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They didn't even install chargers at their own parking lots. The end result is getting an EV from them would easily mean getting a flat battery if the previous

They didn't even install chargers at their own parking lots. The end result is getting an EV from them would easily mean getting a flat battery if the previous driver didn't charge it or the car was in the lot for a while. The cheese brains thought just having an EV on the lot was all that was needed and that they could charge ice prices for things like half filled batteries. I drive an EV and would not rent one from Hertz.

theshrike79 3y ago
I got a plug-in hybrid from Hertz a month ago. Delivered with a full tank of gas an a 100% empty battery... Good thing I noticed it and charged it with my own charger before going for a trip.
- rwmj 3y ago
  I'm a bit confused, isn't the point of a PHEV that the battery charge is optional?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - SR2Z 3y ago
    Optional, but a full charge saves around $10 of gas depending on the PHEV.
    - alt227 3y ago
      How much does a full charge of electricity cost in order to save $10 of gas?
      - gambiting 3y ago
        My Volvo XC60 costs about £1.50 to fully charge(at home) and easily saves ~£6 in fuel cost for the amount of miles you can cover. I drive daily and fill up every 2-3k miles on average, it's a massive saving over a regular car(for me anyway). But even if it didn't save us any money, it's still worth charging as driving in EV mode is just such a luxurious experience, it's completely quiet inside and that's what elevates the whole experience. If you don't care about it, why buy/rent an PHEV in the first place lol.
      - saalweachter 3y ago
        PHEVs tend to have 10-20 kWh batteries.
      - eclarkso 3y ago
        That is impossible to say in a general way but generally speaking: significantly less. On our PHEV minivan, the electric range is ~30mi, and costs ~$1.50 in electricity (12 kWh usable, ~13c/kWh). On gas, it's ~$3. (30 mi/g, $3/g). Some places you'll save substantially more (cheaper electricity, more expensive gas) or less (vice versa).
        emilecantin 3y ago
        Spotted the Pacifica driver ;-) And yeah the calculation varies, here in Québec it's about $1.20 CAD to charge it at home(10¢/kWh), and about twice that to charge it at a public L2 charger (1$/hour). I save about 4 liters of fuel with that. Fuel right now is ~1.60 so I end up saving around $5 everytime I charge. Adds up pretty quick, and the vehicle is actually cheaper to purchase initially because of the government subsidies. Makes me wonder every time I see a gas Pacifica...
        sokoloff 3y ago
        Sounds like you'd have to do 7 full PHEV battery cycles to save the upthread $10. (I'm pretty sure your math is correct and upthread claim is...optimistic.)
      - theshrike79 3y ago
        Gas costs about 2€/litre here. So if we go by that, you'll get 5 litres for 10€. That'll take the average gasoline powered family car around 100km. The current price for electricity is 0,07€/kWh. My car uses 15kWh per 100km on average, which costs me 1,05€. That's 90% cheaper and as such a complete no-brainer on which to choose. Same goes for PHEVs, driving on electric is just so much cheaper it's not even funny.
        alt227 3y ago
        When your electricity costs 0,07€/kWh, I can see it being cheaper. Mine is currently around ~0.45€/kWh which takes the shine off it quite a bit, and makes gas a much more appealing option.
RadixDLT 3y ago
pure greed
IlliOnato 3y ago
Comparing to the following, chargers might not be the biggest issue... > Sometimes the kludgy system erroneously showed cars as missing, resulting in hundreds of innocent Hertz customers getting arrested on charges of stealing rentals they’d actually returned.
r00fus 3y ago
I got a "free upgrade" from Enterprise to an EV with 20% remaining battery. I took it because I knew I had L2 spots at my hotel and wasn't driving much anyway. So it's not just Hertz.

theshrike79 3y ago

I got a plug-in hybrid from Hertz a month ago. Delivered with a full tank of gas an a 100% empty battery... Good thing I noticed it and charged it with my own charger before going for a trip.

rwmj 3y ago
I'm a bit confused, isn't the point of a PHEV that the battery charge is optional?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- SR2Z 3y ago
  Optional, but a full charge saves around $10 of gas depending on the PHEV.
  - alt227 3y ago
    How much does a full charge of electricity cost in order to save $10 of gas?
    - gambiting 3y ago
      My Volvo XC60 costs about £1.50 to fully charge(at home) and easily saves ~£6 in fuel cost for the amount of miles you can cover. I drive daily and fill up every 2-3k miles on average, it's a massive saving over a regular car(for me anyway). But even if it didn't save us any money, it's still worth charging as driving in EV mode is just such a luxurious experience, it's completely quiet inside and that's what elevates the whole experience. If you don't care about it, why buy/rent an PHEV in the first place lol.
    - saalweachter 3y ago
      PHEVs tend to have 10-20 kWh batteries.
    - eclarkso 3y ago
      That is impossible to say in a general way but generally speaking: significantly less. On our PHEV minivan, the electric range is ~30mi, and costs ~$1.50 in electricity (12 kWh usable, ~13c/kWh). On gas, it's ~$3. (30 mi/g, $3/g). Some places you'll save substantially more (cheaper electricity, more expensive gas) or less (vice versa).
      - emilecantin 3y ago
        Spotted the Pacifica driver ;-) And yeah the calculation varies, here in Québec it's about $1.20 CAD to charge it at home(10¢/kWh), and about twice that to charge it at a public L2 charger (1$/hour). I save about 4 liters of fuel with that. Fuel right now is ~1.60 so I end up saving around $5 everytime I charge. Adds up pretty quick, and the vehicle is actually cheaper to purchase initially because of the government subsidies. Makes me wonder every time I see a gas Pacifica...
      - sokoloff 3y ago
        Sounds like you'd have to do 7 full PHEV battery cycles to save the upthread $10. (I'm pretty sure your math is correct and upthread claim is...optimistic.)
    - theshrike79 3y ago
      Gas costs about 2€/litre here. So if we go by that, you'll get 5 litres for 10€. That'll take the average gasoline powered family car around 100km. The current price for electricity is 0,07€/kWh. My car uses 15kWh per 100km on average, which costs me 1,05€. That's 90% cheaper and as such a complete no-brainer on which to choose. Same goes for PHEVs, driving on electric is just so much cheaper it's not even funny.
      - alt227 3y ago
        When your electricity costs 0,07€/kWh, I can see it being cheaper. Mine is currently around ~0.45€/kWh which takes the shine off it quite a bit, and makes gas a much more appealing option.

RadixDLT 3y ago

pure greed

IlliOnato 3y ago

Comparing to the following, chargers might not be the biggest issue... > Sometimes the kludgy system erroneously showed cars as missing, resulting in hundreds of innocent Hertz customers getting arrested on charges of stealing rentals they’d actually returned.

r00fus 3y ago

I got a "free upgrade" from Enterprise to an EV with 20% remaining battery. I took it because I knew I had L2 spots at my hotel and wasn't driving much anyway. So it's not just Hertz.