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I think the model makes sense for gasoline, because gasoline is a fluctuating in price commodity, so if you had to include it in the price of the rental, the re

I think the model makes sense for gasoline, because gasoline is a fluctuating in price commodity, so if you had to include it in the price of the rental, the rental company would have profit or lose money based upon what you used and it’s price at the time of rental. However with electric vehicles, you pay more upfront to have a lower operating cost. Most people purchasing an ev don’t worry about charging infrastructure, because they intend to just charge it in their garage. The rental car company knows how much the electricity will cost to fill up their vehicle as the price doesn’t fluctuate and the cost is way lower than gasoline, and they can easily add some chargers to their locations. Also, electric vehicle chargers often require you to have an account and download an app and really just aren’t designed to be used by someone renting a car. I think the business model simply makes way more sense if the rental car company deals with the first and last charge for an EV.

20after4 3y ago
I get the impression that it's actually not that big of a savings compared to a gas vehicle. Charging a Tesla Model 3 can cost anywhere from 50% to 75% of the cost to go the same miles in an efficient gas-powered vehicle, depending on regional electricity pricing. When you factor in increased tire wear on the Tesla, it starts to really cut into the savings on operating costs. > I think the business model simply makes way more sense if the rental car company deals with the first and last charge for an EV. Totally agree with you there. I would be pretty pissed if I rented an EV and the battery was significantly less than 100% when I got it, and even more so if they demanded me to return it charged up. Suppose I don't have time to wait for it to charge before catching my flight. That's definitely something the rental place should be taking care of.

20after4 3y ago

I get the impression that it's actually not that big of a savings compared to a gas vehicle. Charging a Tesla Model 3 can cost anywhere from 50% to 75% of the cost to go the same miles in an efficient gas-powered vehicle, depending on regional electricity pricing. When you factor in increased tire wear on the Tesla, it starts to really cut into the savings on operating costs. > I think the business model simply makes way more sense if the rental car company deals with the first and last charge for an EV. Totally agree with you there. I would be pretty pissed if I rented an EV and the battery was significantly less than 100% when I got it, and even more so if they demanded me to return it charged up. Suppose I don't have time to wait for it to charge before catching my flight. That's definitely something the rental place should be taking care of.