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In theory if the people used the in-car travel planning features it shouldn't have been a problem, but if Hertz wasn't telling them about that then you could ha

In theory if the people used the in-car travel planning features it shouldn't have been a problem, but if Hertz wasn't telling them about that then you could have a very stressful experience.

lelanthran 3y ago
> In theory if the people used the in-car travel planning features it shouldn't have been a problem, This is just a different way of saying "If people put in more work this wouldn't be a problem", but you're ignoring the context - people who rent cars are often in a hurry, need transport now and need to get someone now. This all indicates that they are busy, and your suggestion is that they should work harder to get the same result?
- jandrese 3y ago
  The systems aren't hard to use, quite the opposite, but they can't help if you don't use them. I think if Hertz spent even 5 minutes explaining to people how the in-car navigation worked and emphasizing how important it is this experiment have been a success. The car will work out the charging stops for you, tell you how long you need to be there (hint: not long), and do all of the stressful planning steps automatically. It's not just Tesla either. All major EVs come with route planning. If you have range anxiety you're using it wrong. This isn't even the driver's fault, how can they know about these features if nobody tells them? I don't even fully blame Hertz for this. Tesla should be marketing the route planning nationwide. Show people how life with EVs actually is instead of leaving them in the dark and letting them think that owning an EV means a roll of the dice every time you get behind the wheel where you might not find a friendly plug in time and be stranded on the side with no way to jerrycan more miles.
  - lelanthran 3y ago
    > The systems aren't hard to use, quite the opposite, but they can't help if you don't use them. I'm not claiming that the systems are hard to use, I'm saying that it's an additional friction over ICE cars, in which you don't need to put in extra work to learn a piece of software, you don't need to wait for the rental assistant to explain how it works and you don't need to plan refuelling stops to coincide with rest times. As a renter, I give them my booking number, my drivers license and my credit card, then jump in and head straight to my destination. All the other stuff that the Tesla's required may be easy, but we go from 2 steps (pay and drive) to 5 or more steps. TBH, if Hertz had wanted this to be a success, the biggest thing they could have done was made sure that the cars were always fully charged before the customer drove off. Route-planning is kinda irrelevant when you're doubling the friction required to rent a car.
  - mulmen 3y ago
    5 marginal minutes is an eternity in customer service. Travelers are in a rush. The idea that Hertz will or even can train customers individually is a laughable fantasy.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      In fact, one of the points of my loyalty programs with various car rental companies is that I can look at the board and walk straight to my car.
  - WheatMillington 3y ago
    >If you have range anxiety you're using it wrong. Sorry but that is a hyper-obnoxious comment. I've never yet driven an EV, and range anxiety is undoubtedly something I will experience when I eventually get to. I don't want that in the context of being away from home on work or holiday.
ycombobreaker 3y ago
I rented an electric car from Hertz out of necessity. They gave me NO information about this functionality, and in a new car UI my priorities were covering the basics for safe travel. This is not a realistic perspective, that EV-specific in-car features would provide help for an unfamiliar and weary traveler. That will change over time but it'll continue to be painful for now.
oceanplexian 3y ago
The "in-car" planning features are a going to get people stranded on the side of the road, including in a Tesla. I had to make a trip from Tucson, AZ to Bisbee, a super common route you would make as it's a popular tourist destination. Bisbee is about 80 miles from the supercharger down Interstate 10. By default, the cars are configured to stop charging when they get to 80% or something like that. Your average consumer is not going to have a clue because that's not how gas pumps work. There was 0 public charging infrastructure after the Supercharger, not so much as a public J1772 charge point (It might look like it using an app, but they are broken or nonfunctional). The Model 3 gets under 200 miles of range going the pace of traffic, which is 80-85 MPH. Then they take a wrong turn or drive around at the destination and burn up the last 30-40 miles. The poor sucker that rented the Tesla was told it would get "270 miles of range". When he left the charger it said he had over 200 miles to go. But reality sinks in, and at some point in the journey, if they get even slightly distracted, they will find themselves 50 miles from the charger with 30 miles left.
- throwway120385 3y ago
  > The poor sucker that rented the Tesla was told it would get "270 miles of range". When he left the charger it said he had over 200 miles to go. But reality sinks in, and at some point in the journey, if they get even slightly distracted, they will find themselves 50 miles from the charger with 30 miles left. And the reason gasoline took off as a fuel was because it was frequently used as a degreaser before we decided to burn it instead, so you could buy it in tins from the blacksmith in whatever town you found yourself stranded in. There's nothing analogous to that for EVs.
  - mulmen 3y ago
    Any regular wall outlet can charge an EV.
    - alexb_ 3y ago
      There are zero wall outlets in the middle of the desert.
mulmen 3y ago
I rented a Tesla from Hertz. They gave me zero instruction. It took me 10 minutes to get out of the parking space.

