Less than a year ago, we reported on the news that Hertz ordered no fewer than 100,000 Tesla cars † hundred thousand† It was such big news that many didn’t even believe it, thinking it was “fake news.” An additional fascinating element is that: Mark Fields was the interim CEO of Hertz at the time and Fields was previously the CEO of Ford. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk stepped in at one point to say, “I’d like to emphasize that no contract has been signed yet.” That was met with some setback from the Hertz team, who emphasized that some cars had already been delivered. Despite the skepticism and communication difficulties surrounding the deal, the next three quarters have shown that Hertz was dead serious about ordering all those Tesla cars and putting them into service in the United States.
The latest news, as seen in the headline, is that Tesla vehicles have been added to 15 more Hertz locations in the United States, in addition to the first 7 locations. That brings the total number of Hertz locations with Tesla vehicles to 22, a suitable stepping stone for 2022. However, I expect more locations to get Teslas before the year is out. The biggest cause of the slowdown is probably only Tesla’s backlog of orders and the imbalance between supply and demand. I spoke to someone on the tennis court yesterday who said his order for a Model Y had just been delayed until April-July 2023. Yowzers! The good news – it gives him more time to save the money for his Model Y. The bad news – he spends a fortune on gasoline every week!
Tom Brady on the set of the Hertz “Let’s Go” campaign. Celebrating the future of mobility by making electric vehicle rental fast, seamless and more accessible than ever. Image courtesy of Hertz.
And that brings us to an important point that should not be overlooked with these new Hertz cars. Although we EV drivers often forget the pain people experience at the pump, for many people it is a real cost increase. Rental cars often get a lot of mileage, which again means high petrol costs, especially in expensive markets where people often go on holiday or on business trips. Saving a good chunk of coin on “fuel costs” while traveling will help alleviate personal, family, and business budget challenges.
JUST-IN: Teslas updated on Hertz locations. $tsla $htz @SawyerMerritt pic.twitter.com/Ih0cIbOWHv
— Mikey (@OranjaboomsMike) July 11, 2022
The new Hertz Tesla rental car locations, as you can see in the screenshot above, are:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Burbank, California
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Colorado Mountains, Colorado
- Dallas, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Vegas, Nevada
- Newark, New Jersey
- New York City, New York
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Sacramento, California
- San Diego, California
- San Jose, California.
As Elon Musk tweeted at the time of the announcement, unlike other automakers, Tesla does not offer fleet discounts. In fact, Elon never gave discounts on Tesla vehicles to his family members or close friends – everyone had to pay full price. (Of course, in the beginning, Elon knew the chances of survival were slim, and Tesla needed every penny it could get.)
To be clear, cars sold to Hertz are not discounted. Same price as for consumers.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2021
Football legend Tom Brady was the famous face of the Tesla-Hertz deal last year. While it is common for celebrities to put their smiles on a product for a large amount of money to help the company move products, what was remarkable about this celebrity endorsement is that Tom is a very happy Tesla owner and has been for a long time. Mr Brady spoke to Bloomberg technology about that last November when he was interviewed about Hertz’s blockbuster announcement. He is also a long-time Hertz customer. Maybe he did the commercials pro bono? †hahahaha†
As a longtime Tesla Model 3 owner, I can’t think of a better option for additions to the Hertz fleet than a combination of Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 vehicles. We also recently published a first review of a new Tesla Model 3 from a number of EV enthusiasts and multi-EV owners who have joined the CleanTechnica team. Check it out below if you haven’t seen it yet.
I haven’t seen any news of Hertz expanding the use of Tesla vehicles worldwide, outside of the United States, but one would hope that’s okay too. All over the world, people are eager to rent electric cars when on vacation or business trips, and Tesla offers one of the most seamless experiences in Europe, China, Japan, Australia, as well as the United States and Canada. In Europe, plug-in vehicles now account for about 15-20% of new vehicle sales! Electric is not only becoming a “nice to have” but a “must have”. Rental car fleets certainly recognize this and will increasingly add electric cars to their option list.
“Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we are just beginning to see rising global demand and interest,” said Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields said last year† “The new Hertz will lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America and a commitment to grow our EV fleet and provide the best rental and charging experience for leisure and corporate customers around the world.”
What we do know from last year is that EVs are expected to be available in 65 Hertz markets by the end of 2022 and in 100 by the end of 2023. So we can expect many more announcements in the next 5-17 months. Will Hertz stop adding electric cars after that? Of course not! However, it may then broaden its options for electric vehicles, as not everybody wants a Tesla and there are more and more attractive electric cars on the market – from the Ford Mustang Mach E and Ford F-150 Lightning to the Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5of the Cadillac Lyriq to the Rivian R1T†
Which electric vehicle models do you think Hertz will add next?
In which markets do you think Hertz will launch the next Tesla offerings?
Do you already have experience with a Tesla rental from Hertz?
Answer one of these fun questions below!
Related story: Electric rental cars are here! What will be the outcome of the Hertz & Tesla partnership?
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