Aug 7, 2023, 3:31 pm
Last edit by: dayone
It is not uncommon to see an EV as the cheapest (or only) car offered by Hertz, so there will be questions. This Wikipost is currently focused on rentals in the US.
Hertz policies for recharging:
https://hertz.ltschat.com/terms-conditions/?rentaldate=2024-03-02 (change the date as you see fit)
Return the EV with the same level of battery charge as at the time of pick-up to avoid a fee. If You return the EV with less battery charge than the charge level as at the time of pick-up, You will be charged an EV Battery Recharge fee of $35.00 (non-member) / ($25.00 member).
Furthermore: "Battery charging limit on an EV should be set at 80% maximum."
Tips:
-The second clause basically allows you to pick up a car at 100% and return it at 80%. Hertz does not honor this language. Ignore the 80% bit in the terms. Or be ready to fight about it.
-The $25 "member" rate is discretionary and not hard coded; make sure to ask for it specifically or get it adjusted after the return.
-The % at pick-up is often wrong; you will want to verify it at the gate a couple of times.
-Some on here report a 5% leeway, but this is not in the terms anywhere.
-Hyundai Ioniq or the Kia equivalent will charge 4x as fast via CCS as a Chevrolet.
-The refuel fee is taxable so it will end up being about ~25% more than you might suspect. At 60 cents a kwh (Electrify America) and a $35 refuel fee ($25 + tax), the break even is 58 kwh. If you can pick up a 77 kwh battery Hyundai and run it down to 19 kwh, you should NOT recharge it.
EV types bookable with/carried by Hertz (including internal car classification group code and travel agency ACRISS code) (This list is incomplete.)
Tesla Model 3 - Group E7 - JCAE
Tesla Model 3 Long Range - Group E8 - JCAC
Tesla Model Y - Group E9 - RFAC
Polestar 2 - Group C4 - JDAE
Kira Niro EV or Chevy Bolt EUV - Group E1 - IFAC
Kia EV6 - Group L8 - SGAC
Subaru Solterra - Group L7 - SGAE
Volvo C40 - Group C3 - JFAC
Manager's EV Special - Group C6 - XXAE (location's choice of EV)
Manager's Special - Group A6 - XXAR (location's choice of any car, can include EV)
Also carried: Chevy Bolt EV (not reservable but often used as Manager's EV Special?)
Hertz policies for recharging:
https://hertz.ltschat.com/terms-conditions/?rentaldate=2024-03-02 (change the date as you see fit)
Return the EV with the same level of battery charge as at the time of pick-up to avoid a fee. If You return the EV with less battery charge than the charge level as at the time of pick-up, You will be charged an EV Battery Recharge fee of $35.00 (non-member) / ($25.00 member).
Furthermore: "Battery charging limit on an EV should be set at 80% maximum."
Tips:
-
-The $25 "member" rate is discretionary and not hard coded; make sure to ask for it specifically or get it adjusted after the return.
-The % at pick-up is often wrong; you will want to verify it at the gate a couple of times.
-Some on here report a 5% leeway, but this is not in the terms anywhere.
-Hyundai Ioniq or the Kia equivalent will charge 4x as fast via CCS as a Chevrolet.
-The refuel fee is taxable so it will end up being about ~25% more than you might suspect. At 60 cents a kwh (Electrify America) and a $35 refuel fee ($25 + tax), the break even is 58 kwh. If you can pick up a 77 kwh battery Hyundai and run it down to 19 kwh, you should NOT recharge it.
EV types bookable with/carried by Hertz (including internal car classification group code and travel agency ACRISS code) (This list is incomplete.)
Tesla Model 3 - Group E7 - JCAE
Tesla Model 3 Long Range - Group E8 - JCAC
Tesla Model Y - Group E9 - RFAC
Polestar 2 - Group C4 - JDAE
Kira Niro EV or Chevy Bolt EUV - Group E1 - IFAC
Kia EV6 - Group L8 - SGAC
Subaru Solterra - Group L7 - SGAE
Volvo C40 - Group C3 - JFAC
Manager's EV Special - Group C6 - XXAE (location's choice of EV)
Manager's Special - Group A6 - XXAR (location's choice of any car, can include EV)
Also carried: Chevy Bolt EV (not reservable but often used as Manager's EV Special?)