In theory if the people used the in-car travel planning features it shouldn't have been a problem, but if Hertz wasn't telling them about that then you could have a very stressful experience.

lelanthran 3y ago

> In theory if the people used the in-car travel planning features it shouldn't have been a problem, This is just a different way of saying "If people put in more work this wouldn't be a problem", but you're ignoring the context - people who rent cars are often in a hurry, need transport now and need to get someone now. This all indicates that they are busy, and your suggestion is that they should work harder to get the same result?

jandrese 3y ago
The systems aren't hard to use, quite the opposite, but they can't help if you don't use them. I think if Hertz spent even 5 minutes explaining to people how the in-car navigation worked and emphasizing how important it is this experiment have been a success. The car will work out the charging stops for you, tell you how long you need to be there (hint: not long), and do all of the stressful planning steps automatically. It's not just Tesla either. All major EVs come with route planning. If you have range anxiety you're using it wrong. This isn't even the driver's fault, how can they know about these features if nobody tells them? I don't even fully blame Hertz for this. Tesla should be marketing the route planning nationwide. Show people how life with EVs actually is instead of leaving them in the dark and letting them think that owning an EV means a roll of the dice every time you get behind the wheel where you might not find a friendly plug in time and be stranded on the side with no way to jerrycan more miles.
- lelanthran 3y ago
  > The systems aren't hard to use, quite the opposite, but they can't help if you don't use them. I'm not claiming that the systems are hard to use, I'm saying that it's an additional friction over ICE cars, in which you don't need to put in extra work to learn a piece of software, you don't need to wait for the rental assistant to explain how it works and you don't need to plan refuelling stops to coincide with rest times. As a renter, I give them my booking number, my drivers license and my credit card, then jump in and head straight to my destination. All the other stuff that the Tesla's required may be easy, but we go from 2 steps (pay and drive) to 5 or more steps. TBH, if Hertz had wanted this to be a success, the biggest thing they could have done was made sure that the cars were always fully charged before the customer drove off. Route-planning is kinda irrelevant when you're doubling the friction required to rent a car.
- mulmen 3y ago
  5 marginal minutes is an eternity in customer service. Travelers are in a rush. The idea that Hertz will or even can train customers individually is a laughable fantasy.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    In fact, one of the points of my loyalty programs with various car rental companies is that I can look at the board and walk straight to my car.
- WheatMillington 3y ago
  >If you have range anxiety you're using it wrong. Sorry but that is a hyper-obnoxious comment. I've never yet driven an EV, and range anxiety is undoubtedly something I will experience when I eventually get to. I don't want that in the context of being away from home on work or holiday.

ycombobreaker 3y ago

I rented an electric car from Hertz out of necessity. They gave me NO information about this functionality, and in a new car UI my priorities were covering the basics for safe travel. This is not a realistic perspective, that EV-specific in-car features would provide help for an unfamiliar and weary traveler. That will change over time but it'll continue to be painful for now.

oceanplexian 3y ago

The "in-car" planning features are a going to get people stranded on the side of the road, including in a Tesla. I had to make a trip from Tucson, AZ to Bisbee, a super common route you would make as it's a popular tourist destination. Bisbee is about 80 miles from the supercharger down Interstate 10. By default, the cars are configured to stop charging when they get to 80% or something like that. Your average consumer is not going to have a clue because that's not how gas pumps work. There was 0 public charging infrastructure after the Supercharger, not so much as a public J1772 charge point (It might look like it using an app, but they are broken or nonfunctional). The Model 3 gets under 200 miles of range going the pace of traffic, which is 80-85 MPH. Then they take a wrong turn or drive around at the destination and burn up the last 30-40 miles. The poor sucker that rented the Tesla was told it would get "270 miles of range". When he left the charger it said he had over 200 miles to go. But reality sinks in, and at some point in the journey, if they get even slightly distracted, they will find themselves 50 miles from the charger with 30 miles left.

throwway120385 3y ago
> The poor sucker that rented the Tesla was told it would get "270 miles of range". When he left the charger it said he had over 200 miles to go. But reality sinks in, and at some point in the journey, if they get even slightly distracted, they will find themselves 50 miles from the charger with 30 miles left. And the reason gasoline took off as a fuel was because it was frequently used as a degreaser before we decided to burn it instead, so you could buy it in tins from the blacksmith in whatever town you found yourself stranded in. There's nothing analogous to that for EVs.
- mulmen 3y ago
  Any regular wall outlet can charge an EV.
  - alexb_ 3y ago
    There are zero wall outlets in the middle of the desert.

mulmen 3y ago

I rented a Tesla from Hertz. They gave me zero instruction. It took me 10 minutes to get out of the parking space.