I think, there are 2 main contributing factors to Hertz quality falling rapidly like a jack stand.

- Loss of competent employees during Covid downsizing

- Consistently high interest rates: in the decade of free money at 0% years rates from Federal Reserve and European Central Bank corporations could afford to ignore all kinds of inefficiencies and refinance huge debts while boosting sales figures and market share. Now any profit margin must cover the interest payments.

As for the EV disaster - it wasn’t innovation or honest mistake. Just like in politics of the last 15 years in both the USA and EU the decisions are not made based on common sense and basic government obligations, but wasting money on running social experiments and fantasies. The Hertz CEO at the time was from the breed of the same incompetent talking heads who manage countries.

On the bright side, in my experience the European Hertz (corporate locations) has delivered consistent quality through Covid insanity and u til today.
Apart from higher prices, the quality of cars and professionalism of employees sustained. At least, in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
This might be due to European welfare mechanisms that encourage employers to retain employees in a crisis with a partial subsidy.