EV's as rental cars

[New2EV]

Yup, and you can return it with something like 75% remaining as well. I think they only charge you if it's below 20%.

Avis wants it back above 70% or else they charge you $35. If it's below 10%, they charge an additional $35. I picked it up with a 77% charge, so I really didn't have an option of driving and bringing it back without charging.

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[minders]

We normally rent the Polestar from National if it is available. They only wanted it back with 30% or more of charge per the info sheet they gave us in Minneapolis and just happened to be in the Executive area. We had a Tesla rental through Hertz in Vegas back in Feb and it wasn't great since some of the Superchargers in the area we tried were having issues. Tried to get EV rentals this past weekend in Tampa and again up in Hartford, CT with no luck. Got stuck with an awful Rav4 and a decently nice Ford Explorer.

 

[Reign of Ravens]

I agree that a surprise rental isn't the best idea at all. There is a learning curve with Teslas for sure, other EVs not as much of one, but still a bit.

This was my thought as well. There's an adjustment in going from an ICE vehicle to an EV, where the infrastructure and charge times aren't quite as seamless as to make it so people don't need tot think about it. Then there seems to be a learning curve in going from any vehicle to a Tesla. I've never driven one but from what I've read, they have been trying to get away from physical controls and putting an awful lot behind the main (or really, only) display. That's another stress.

I'd guess that Hertz partnered with Tesla for a few reasons, and one of them was probably the Tesla charger network. Given that the other networks are still nowhere near as good as Tesla's network, this makes sense. Yet for really easing people into EVs, a vehicle from a more traditional manufacturer - with a more traditional interior and function - would probably have been better.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Every time I go to Phoenix I rent a Tesla, really just to torture myself. lol But honestly, depending on where you're staying there's a lot of SuperChargers, so it's not bad even for a first time user. Hertz sends out a lot of emails with how-to's and whatnot.

I recently was given the option of renting a Tesla while my Mach E was having some body work done (their insurance was picking up the rental). My wife and I enjoyed trying out the Model 3 for almost two weeks but we were charging it at our house.

Hertz never sent us a single email about how to use it and I was given no instruction besides how to use the card key.

 

[jeffMachE]

I rented a Model 3 via Hertz in Orlando last month. Got a ton of e-mails from Hertz preceding the rental (which I didn't read, so couldn't figure out how to shift into R or D for a few minutes after picking up the car). Hertz contract stated 75% for return level. Could charge at any SuperCharger, they just pass on the fees (with a markup) after the fact.

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