Renting an Electric Vehicle / EV / Tesla from Hertz
Oct 25, 2021, 5:52 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1,174
Renting an Electric Vehicle / EV / Tesla from Hertz
Hertz Orders 100,000 Teslas in Car-Rental Market Shake-Up
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...?sref=WJKVI5nKLast edited by jason8612; Oct 25, 2021 at 7:38 am Reason: editing font
Oct 25, 2021, 7:49 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 33
Hertz Orders 100,000 Teslas in Car-Rental Market Shake-Up
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...?sref=WJKVI5nKTeslas would be a good vehicles to grab. For long drives, the only problem would be waiting around to charge.
Oct 25, 2021, 10:42 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: BW Diamond, Choice Plat, National Exec Elite
Posts: 3,120
I've seen Teslas at National/Enterprise locations in Denver and Orlando, so they are out there.
It's nice to see them joining the fleet, but I'm guessing they will be premium vehicles. Also, it'll be hard to bring back fully charged. The gas tank needle looks full if you refill 10 miles away. How far can you go before the battery drops below 100%?
It's nice to see them joining the fleet, but I'm guessing they will be premium vehicles. Also, it'll be hard to bring back fully charged. The gas tank needle looks full if you refill 10 miles away. How far can you go before the battery drops below 100%?
Oct 25, 2021, 10:58 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: AA Plat Pto, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,536
As an non Telsa EV owner I welcome this. I drove my first Prius 15 years ago as a result of the Emerald Aisle selection and suspect many drivers will be won over by a real world extended test drive.
Oct 25, 2021, 12:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 3,703
National has been rolling out small numbers of EVs. From what I've heard from National employees, few customers want them.
The fact is EVs are a niche product and I predict they will remain that way until there is a major battery breakthrough allowing recharging to be as fast and widely available as gas. That could take decades, if it happens at all...
The fact is EVs are a niche product and I predict they will remain that way until there is a major battery breakthrough allowing recharging to be as fast and widely available as gas. That could take decades, if it happens at all...
Last edited by m907; Oct 25, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Oct 25, 2021, 12:41 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: LAS
Posts: 211
I've seen Teslas at National/Enterprise locations in Denver and Orlando, so they are out there.
It's nice to see them joining the fleet, but I'm guessing they will be premium vehicles. Also, it'll be hard to bring back fully charged. The gas tank needle looks full if you refill 10 miles away. How far can you go before the battery drops below 100%?
It's nice to see them joining the fleet, but I'm guessing they will be premium vehicles. Also, it'll be hard to bring back fully charged. The gas tank needle looks full if you refill 10 miles away. How far can you go before the battery drops below 100%?
Oct 25, 2021, 4:27 pm
#12
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I laughed when I discovered this was the cause of the TSLA stock bump today. It's a great deal for Tesla, Hertz is paying non-discounted full-price for these vehicles. For Hertz, not so much.
As a former Hertz renter (mainly due to price), I find zero of interest here. First, I see these will be "premium" vehicles, and I am almost always a midsize or SUV guy. Second, if I am renting a vehicle I do not have the time or inclination to find a charging station much less wait 30 minutes or more to juice up. I will likely end up at a hotel and I have yet to see a hotel with more than a handful of chargers, if any. So where do I charge overnight? Third this won't work for the drive to Hana, national parks etc where chargers are even more difficult to find than gas stations. Fourth, business travelers often don't even have time to gas up at the end of the trip, so I can't see them renting a Tesla that may run out of juice during the middle of the day, much wasting time during the hotel rez process to research charging capacity.
I honestly don't see the appeal here except for green nuts who think that renting a Tesla will somehow save the planet, or maybe as an ego boost for those who would normally rent a BMW or Benz.
