snapshot
- Hertz Research: Electric Rental Cars Ideal ‘Try Before You Buy’ Experience
- 59 percent of respondents are considering switching to the next EV.
- Ex-rental cars will fuel the second-hand market.
This has been revealed in a new study conducted by Hertz. 67 percent of respondents rated renting a Polestar 2 or Tesla Model 3 as the best experience. For an electric car.
This is unique from petrol or diesel rentals which are usually related to convenience or business.
Among the respondents, 59 percent said they are considering an EV as their next car.Along with cheaper fuel prices (78 percent), reduced carbon footprint (75 percent), uptime (63 percent) and lower maintenance costs (33 percent) are the reasons for switching.
These numbers demonstrate a serious interest in the technology, especially when considering that only two percent of respondents own an EV and less than five percent have ever owned an EV.
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Hertz has international deals with electric car makers Tesla and Polystar, and while the brands have become part of the street furniture in Los Angeles and Norway, the story is a bit different in Australia.
Tesla is making huge strides in Oz’s monthly top 10 sellers with its Model Y SUV – but these start-up brands don’t offer traditional bricks-and-mortar dealerships, so Sunday’s classic test drive is a bit much. It’s hard to come by.
That’s where Hertz says it has the potential to step in, offering not only low-emission vehicles for vacationers, but also extending test drives to potential customers.
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“As a country, we are becoming more environmentally conscious. In fact, our research found that the majority (80 per cent) of Australians identify themselves as environmentally conscious,” Hertz APA. said Evan McNeil, vice president of CK.
“At Hertz, we are making it a priority to give our customers the opportunity to travel more sustainably and the response to date has been excellent.”
The biggest barrier to EV adoption is cost
One of the main barriers to adoption in Hertz’s research was the perceived cost of EVs. 70 percent of respondents say they think electric cars are too expensive..
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This is a story. which car The comments section sees the discourse playing out, and of course, Hertz has a role to play in making EVs more affordable as their rental fleets end their lives and move into the second-hand market.
According to the company, the typical life cycle of a rental car is between 18 to 24 months Serviced with a cap of 50,000 km. However, noting the lack of a combustion engine to maintain, McNeil said the life of the EV fleet could be extended.
“With an EV, there’s the potential for us to double that mileage by extending the life of the vehicle, because kilometers don’t wear and tear on an EV engine the way it does with an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. This will be evaluated over time when we have more EVs on the fleet and experience longevity.
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Buying a second-hand car from a rental fleet is something that is generally not advised – especially when it comes to ICE vehicles that have not been treated as kindly by renters as paying owners. do
Evan McNeil assured which car That its Polestar and Tesla vehicles will be maintained at authorized repairers, the Polestar will be observed at 30,000 km intervals and condition-based Tesla servicing will be completed as required.
Additionally, Hertz has committed to thoroughly inspecting the condition of cars before sending them to auction.
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“Before EVs are sold on the used car market, they will undergo a thorough inspection that includes assessing the health of the battery, how well the charging system is working, the condition of the charge sockets, any portable electric vehicle. Condition and Operation of the Supply Equipment (EVSE) and finally, how well the EV performs in different driving modes.
“We want to make sure that consumers looking to get into the second-hand EV market are able to buy a vehicle that drives well.”
What else is preventing adoption?
The Hertz research also found that 52 percent of respondents believed charging infrastructure was lacking, and that 28 percent did not have enough information about electric vehicles.
“We’re finding that customers who try our EVs love them. Not only because of the environmental benefits, but also because the experience dispels some of the preconceived notions they have about driving. is helping to do it”, McNeil said.