Hertz 180: Rental giant to sell 20,000 EVs and replace them with gas-powered vehicles

Make Automobiles Gas Again

I see some interesting takes in the comments but I’ll add my flavor:

Rental car companies have a very specific set of parameters that are a bit different from a typical ownership - fuel costs are basically a nonissue for them, since the renter pays.

Their concern is about cost to purchase and maintenance/repair, both of which are currently better with well established ICE.

On the other hand, I saw some comments about “typical renters being curious about EVs but lacking planning knowledge” - I don’t personally buy this. If anything, most people renting for a trip would be prime candidates to try out an EV, I think the truth of it is that EVs still demand some sacrifices. If I am on vacation or business trip, the last thing I want is to be planning how to use my rental.

Not saying my reality is equivalent to everyone else’s, but these are some caveats I can spot.

redgarl said:

Truth is that the ICE have an atrocious energetic outcome of around 20%. So you lost about 80% of the energy in the process.

In comparison, having a powerplant burning fuel to power EUV has a way better energetic outcome than any ICE would provide.

The truth is coming out and I am enjoying the whole thing...

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I couldn't help but notice you excluded the issue that people actually tend complain about when it comes to EVs. Have you ever seen how Lithium is mined? Most people don't because the majority of it isn't even done in our back yard. nytimes did a pretty decent article back in 2021 about a mine from a dormant volcano in Northern Nevada that they planned on blasting open. The locals protested because it apparently required "billions of gallons" of ground water which could potentially contaminate it for 300 years according to the article.

I personally don't mind EVs... but I'm not ok with Lithium for batteries. Then again It's probably because I spent most of my professional life using cordless drills in one form or another. The batteries always degrade over time and when it comes to lithium, it's hard to find anyone to recycle them, and most places are afraid to mess with them due to the potential of rupture when working on them. Also that's why your phone seems to slow down after 2 years. It's not that your phone itself is getting old, it's because the battery is degrading and it can't supply the charge needed when needed like it did when it was new.

We are a very long way off from being able to use EV full time like we can cars and asking people to switch to an EV full time is a bad idea. Imagine taking a road trip and not seeing any gas stations that you can fill your car at. Now imagine that in an EV where people can't just pull over and dump gas into your tank.

I think we should focus on plug-in hybrids until our battery tech and charging capabilities catch up.

bexwhitt said:

Better at what, range sure, polluting urban areas' hell yes, giving money to countries who are enemies of democracy 100%. Nicer to drive, not on your life.

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Oh no! Not the democracy hating countries.....like the ones that supply cobalt and nickle for EV batteries via slave labor. Definitely not doing the same thing as oil based vehicles.

It's not just range. Repair costs and accessibility are far better on ICE vehicles. That's going to matter a LOT more to urban owners then pollution, virtue signalling doesnt put food on the table. Not everybody wants a macbook for a car.

As for the pollution....my man, when the environmentalists stop fighting nuclear power as a viable replacement for coal and nat gas, I'll believe they care about pollution. As it stands, they'd rather burn off tremendous amounts of nat gas to make electricity and get rid of nuclear because it's "icky" and somehow claim they are reducing emissions.

PEnnn said:

1000s of of the largest companies companies on the planet are totally wrong.

But the 12.5 people here worshiping the ICEs and the fossilized oil companies are all 128% correct.

The same dinosaurs-to- be who vommed exactly the same gems about solar energy, wind energy, etc.

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Large companies make terrible decisions all the time. Remember who BMW and coca cola supported in the 30s? Giants like sears, enron, nokia, blackberry, ece mismanaged themselves into extinction?

The push for solar and wind ignores the needs of baseline power, and the same people pushing for green energy violently oppose nuclear power, which has been viable since the 60s. Modern gen IV reactors are nothing like the gen II three mile island style (and three mile failed correctly, but people will freak out because MuH rAdIaTiOn) yet we see nuclear decommissioned in favor of natural gas, which emits far more CO2 and relies on fossil fuels, as a "green" energy. This is what we call "hypocrisy".

Can't blame them; I will never buy an EV; there's going to be plenty of oil long after we're all dead 1000 times over and can get gas powered vehicles for a few thousand dollars; my last pickup cost $1500; helluva lot easier to stomach than EV prices..