I had a similar process the first time I rented a Tesla from Hertz (about a year ago). Counter-person was surly, gave me the key for the wrong vehicle (!) and gave me incorrect instructions on how to use the key. Hertz did send out an email in advance on how to use a Model 3/Y, including key entry (incorrect, unfortunately), door operation and charging.
Recently I rented one again, and the process was much improved, which I take as an indicator that (despite this sale), they haven't turned completely bearish on Tesla. Counter-person much more knowledgable and agreeable. No mixups. Also, the software has improved. The rental now provides an on-screen tutorial on using the car, and you can now use your phone as a key. Huge quality of life improvement.
Hertz could still do better. They need fast chargers at their location. All cars should be available "fully" charged (80%) with no need to bring the car back full. And they need to get rid of that ridiculous key-cover for the physical key that prevents you from just slipping it into your wallet like God intended.
I don't know why Hertz is making a big deal out of bringing the cars back charged, other than as an excuse to make some extra cash. The cars probably sit there long enough that they could plug all their Teslas into 120V outlets and charge them fully; their only expense would be a little bit higher electric bill.
Now whether they should charge them fully is another story. No higher than 80% is best for long battery life, unless they know the customer is picking up the car today, in which case 100% is fine.
The location I rented from didn't have a fast charger, and the first time I rented, my car had just been dropped off a few hours earlier and was still charging.
Setting max charge to 80% is fine, but I think it would be nice to add a paid option to start at 100%. Most folks won't need it, but for those who are road-tripping (me), it makes a difference. Happy to pay a little extra in that case.
they probably make a sizeable amount of money on people returning cars without enough gas and thats one less revenue stream if they dont do the same for charge
This honestly sounds like a failure from Tesla just making stuff work in non-standard ways.
Where I am in Europe there are a few car sharing apps that have electric cars, and all that I've rented (VW, Peugeot, Nissan, Hyundai) just work the same as ICE cars. You press the button on the key fob and it unlocks, you press Start and the car starts.
Charging was not terribly complicated either. Scan the RFID tag on the keys against the charger, plug in the cable and wait for it to show it's charging.
Tesla is big on rejecting "standards." Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Their door handles on the Models 3 & Y are more aerodynamic but unintuitive, and exiting is non-standard too (for no apparent reason).
On the other hand, the fob-less key is a massive advantage. Connect your phone, and it is your key. You don't even have to take it out of your pocket. You've also got a backup, physical key card that fits in your wallet. I hate bulky key fobs, so this is a huge win for me.
As for charging, nothing beats Tesla. Plug in to a SuperCharger and 1) charging starts immediately, no scanning, no app, no nothing, 2) the SuperCharger network is extensive and reliable--on my last road trip, I stopped in a small town that had a SuperCharger with eight working stalls and a Level 3 charger that had onenon-working stall; bummer if you're not driving a Tesla; 3) the navigation is SC aware and will route you to the nearest SC, pre-condition the battery for faster charging when you get close and even let you know how many stalls are free as you're approaching.
Assuming it works and has enough stalls. My experience with Ionity has been pretty bad so I’m just sticking with the Tesla Superchargers when I’m driving in a foreign country.
Recently I rented one again, and the process was much improved, which I take as an indicator that (despite this sale), they haven't turned completely bearish on Tesla. Counter-person much more knowledgable and agreeable. No mixups. Also, the software has improved. The rental now provides an on-screen tutorial on using the car, and you can now use your phone as a key. Huge quality of life improvement.
Hertz could still do better. They need fast chargers at their location. All cars should be available "fully" charged (80%) with no need to bring the car back full. And they need to get rid of that ridiculous key-cover for the physical key that prevents you from just slipping it into your wallet like God intended.