But hey, what do I know, I work for an oil company...
As a former Hertz renter (mainly due to price), I find zero of interest here. First, I see these will be "premium" vehicles, and I am almost always a midsize or SUV guy. Second, if I am renting a vehicle I do not have the time or inclination to find a charging station much less wait 30 minutes or more to juice up. I will likely end up at a hotel and I have yet to see a hotel with more than a handful of chargers, if any. So where do I charge overnight? Third this won't work for the drive to Hana, national parks etc where chargers are even more difficult to find than gas stations. Fourth, business travelers often don't even have time to gas up at the end of the trip, so I can't see them renting a Tesla that may run out of juice during the middle of the day, much wasting time during the hotel rez process to research charging capacity.
I honestly don't see the appeal here except for green nuts who think that renting a Tesla will somehow save the planet, or maybe as an ego boost for those who would normally rent a BMW or Benz.
But hey, what do I know, I work for an oil company...
Oct 25, 2021, 5:43 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Posts: 3,134
So, my instinct was that this is going to be a non-starter in terms of getting that much of the market to be electric. Then I checked resale prices...
My guess is that Hertz is going to "flip" a bunch of these within a year or two. Given their financial situation and prevailing car resale prices, Hertz can likely get the use of these cars for a year or two for "free" (used 2018 Teslas seem to be selling at above their initial sale price), and this insulates Hertz against a price rise in the next year or two. Frankly, I would not be surprised to see Hertz using the last 20k of this order to replace part of the first 20k of it that they're already selling on for a small profit, having pulled in $10k+ in rental fees while they were at it.
The big win for Tesla is that this also gets around Tesla's lack of dealerships in many states, since Hertz selling on used Teslas won't be constrained in the same way, so this will get the cars onto somebody's lot more effectively.
So this is a smart move all around: Hertz gets cars that will likely cost them next to nothing to own for a year or two, and might even appreciate in that timeframe, while Tesla gets around their biggest logistical jam but the cars are likely still semi-captive for maintenance and so on.
My guess is that Hertz is going to "flip" a bunch of these within a year or two. Given their financial situation and prevailing car resale prices, Hertz can likely get the use of these cars for a year or two for "free" (used 2018 Teslas seem to be selling at above their initial sale price), and this insulates Hertz against a price rise in the next year or two. Frankly, I would not be surprised to see Hertz using the last 20k of this order to replace part of the first 20k of it that they're already selling on for a small profit, having pulled in $10k+ in rental fees while they were at it.
The big win for Tesla is that this also gets around Tesla's lack of dealerships in many states, since Hertz selling on used Teslas won't be constrained in the same way, so this will get the cars onto somebody's lot more effectively.
So this is a smart move all around: Hertz gets cars that will likely cost them next to nothing to own for a year or two, and might even appreciate in that timeframe, while Tesla gets around their biggest logistical jam but the cars are likely still semi-captive for maintenance and so on.
Oct 25, 2021, 5:47 pm
#15
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I'm curious on how the "re-fueling" thing will go for renting this from Hertz. Even in "more green" parts of Europe, finding a parking spot to charge the car at some hotels -- especially when it's a busy time for the hotel -- can be a challenge. And given my rental car use patterns, I'm probably not going to have the time and opportunity to frequently hang out somewhere for "topping off" the battery's charge before drop-off. Is Hertz going to deal with this kind of issue by pushing me and other customers to go for the "prepay fuel" option or face a huge mark-up on "fuel" if not being returned "full"?
Hertz should be able to actually help lower recharging costs in parts since cars sitting on the Hertz lots could have their charging time set for those hours or circumstances when electricity costs are lower than the average for the day for say the typical home owner around 3-20 miles around.
Hertz should be able to actually help lower recharging costs in parts since cars sitting on the Hertz lots could have their charging time set for those hours or circumstances when electricity costs are lower than the average for the day for say the typical home owner around 3-20 miles around.