Originally Posted by
huskyflyer
Any thoughts on why EHI is bringing in the Plug in version instead of just a normal version? Doubt most renters are going to be charging it (and the charging cable isn't even included inside the car). I think the plug in burns more gas than the regular version if you do not charge it because of all the battery packs it is carrying.
My guess would be that Jeep gave them a great deal. It could also be that beggars can't be choosers if supplies are tight and EAN has to take whatever it can get. But Jeep reportedly has way more inventory than they want, so I'm guessing it's the former. There are EV leasing incentives (including the Inflation Reduction Act) that the 4xe could qualify for that reduces the pricing premium of the PHEV version. I saved several thousand dollars doing a lease-and-buyout with my '24 RAV4 Prime, which otherwise wouldn't have qualified under the IRA for the EV tax credit.
I can also see why the use case for EV rental cars failed for Hertz. Outside of the Tesla-specific shenanigans with repair costs and retained resale value, just the whole charging and infrastructure (or lack thereof) impracticality for a rental vehicle is a costly lesson they learned.