{"id":30020,"date":"2022-11-08T17:38:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T21:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30020"},"modified":"2022-11-08T17:39:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T21:39:57","slug":"payne-road-trippin-in-a-hertz-rent-a-tesla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/payne-road-trippin-in-a-hertz-rent-a-tesla","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Road trippin’ in a Hertz Rent-a-Tesla"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Neck, Virginia<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Car rentals demand a lot of an automobile. We customers are jet-lagged and likely in a rush. We have an armful of luggage that needs to be stowed. We have no idea how to get to our destination, but need to get there on time no matter the distance. In short, the car must be as loyal a travel companion as a Sherpa up the face of Mt. Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n

So when Hertz announced late last year an order of 100,000 Tesla Model 3s on its way to making its fleet 20% electric, I was eager to put an EV rental through the paces. Sure, EVs boost Hertz\u2019s image (it has also inked deals with GM and Polestar) coming out of COVID-induced bankruptcy, reduce fleet maintenance costs by 50%, and provide a ready destination for automaker EV production.<\/p>\n

But are EVs ready for prime time as rental mules?<\/p>\n

With a week\u2019s notice that I would be traveling to remote, historic Stratford, Virginia, to meet my wife on a business trip, I rented a Model 3 from Reagan National Airport outside the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

Rentals aren\u2019t cheap these days and my premium-class Model 3 was $161 a day, about $30 more than a comparably-sized Hyundai Elantra mainstream compact, but well below, say, a luxury gas-powered Cadillac XT5 SUV at $330. The Model 3\u2019s twin Model Y SUV? About $100 a day more. Total Tesla bill after taxes and airport fees: $611 for three days.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n
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Upon arrival in D.C. \u2014 landing into Reagan National from the north for a spectacular view of the Lincoln and Washington monuments \u2014 I accessed Hertz\u2019s app so I could bypass the counter and go directly to the car. But the app wasn\u2019t working, which was OK because I had questions for the agent.<\/p>\n

Namely, would I need to return the Tesla fully fueled \u2014 er, fully charged?<\/p>\n

Nope. I would just have to return it with at least 10% of charge. Otherwise, the cost of any Supercharger stops (at 31 cents per kWh, about double what Detroiters pay for home charging) was on Hertz.<\/p>\n

Easy peasy. Meanwhile, my poor wife \u2014 renting separately for her longer stay in Virginia \u2014 waited for an hour in the Dollar Rental line for her Hyundai.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I stowed my bags in the trunk (with \u201cfrunk\u201d room to spare) and awoke the sedan via a two-step process: 1) tap the B-pillar with a Tesla card to open the door, 2) once seated with foot on brake, tap the card on the console. I\u2019ve owned a Model 3 for four years \u2014 and driven every other Tesla model \u2014 but for the Tesla uninitiated, there is a learning curve to adapt to the operating system. This is not your average vehicle with console gear shifter, rotary climate knobs and steering wheel-mounted cruise controls. Jump into a Hertz Elantra rental (or premium Cadillac or Infiniti) and it\u2019ll be familiar in minutes.<\/p>\n

With Tesla, everything is operated through the screen \u2014 or via shortcuts using twin rotary balls on the steering wheel. Even for the initiated, Model 3 requires some set-up. The process took me back to my first Tesla in 2018 and the excitement of learning a new system. But for the harried traveler, well, patience is required.<\/p>\n

\"For<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

After synching my phone, I worked my way down Tesla\u2019s menu of screen settings:Set mirrorsSet auto windshield wipersSet windows to close automatically on lock when you walk awaySet auto high beamsSet destination via voice activation (\u201cNavigate to Stratford, Virginia\u201d)Set Autopilot to Autosteer.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, Hertz features Tesla\u2019s ambitious Autopilot self-driving system.<\/p>\n

With instant torque from the rear-wheel-drive Tesla\u2019s electric motor, I exited the airport and merged onto George Washington Parkway south with authority. Zot! Then I pulled down twice on the column shifter and the EV took over the driving, asking only that I keep a hand on the wheel for reassurance that I hadn\u2019t nodded off.<\/p>\n

Significantly, the rental was not equipped with Navigate on Autopilot \u2014 that is, no auto lane changes or auto exits when you reach your exit. Otherwise, my rental self-drove anywhere \u2014 on secondary roads or divided highways.<\/p>\n

On Metro D.C.\u2019s crowded roads, Autopilot was a welcome driving assistant as I navigated stop \u2018n\u2019 go traffic while checking on messages\/email down Indian Head Highway.<\/p>\n

My 190-mile round trip to Stratford Hall, home of Virginia\u2019s famed Lee family (78 miles each way plus side trips), shouldn\u2019t have required a charging station visit given the Model 3\u2019s estimated 283 miles of range. But that doesn\u2019t mean charging isn\u2019t always at the back of your mind.<\/p>\n

After all, I only got 68% of battery range for my trip \u2014 meaning my expected 283 miles of range was actually just 192. I was keen to know where the closest Tesla Superchargers were should I need a quick charge.<\/p>\n

Reassuringly, there were two Superchargers in the rural Northern Neck (the closest just 15 miles from Stratford). This is Tesla\u2019s secret sauce \u2014 a reliable, robust network. By contrast, the nation\u2019s other large fast-charger networks \u2014 Electrify America and EV Go \u2014 had nothing in the Northern Neck, with their closest charger 40 miles away.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I used the Model 3 as a proper rental vehicle (not parking it for fear of range anxiety) over the weekend: running errands, visiting GW\u2019s nearby birthplace, even letting a fellow Stratford Hall visitor take it for a test drive. He was impressed \u2014 thrilled by the car’s instant acceleration and self-driving capability on twisty backroads.<\/p>\n

On my way back to the airport I detoured to a Northern Neck Supercharger station \u2014 located at a Sheetz gas station \u2014 for a 10-minute, peace-of-mind top-up gaining 75 miles of charge. A gas-powered car will take on 400 miles of range in three minutes \u2014 an indication of how far EVs have to go as road-trip mules.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Tesla cost more to fuel than my wife’s gas-fired Hyundai, too. At 31 cents per kWh at the Supercharger, my EV was billed $20. The Hyundai’s fuel bill at $3.49 cent regular gas over a comparable 190 miles: about $18.<\/p>\n

Tesla\u2019s navi \u2014 Autopilot self-driving me through dense Sunday night traffic \u2014 led me back to Reagan National\u2019s Hertz lot with time to spare before my flight. An attendant greeted me and I double-checked on the refueling cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cI charged at 31 cents per kWh at a Supercharger. Does that go on my bill?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re all set,\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Northern Neck, Virginia\u00a0\u2014 Car rentals demand a lot of an automobile. We customers are jet-lagged and likely in a rush. We have an armful of luggage that needs to be stowed. We have no idea how to get to our destination, but need to get there on time no matter the distance. In short, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30020"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30021,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020\/revisions\/30021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}