It's tackling electrification from multiple angles.
Hertz announced a new public-private partnership called Hertz Electrifies (HE). The famous car rental agency wants to help accelerate the transition to EVs while creating economic opportunities and environmental benefits for the communities in which HE will operate.
To start with, HE is launched in Denver, Colorado. It wants to partner with the mayors of several other American cities in the future. Hertz launched this new initiative in Denver in partnership with Mayor Michael B. Hancock.
“Electric vehicles are poised to transform the future of mobility,” said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr. “That’s why Hertz is investing in the largest electric vehicle rental fleet in North America and bringing a new driving experience to leisure and business customers, as well as rideshare drivers.”
This news comes a few weeks after Hertz agreed to buy 175,000 EVs from General Motors over the next five years, 100,000 models from Tesla, and a further 65,000 from Polestar. GM's EV portfolio is currently limited to the Bolt, but the highly – anticipated $30,000 ($7,500 tax credit not subtracted) Equinox EV will arrive later this year.
Rental agencies have become the easiest way for members of the general public to test an EV these days. Autonomy added a wide variety of EVs to its fleet so that curious shoppers can try anything from a Polestar 1 to a Tesla Model 3
Car rental plays a more significant role in the changeover to electrification than anyone ever expected. Because dealers have no stock available for test drives, rental EVs are responsible for attracting many first-timers to electric cars. It's hard to argue against a Hyundai Ioniq 5 once you've experienced it.
The initiative has several goals. First, Hetz wants to bring up to 5,200 EVs to Denver. These will be available to traditional customers and rideshare drivers. Rideshare drivers will get access to flexible contracts. EVs are cheaper to run, so the drivers make more profit at the end of the day.
Hertz is also developing a workforce training curriculum focused on servicing and maintaining EVs by partnering with local institutions. This will create a pool of trained experts to take care of all the EVs once they become more mainstream due to ICE sales bans popping up all over the States. As a start, Hertz will provide electric vehicles, tools, and training to Montbello Career and Technical High School students enrolled in the auto certificate program.
Access to a large connected EV fleet also puts Hertz in a unique position to collect data. It can pick up on behavior patterns by tracking its fleet of vehicles. This will help Denver, and possibly even the state of Colorado, decide where to erect EV charging stations.
“Our goal is to reduce Denver’s carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, and expanding the use and availability of electric vehicles will play a major role in helping us achieve that goal,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “This partnership with Hertz will provide invaluable data about where we need charging infrastructure the most, as well as provide new opportunities with this new technology to create good-paying jobs for our current and future workforce.”
Keyword: Hertz Launches New Program To Speed Up Electrification In The USA