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Payne: Amid weak demand, my Hertz EV rental was the bargain special
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 29, 2024
Washington — The subcompact Mitsubishi Mirage is the cheapest car offered in the U.S. market — unless you’re renting an electric car.
On a trip to the nation’s capital this month, an electric Tesla Model 3 or a Chevrolet Bolt could be rented for just $70 a day at Reagan National Airport. The next cheapest car? The Mirage at $85 a day.
The disparity (which repeated in some other markets with EV rentals I surveyed, including New York LaGuardia, Phoenix, and Seattle) is reflected in plunging used EV prices as well as the $7,500 incentives new EVs demand in order to sell beyond their core luxury and green customer base. Rates are a disappointment for Hertz after pioneering the rental of “clean” transportation in 2021.
Hertz’s fire sale speaks to the inconvenience of rental EVs compared to gas cars. And it exposes larger issues with mass adoption of electrics even as governments punish the production of internal-combustion cars over the next few years. Hertz had initially planned on stocking 25% of its fleet with EVs by the end of 2024 but threw that plan in reverse as demand and EV residual values plummeted. Hertz is on its way to selling off half of its 60,000-unit EV fleet by the end of this year.
I am the owner of a Tesla Model 3 and thoroughly enjoy the user experience from its performance dynamics to its ergonomics. But my rental difficulties began at the pickup counter.
Hertz didn’t have a vehicle for me. “Your reserved car isn’t ready, but we will assign you one as soon as possible,” said the desk agent.
The problem became apparent when I went to the parking garage. As a Gold Member, the counter allowed me to choose any car from the lot — but there was my Tesla front and center. Still charging.
If it were an ICE rental, my car would be filled by Hertz in two minutes and ready go. But my Tesla rental was at 64% of charge on a 240-volt charger. That meant it would take at least another two hours to charge to 100%.
I looked down the aisle that had been full of unwanted EVs last spring when I last visited D.C. A lone Chevy Bolt sat, fully charged.
Trouble is, the charging network for non-Tesla EVs in rural areas beyond major metros like D.C. is sparse and unreliable. My destination? Meeting my wife for the weekend at the Stratford Hall historic home in Virginia’s Northern Neck (between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers) 75 miles away.
A quick scan of chargers in the Northern Neck found a couple locations with single, 75 kWh stalls — one in a dealership, the other at a toll booth. Would they be available? Would the dealership be open?
Tesla, on the other hand, had two Supercharger locations at Sheetz service stations with eight stalls in each. And at 250 kWh charging speeds, they were three times as fast as the non-Tesla locations. I took the Tesla, a rear-wheel-drive model with 19-inch wheels and standard, 248-mile range — or 164 miles at 64%.
Teslas receive constant over-the-air updates, and my rental was state-of-the-art — except for Full Self-Driving software which Hertz does not make available for customers.
“Navigate to Stratford Hall, Virginia,” I barked, and the system navigated me to Stratford, predicting 25% (62 miles) of charge left for weekend adventures.
Not good enough.
I knew that Stratford had a single, 240-volt charger that I could use to charge on arrival. But other visitors might use the charger and there was no guarantee that I would have access to it on a timely basis. I added an intermediate stop for the first Tesla Supercharger in the Northern Neck town of King George — located in a Sheetz service station — where I planned to quickly charge to 80% of battery capacity in 10 minutes so that I’d have enough charge to last me the weekend.
Needless to say, all this mental planning is a lot harder than just renting the Mitsubishi. But the Mirage was more expensive and the Tesla more fun to drive.
And chains like Sheetz are making it easier to fuel EVs.
I arrived at the Sheetz with 39% of charge remaining. All eight Supercharger stalls were open. In 10 minutes, I gained 100 miles of charge to 80% of battery capacity (206 miles).
While I waited, I picked up a chicken nuggets meal at the Sheetz café. Food ‘n’ charging, the perfect combo (though Sheetz can’t hold a candle to Chick-Fil-A nuggets). Two of the five Sheetz locations in the Northern Neck have Tesla chargers as well as gas pumps.
The extra charge would come in handy as I ate up all but 57 miles over the weekend. On Saturday night, I anticipated my 75-mile trip back to Reagan National the following afternoon and located Stratford’s lone 240-volt charger. The charger was available — but was blocked by oblivious gas cars.
I managed to squeeze my Tesla onto a sidewalk between cars to charge, the cord just reaching. After 4.5 hours, the Tesla was back at 80% charge.
In one major change since I last rented a Tesla, Hertz has relaxed its requirement that EVs be returned with 75% state of charge. That was frustrating for customers to reach given tight travel times and poor charging infrastructure.
“Just return it with at least 10% of charge,” waved the Hertz attendant when I left.
That’s convenient. But it also means it may take longer for Hertz to turn the EV around for the next customer.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.