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Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

bloomberg.com

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Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#251

Post by infamouscow »

gumby wrote: post #208
CharlieDigital wrote: post #183

Not sure about the economics for the rental companies, but for a consumer, there are practical reasons why electric aren't quite as attractive. When you rent a car, more than likely you will be in unfamiliar territory. So it seems that it just adds to the stress of travel and yet another thing you have to pay attention to. Will my hotel have charging spots? Will I be able to charge at the client site I'm visiting? Ho…

FWIW I rented an electric volvo in november and its built in map (displayed by default even if you weren't using its nav system, which I did not) displayed charger sites. As it happened my hotel had a charger in the parking garage and the valets plugged my car in for me. One anecdote does not data make, and I didn't know at the time of reservation that my hotel would be adequately equipped.

The greatest barrier to EV adoption is the obstinance of early adopters that lack the capacity to understand why someone would use an ICE vehicle. Consequently, it hampers improvement in areas that need to be improved upon for wider EV adoption. It's quite ironic.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#252

Post by kelnos »

bombcar wrote: post #115
asveikau wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's also really hard to sell even a luxury sedan as an upgrade when everyone wants an SUV I don't want an SUV. I get angry at rental companies when they try to give me one. I increasingly don't recognize this country I grew up in with the car culture. In the early 90s nobody wanted SUVs either. The truck and SUV craze was apparently sparked by an emissions regulatory loophole, where larger vehicles were excempt be…

The term "SUV" has changed tremendously, when I was younger an SUV was a Suburban or maybe the smaller Bronco - barely would apply to a Jeep. Modern "compact" or "crossover" SUVs are just hatchback cars. Some are quite small, they're just named differently to make people buy them. The real loser has been minivans, station wagons, and actual hatchbacks. There's no reason to buy a sedan when on the same footprint you c…

> There's no reason to buy a sedan when on the same footprint you can get an SUV with more room.

Sure there is, fuel efficiency being one.

Also I just do not at all like driving SUVs. I like to be closer to the road, and sedans just feel more stable to me.

The proliferation of SUVs is so profoundly disappointing.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#253

Post by t0mas88 »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #78

This is due to high body damage repair costs and has nothing to do with repairing an electric powertrain: >Let me share a bit more context on the damage equation. First, while conventional maintenance on electric vehicles remained lower relative to comparable ICE vehicles in Q3, higher collision and damage repairs on EVs continue to weigh on our results and negatively impacted EBITDA. For context, collision and damag…

The title says "EVs" but really it's "Teslas" they're not selling their Polestars.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#254

Post by LeafItAlone »

bombcar wrote: post #85
smitty1110 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bloomberg has the same story and cites high repair costs as one of the reasons, so you may be onto something.

That coupled with customer complaints and annoyance could definitely sour the company on it.

Was customer complaints cited as one of the reasons?

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#255

Post by LeafItAlone »

t0mas88 wrote: post #253
1970-01-01 wrote: post #78

This is due to high body damage repair costs and has nothing to do with repairing an electric powertrain: >Let me share a bit more context on the damage equation. First, while conventional maintenance on electric vehicles remained lower relative to comparable ICE vehicles in Q3, higher collision and damage repairs on EVs continue to weigh on our results and negatively impacted EBITDA. For context, collision and damag…

The title says "EVs" but really it's "Teslas" they're not selling their Polestars.

Reuters included Polestars.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#256

Post by kelnos »

legitster wrote: post #240
asveikau wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess when I say car culture, I don't mean enthusiasts and tinkerers. I mean that general American culture is car-dependent. People think their car is very important and part of their identity. I see on social media all the time people say that lack of a car is a sign of struggle, that you haven't made it, that you can't be trusted. That sort of thing.

I don't necessarily love it as a characterization because Americans also have a love of huge refrigerators and couches and washing machines but no one says we have a refrigerator culture (even though it may be true). When you think about the number of boring base-level Corollas that get sold, it's hard to think of it as an identity thing. I think a fairer description would be that American culture values space, perso…

I think the larger size of appliances and furniture in the US isn't because of any particular love of larger sizes for those things, just that suburbia tends to give people more room. I'm not sure of the direction of causation: do Americans value space and personal property ownership and independence on first principles, and then spread out in large house on large plots of land because of that? Or did those values grow out of the incidental ability to have lots of house space?

