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 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. Additionally, Tesla is not yet the type of company that can readily support fleet purchasers. It'll be a while before they are, so until then you're looking at a lot of pain.
Its really no different than buying Apple for business use in 2010 (give or take). Lots of companies were starting to do it, but at that time there were only 4 Apple stores in the US that even had a "business team". Apple was not setup to handle it and still, to this day, are very very slow to roll out business centric features and functionality.
Companies like Hertz have a lot of issues that people don't consider, and making another division in the fleet makes it worse.
Over time, one-way rentals tend to congregate specific vehicles in specific areas, and so you have to have ways of "undoing" that. Having EV cars slowly pool in an area is going to be perhaps MORE annoying than just having too many SUVs, because most people will say "ooo free SUV upgrade" but will balk at "ooo free EV upgrade".
That with the double-whammy of dropping resale value (because new ones are cheaper) along with additional customer complaints, means they really have no major reason to continue.
If the EVs were working for them, they'd buy more to replace the ones aging out of the fleet.
> 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.
> Also they got a LOT of EV's, I give them props for doing so...
Why give them props?
It sounds like an obvious waste of their money and resources, one that could easily have been foreseen and calculated. How can a company that specialises in cars like they do, make such an obvious error, like buying 20k EV cars? They are not consumers making lifestyle decisions, they are meant to be running a business!
Because they were trying to be forward-thinking and do the right thing, environmentally speaking.
> they are meant to be running a business!
By this logic we should still be using coal for all power or maybe crude oil. And kids should still be working in factories. Not everything is just about running a business. You can be a successful business and still make good choices for the world.
Also they got a LOT of EV's, I give them props for doing so... 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. Additionally, Tesla is not yet the type of company that can readily support fleet purchasers. It'll be a while before they are, so until then you're looking at a lot of pain.
Its really no different than buying Apple for business use in 2010 (give or take). Lots of companies were starting to do it, but at that time there were only 4 Apple stores in the US that even had a "business team". Apple was not setup to handle it and still, to this day, are very very slow to roll out business centric features and functionality.