Hertz is buying 65,000 vehicles from Polestar to diversify its EV fleet

Shawn Knight

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Why it matters: The car rental company recently partnered with Volvo subsidiary Polestar on the purchase of up to 65,000 electric vehicles over the next five years. It bolsters Hertz's plan to build the largest EV rental fleet in North America and one of the largest in the world, which got started last October with an order for 100,000 Model 3 vehicles from Tesla.

Hertz said it will initially order Polestar 2 models, which feature a minimalist design and a plethora of amenities including 20-inch forged alloy wheels, a panoramic roof and a large infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS.

Swedish automotive brand Polestar was founded in 1996 and scooped up by Volvo in 2015. Its first production car, the Polestar 1, was introduced in 2017 with a hybrid electric powertrain. The aforementioned Polestar 2 entered production in 2019 as the outfit's first fully electric model. The four-door sedan boasts a range of up to 270 miles with 408 horsepower on tap.

The first wave of Polestar EVs should be available to Hertz customers in Europe this spring before reaching Australia and North America in late 2022. Tesla models are already widely available to rent.

Both offer potential buyers the opportunity to get some seat time with EVs without having to commit to an outright purchase.

Have you had the opportunity to take an EV for a spin yet? If so, how did the experience compare to a standard gasoline-powered vehicle? Would you consider buying one, or have you already pulled the trigger?

Image credit Antoine Joubert

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The Polestar 2 is a decent enough EV. It's actually better than the Tesla Model 3 and Y if "self driving" isn't a factor.

However, the real beans is the Ionic 5 and Kia EV6 which are easily the best EV you can buy under $50,000.
 
Have you had the opportunity to take an EV for a spin yet? If so, how did the experience compare to a standard gasoline-powered vehicle? Would you consider buying one, or have you already pulled the trigger?
I have 2 people on my staff that has driven an EV since 2009\2012, and 1 more since 2019, and I drove them on occasion. I also rented a Model S for a week to try it out, and then last fall I decided to go full on for a longer term and bought a 2017 Focus EV.

Range is really the only point where an EV isn't far superior to a smoker. I took the Focus to my cabin in Eureka Springs a few times and finding a place to charge is no problem, but you should pack a small picnic basket to wait out the mid point charging. Even in just the last five years that has become much less of a problem, though it is still present, unless you can stop at a Level 3 charger which itself still takes time. Of course, the 166 mile trip cost me just a little over $5. So, there's that.

EVs are quiet and a blast to drive. Even in a low powered EV like the Focus, there is something about going from 50 to 70 nearly as fast as you can go from 0-20 that just feels cool as hell.

Near Zero maintenance (EV related)
NO fluids
NO belts

And refuel from home.

EDIT - To add that right after I bought the car, I replaced the AC receiver dryer ($50). And Ford says to replace the battery coolant and filter at 10 years or 150000 miles but I'm going to do that in late spring before I sell it.
 
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Question: Can you buy a super lightweight, inexpensive plain-jane EV that you can work on yourself? That isn't hooked up to the internet? That doesn't have a giant centralized LCD control panel? That is really YOUR car?

My impression is that EVs have the same philosophy as Apple products. Difficult to work on, expensive, and everything you do is scrutinized and regulated.
 
Question: Can you buy a super lightweight, inexpensive plain-jane EV
Light? No. And I hope someday someone explains why that means so much to them. Inexpensive? Yeah. The Leaf and the Mini are under 30 grand, but they are strictly short range soccer mom and general local cars (like my Focus). If you want decent range, the Bolt has 250 miles range is 30K or a little over but, honestly the Bolt is a terrible choice though the new ones are supposed to be greatly improved.

that you can work on yourself
I work on mine. But be honest. How many new, or newer smokers can be worked on at home? Unless you mean the parts ALL vehicles share. All things are equal there, obviously.

Difficult to work on, expensive, and everything you do is scrutinized and regulated.
None of the above are any more or less true with all vehicles. And gasoline rides are far more scrutinized (because of a shameful number of air pollution regulations). At least as far as I have seen.
 
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Light? No. And I hope someday someone explains why that means so much to them.

If I had to wager I guess, to make it easier/cheaper to jack up to get underneath. Lighter car = cheaper jacks and jack stands.

That said, don't most EV's use the "skateboard" philosophy? There is no exhaust to work on, no transmission (not like we know thing in ICE, anyway), no fluids to drain (Diff fluids still a thing in EVS?) Not sure what you would need to jack one up for, except to change a tire or maybe work on the brakes?
 
If I had to wager I guess, to make it easier/cheaper to jack up to get underneath. Lighter car = cheaper jacks and jack stands.

That said, don't most EV's use the "skateboard" philosophy? There is no exhaust to work on, no transmission (not like we know thing in ICE, anyway), no fluids to drain (Diff fluids still a thing in EVS?) Not sure what you would need to jack one up for, except to change a tire or maybe work on the brakes?
They come with a jack, and any 2 1\2 ton floor jack and stands will work just as well with a car. We are talking around 700 lbs more on average for an EV.
 
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