Our fridge/freezer is on the larger size, but is also usually pretty full, so we definitely get good use out of it. Our washing machine is reasonably large, but, frankly, not large enough, as I can't fit our king-size bed's comforter in it, and have to use a laundry service to get it washed. Our couch is a pretty good size, but my partner and I want to be able to stretch out on it (at opposite ends) simultaneously, which doesn't seem like a wild or unreasonable thing to want to do.

And I prefer a smaller car! I refuse to purchase an SUV, despite my need to drive in snowy mountains several months out of the year (I of course found a sedan with a 4WD option). I hate driving SUVs; they feel bulky, unwieldy, and unstable to me. Before I bought my current car, I would rent a 4WD SUV when I needed to drive in the snow, and I hated the experience every time.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#257

Post by LeafItAlone »

ShakataGaNai wrote: post #93

This is not really surprising due to the business model Hertz was going after. They expect their used vehicles to have better resale values than what they currently have... which is a bunch of Tesla's bought at more or less the peak of pricing and now to be sold when prices have come down to sanity. They rode the market and lost. Also they got a LOT of EV's, I give them props for doing so... but rental cars should be…

> but rental cars should be a little more diverse of fleets. I realize it's easier to maintain a few types of vehicles, but that's not the business they are in.

Why do you say this? I get frustrated when I rent a car, not knowing exactly what I’ll get. It’s just another stressor while traveling. I’m actually a fan of Hertz being pretty consistent with their models across locations.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#258

Post by kelnos »

smackeyacky wrote: post #238
smileysteve wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the average person just wants the biggest, most comfortable car They want the biggest, because it makes them feel comfortable, despite objective data and car parts that SUVs are more dangerous and less comfortable. One theory is that millennials have been taught that higher and bigger is better because of age related vision deterioration by their parents and it has now caught on. Anecdotally, I asked this line…

It's the long wheelbase and bigger wheels that have more impact on comfort than IRS vs. solid rear axles. A big vehicle just doesn't jiggle around as much which is surprisingly tiring when you are travelling.

I dunno if I agree with that; I drive back and forth from the bay area to Tahoe area several times a year, mostly in winter months. In the past, I would rent a 4WD SUV for the trip (variety of makes and models). A year and a half ago I bought a Mercedes sedan (with 4WD) and that drive is way more comfortable and stable now.

Maybe I just had bad luck with the rentals I chose?

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#259

Post by kelnos »

legitster wrote: post #177
smileysteve wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the average person just wants the biggest, most comfortable car They want the biggest, because it makes them feel comfortable, despite objective data and car parts that SUVs are more dangerous and less comfortable. One theory is that millennials have been taught that higher and bigger is better because of age related vision deterioration by their parents and it has now caught on. Anecdotally, I asked this line…

Well, the simple truth is that the best, most versatile car on the road is a minivan. But no one wants to admit that so everyone pretends they like SUVs despite being worse in almost every way for daily driving.

Really? I dislike the feel of driving an SUV, but I find minivans to be lumbering beasts. Granted, I haven't had the displeasure of driving a minivan in many years (whereas I have had the displeasure of driving SUVs recently), so maybe they've gotten better.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#260

Post by pton_xd »

rondini wrote: post #220
gumby wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW I rented an electric volvo in november and its built in map (displayed by default even if you weren't using its nav system, which I did not) displayed charger sites. As it happened my hotel had a charger in the parking garage and the valets plugged my car in for me. One anecdote does not data make, and I didn't know at the time of reservation that my hotel would be adequately equipped.

As a second anecdote, I also rented one from Hertz (Polestar 2) and while it could navigate me to charging stations, at least 50% of the time I was unable to charge at a given location due to technical issues. It was bad enough that I had to divert 30 minutes off my planned route to find a working charger. I look forward to owning an EV someday but the rental experience right now and in my state was VERY stressful.

I had the same experience... in Sunnyvale / SF, of all places! I was shocked at how bad the charging infrastructure is for non-Teslas.
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