{"id":31578,"date":"2023-10-12T18:10:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T22:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=31578"},"modified":"2023-10-12T18:10:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T22:10:04","slug":"businesses-are-joining-governments-in-nudging-drivers-to-go-electric-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/businesses-are-joining-governments-in-nudging-drivers-to-go-electric-heres-how","title":{"rendered":"Businesses are joining governments in nudging drivers to go electric. Here&#8217;s how"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Grand Rapids<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 As governments push automakers to go all-electric or face fines over the next decade, companies are jumping on board the industrial policy bandwagon to incentivize consumer EV adoption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Uber, for example, wants 100% of its drivers to be behind the wheel of an EV by 2030.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">To incentivize EV adoption, the rideshare company\u2019s Green Future program is offering drivers an attractive, $400-a-week rental deal for EVs like a Tesla Model Y; drivers like Matt Williamson, 40, from Allegan County south of Grand Rapids. Williamson has been renting Teslas for the last year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085738007-ev-adoption-uber-williamsonrt.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Uber driver Matt Williamson, 40, of Allegan County, rents a Tesla Model Y from Uber for $400 a week to save on gas. The Tesla comes from Hertz's enormous EV fleet.\" width=\"515\" height=\"290\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085738007-ev-adoption-uber-williamsonrt.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085738007-ev-adoption-uber-williamsonrt.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Uber driver Matt Williamson, 40, of Allegan County, rents a Tesla Model Y from Uber for $400 a week to save on gas. The Tesla comes from Hertz's enormous EV fleet.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Uber driver Matt Williamson, 40, of Allegan County, rents a Tesla Model Y from Uber for $400 a week to save on gas. The Tesla comes from Hertz's enormous EV fleet.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cGas prices were killing me,\u201d said Williamson, who drove his own Acura MDX SUV before Uber sent him an email about EV rental opportunities. \u201cI was paying $800 a week in gas, and now I\u2019m paying about $140 in electric bills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Uber rents its Model Y to Williamson and other drivers through Hertz, one of the most aggressive companies pushing EV adoption with thousands of EVs in its fleet \u2014 and counting. Utilities like Michigan\u2019s DTE Energy, which could see significant growth if its customers add cars to their electric bill, is offering EV tests and incentives. Reaction has been mixed, from Uber drivers saving gas to Hertz renters struggling with charging, to customers experiencing sticker shock.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-2\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cEVs aren\u2019t for everyone,\u201d said Williamson while connected to a Tesla Supercharger in a Meijer parking lot. \u201cI live in a rural area \u2014 what are people going to do with a Ford Lightning? You can only tow 100 miles with it. But if you live in a city and have access to a DC charger or home charger, then EVs are the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Three stalls down, Alexis Gonzalez, 43, plugged in his Tesla Model 3. He had just started renting for $354 a week.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-3\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"2\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI got an email from Uber that said I qualified for the EV program since I have Uber Gold status,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I thought I\u2019d give it a try.\u201d He had been paying $45 a day for gas in his Ford Taurus, and is now paying about $16 to fill up with electrons. Uber is also sending more business his way since his EV qualifies for higher-priced fares under the Uber Comfort electric service. Uber also gives drivers a $1-per-ride credit for using an EV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ride-share rentals are an important part of Hertz\u2019s fleet business, and the company says 50,000 Uber drivers have rented an EV. Hertz says that electrics are cheaper to maintain, have better depreciation costs and earn the company substantial federal subsidies. The company also anticipates that cities will mandate Uber and Lyft be all-electric in the next decade. New York, for example, is requiring ride-share companies be all-EV by 2030.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">Michigan Politics<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Washington and Lansing, red and blue, we&#8217;ve got your government covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Daily<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\"><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Hertz is investing in the largest EV rental fleet in North America,&#8221; Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr said last month in New York while donating EVs to city high schools for student training. &#8220;New York City (is) a natural accelerator for the most significant transformation that&#8217;s happened in the auto industry in a century.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The rental company plans for 25% of its fleet to be battery-powered by the end of next year (330,000 vehicles) with models from brands including Chevrolet, Tesla, Polestar, Kia, Hyundai, Subaru and Volvo. Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act, many of the EVs Hertz purchases qualify for a $7,500 tax credit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085763007-ev-adoption-uber-charger.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"At a Tesla Supercharger in Grand Rapids, stalls fill up at 6 p.m. \u2014 including with Uber drivers filling up for the evening shift.\" width=\"507\" height=\"286\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085763007-ev-adoption-uber-charger.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/06\/PDTN\/71085763007-ev-adoption-uber-charger.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"At a Tesla Supercharger in Grand Rapids, stalls fill up at 6 p.m. \u2014 including with Uber drivers filling up for the evening shift.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"At a Tesla Supercharger in Grand Rapids, stalls fill up at 6 p.m. \u2014 including with Uber drivers filling up for the evening shift.