: post #44

Colour me skeptical. Hertz just declared itself bankrupt a year ago, now they have 4bn cash to spare? Both things cannot be true in such a small timespan. Either the 'bankruptcy' was a fraud, or the Tesla deal has some small letters like "of which we will acquire 1,000 per year for the next 100 years". Sure, the official story is "we were bankrupt but we found new investors at the most convenient time", but that coul…

They filed for bankruptcy because they couldn't make their lease payments. That doesn't mean they were not viable and needed to liquidate everything, it just means they couldn't pay on time and needed (or wanted) some more time to arrange things. Filing chapter 11 gives you some more time to make payments and come up with a plan to return to operations and pay back debt. Shareholders and creditors agreed to the plan, and it's back to business (well, business continues during Chapter 11 anyway).

I didn't see any details on the purchase deal, but maybe they'll come out later. There's probably provisions to change the amounts, and certainly these vehicles will be financed in some form, whether that's Tesla financing or otherwise.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#196

Post by TomVDB »

sakopov wrote: post #164
senectus1 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

christ, I want a cool electric car more and more. but reading stuff like this all the time is just re-enforcing my decision to leave Tesla off that list of potentials. A car is a tool I use to get my family around from point A to B SAFELY. Its also a fairly significant chunk of debt, and I want it to last a long time and behave EXACTLY the way I expect it to. Every day. Tesla really doesn't fit that bill atm

What does an easter egg in a Tesla has to do with safety or longevity of the vehicle?

Nothing at all.

I've driven a Tesla for over a year now, and this is the first time I've even heard about it, let alone experienced it.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#197

Post by lokar »

caf wrote: post #168
cbo100 wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can tell, from the somewhat minimal GUI Tesla gives you, and the general feeling while driving... You can "coast" with regen on, you just need to balance the accelerator at the point where you aren't adding power, but the car isn't taking power away. You won't see any green or black on the power usage bar. Coming down long mountain roads, it's somewhat easier than coasting in an ICE and having to continua…

This is correct. You coast by feathering the accelerator.

On my leaf you could feel a very slight change in the pedal resistance at the coast point.

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#198

Post by space_rock »

wolverine876 wrote: post #186

How wonder how Hertz intends to handle turnaround delays. If I turn in an ICE car at noon, they can clean and gas it and (as a guess) a new customer can drive away in it at 12:15. With an electric, filling it with energy could take quite a long time. I'm sure Hertz considered that, but I wonder how that works into their calculations.

Sounds easier and cheaper than filling with gas. And 40mins recharge is not a long wait

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#199

Post by nroets »

thehappypm wrote: post #77

Electric cars are actually a very good fit for many rentals. Thinking through my last 5 rentals. A wedding that was 1 hour from an airport, ~100 miles RT. A ski trip where I wanted to drive from Denver to my AirBnB near Winter Park Colorado, ~200 miles RT. A hiking trip where I needed a second car for a point-to-point car shuttle (New Hampshire!), ~120 miles RT. A bachelor party where I needed to drive from the airpo…

On long trips, there may be one or more Hertz locations near your route. If all of them stock electric cars, Hertz could offer a premium offering where you change cars along the way...

Re: Hertz orders 100k Teslas

#200

Post by FireBeyond »

quantified wrote: post #187
thehappypm wrote: post #77

Electric cars are actually a very good fit for many rentals. Thinking through my last 5 rentals. A wedding that was 1 hour from an airport, ~100 miles RT. A ski trip where I wanted to drive from Denver to my AirBnB near Winter Park Colorado, ~200 miles RT. A hiking trip where I needed a second car for a point-to-point car shuttle (New Hampshire!), ~120 miles RT. A bachelor party where I needed to drive from the airpo…

When you bring a gas car back empty, you get charged heavily. Wonder how the pricing and will be affected by the juice left in when you return it. And how their scheduling manages it. Also, will “FSD” be enabled or disabled? There’s an interesting liability chain.

Right, because bringing it back empty means the car is out of commission for ~12h.

The last three times I've rented a car it's been turned and burned and I've had to wait a few minutes for a clean/wash to be complete from the last renter.

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