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The company is encouraging its airport rental customers to go electric, too \u2014 including a free day\u2019s rental for those who book an EV for two or more days. The experience, however, can be frustrating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">One of those customers is Mary Wilson, 70, of Louisville, Kentucky. A frequent traveler in Hertz\u2019s President\u2019s Club program intrigued by electrics, she arrived on a visit to Baltimore in 2022 to a sea of Teslas in the lot.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-4\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"3\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI had never driven an EV before, and Hertz doesn\u2019t give you any guidance,\u201d she said. \u201cI had no idea how to drive a Tesla. I figured out how to put it in Drive, but the annoying thing about Hertz is that it only had 50% of charge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Wilson drove the car to her hotel and found a common, 240-volt charger in a subway station next door to charge overnight. But she couldn\u2019t find the Tesla\u2019s charge adapter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cYou can\u2019t get a Hertz person on the phone, so I eventually called emergency assistance and they guided me to the adapter, which was located in a space under the trunk. Fortunately, I had time to kill so I could figure this all out,\u201d she said. Her problems continued on day two as Hertz had set the cabin temperature to 82 degrees. She couldn\u2019t find the climate controls in the 15-inch touchscreen, so she drove with the windows down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI loved the car but I was annoyed at Hertz,\u201d she said with a laugh. She subsequently rented a Polestar 2 EV in Palm Beach and Volvo XC40 Recharge in Baltimore and was further put off by the rental company\u2019s requirement to charge the car to 70% upon return or pay a fee \u2014 a challenge given sparse charging infrastructure.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-5\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"4\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cBut I now own a Tesla of my own in Louisville, and the rental experience helped me get comfortable with EVs,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">DTE Energy sees EVs as an opportunity to grow its business. And as governments mandate carmaker fuel sources \u2014 like utilities \u2014 to be fossil-fuel-free, auto industry insiders see a natural alliance between utilities and manufacturers. To that end, DTE is offering a $1,500 rebate to eligible consumers who buy an EV \u2014 and rebates to businesses of up to $70,000 per DC fast-charger installation and $2,500 per 240-volt port.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">DTE organized six \u201cEV Ride and Drives\u201d this year to get butts in seats. Over the weekend of Oct. 1, drivers could get into a Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Model Y, Chevy Bolt, Mustang Mach-E or Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid for a three-mile test around Beacon Park in downtown Detroit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Tiffany Walker, 43, of Inkster got behind the wheel of a Mach-E and an Alfa. She enjoyed the Mach-E\u2019s electric ride and steering, but got a shock from the sticker price of the Ford EV, which crested $60,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cEVs are pricey!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cThey need to be more affordable, especially if they want to make everyone go green.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/09\/PDTN\/71118605007-1006-kk-tiffany-walker-ev-04.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Tiffany Walker of Inkster test drove two EVs at an event sponsored by DTE but the high prices put her off. She plans to keep her gas-powered Lincoln MKZ.\" width=\"536\" height=\"358\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/09\/PDTN\/71118605007-1006-kk-tiffany-walker-ev-04.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/09\/PDTN\/71118605007-1006-kk-tiffany-walker-ev-04.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=882&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Tiffany Walker of Inkster test drove two EVs at an event sponsored by DTE but the high prices put her off. She plans to keep her gas-powered Lincoln MKZ.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Tiffany Walker of Inkster test drove two EVs at an event sponsored by DTE but the high prices put her off. She plans to keep her gas-powered Lincoln MKZ.\" data-c-credit=\"Katy Kildee, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">She owns two gas-powered sedans, a 2016 Lincoln MKZ and 2014 Lexus 350, which she relies on for road trips to far-flung destinations like Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. She also balked at the Alfa\u2019s $45k-plus sticker price, but liked the fact hat it had a gas engine that would kick in when the 30-mile battery range petered out.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-6\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"5\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cElectric to gas makes a lot of sense. It\u2019s like having two tanks,\u201d she said, though she has no plans to buy a hybrid. \u201cIt\u2019s all about affordability. Folks on a fixed income will be priced out of the market by EVs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Like Uber and Hertz, DTE claims environmental benefits for EVs, saying that a driver in \u201cMichigan reduces up to 70% of emissions annually compared to a driver of a gas-powered vehicle.\u201d But Uber driver Williamson was less impressed by the green pitch than by the bottom-line benefits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cEVs aren\u2019t any better for the planet. Battery materials are being mined by slave labor overseas,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I was paying over $5 a gallon for premium fuel to drive my Acura. For $175. I put a charger in my house and now I\u2019m saving hundreds of dollars a week in fuel costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>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":"<p>Grand Rapids\u00a0\u2014 As governments push automakers to go all-electric or face fines over the next decade, companies are jumping on board the industrial policy bandwagon to incentivize consumer EV adoption. Uber, for example, wants 100% of its drivers to be behind the wheel of an EV by 2030. To incentivize EV adoption, the rideshare company\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/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\/31578"}],"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=31578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31579,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31578\/revisions\/31579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}