Going green Hertz: Rental giant axes third of EV fleet over lack of demand

Company expects $245 million hit due to depreciation

Richard Speed
Fri 12 Jan 2024 // 15:30 UTC

Rental giant Hertz is backing away from electric vehicles (EVs) and plans
to sell off a third of its global fleet of battery-powered cars.

Approximately 20,000 EVs are to be offloaded from its US fleet throughout
2024, and the company plans to spend at least a portion of the proceeds
buying internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles "to meet customer demand."

The decision was revealed in a filing made with the US Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) [PDF] and reflects low demand from customers
coupled with lower margin rentals and "damage expense associated with EVs."

Hertz expects to take a hit to the tune of $245 million due to incremental
net depreciation expense related to the sale.

While Hertz emphasized plans to improve profitability of the remaining EV
fleet, with initiatives including expanding EV charging infrastructure and
making deals with manufacturers around access and parts and labor, it's
hard to see the decision as anything other than an abrupt about-face by a
company that a mere two years ago amplified its intent to buy 100,000 cars
from Tesla, along with thousands more from other EV makers.

It seems likely that Tesla's recent price cuts have resulted in alarming
levels of depreciation, which, combined with the cost of fixing the
vehicles, have played a part in Hertz's decision. That, and the fact the
buyers have been staying away from EVs in their droves, according to an
open letter from thousands of US auto dealers.

Lack of demand could also be attributed to concerns regarding the US's
charging infrastructure. Range anxiety continues to represent a barrier,
and although the US Biden-Harris administration announced $623 million in
grants to build out a charging network, the goal of at least 500,000
publicly available chargers is only scheduled for 2030 and will do little
to assuage current worries.

According to the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, there are only
140,000 publicly available chargers in the US.

The Register asked Hertz for more detail on the reasons behind its decision
and will update should the company respond.

The US is not alone in encountering bumps on the road to EV adoption.
According to the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT),
while sales volume of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached record
highs, their market share has slipped slightly to 16.5 per cent.

SMMT observed that although the market share for BEVs had dipped a little,
UK sales of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MEVs) and plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEVs) were surging. It is also worth noting that SMMT
recorded a larger drop in the market share of petrol and diesel vehicles.

As the law stands today, all new cars bought in the UK must be zero
emission by 2035. ®

<https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/>

--
Spike

On Sat, 13 Jan 2024 09:29:53 +0000, Spike wrote:

> Going green Hertz: Rental giant axes third of EV fleet over lack of
> demand
>
> Company expects $245 million hit due to depreciation
>
> Richard Speed Fri 12 Jan 2024 // 15:30 UTC
>
> Rental giant Hertz is backing away from electric vehicles (EVs) and
> plans to sell off a third of its global fleet of battery-powered cars.
>
> Approximately 20,000 EVs are to be offloaded from its US fleet
> throughout 2024, and the company plans to spend at least a portion of
> the proceeds buying internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles "to meet
> customer demand."
>
> The decision was revealed in a filing made with the US Securities and
> Exchange Commission (SEC) [PDF] and reflects low demand from customers
> coupled with lower margin rentals and "damage expense associated with
> EVs."
>
> Hertz expects to take a hit to the tune of $245 million due to
> incremental net depreciation expense related to the sale.
>
> While Hertz emphasized plans to improve profitability of the remaining
> EV fleet, with initiatives including expanding EV charging
> infrastructure and making deals with manufacturers around access and
> parts and labor, it's hard to see the decision as anything other than an
> abrupt about-face by a company that a mere two years ago amplified its
> intent to buy 100,000 cars from Tesla, along with thousands more from
> other EV makers.
>
> It seems likely that Tesla's recent price cuts have resulted in alarming
> levels of depreciation, which, combined with the cost of fixing the
> vehicles, have played a part in Hertz's decision. That, and the fact the
> buyers have been staying away from EVs in their droves, according to an
> open letter from thousands of US auto dealers.
>
> Lack of demand could also be attributed to concerns regarding the US's
> charging infrastructure. Range anxiety continues to represent a barrier,
> and although the US Biden-Harris administration announced $623 million
> in grants to build out a charging network, the goal of at least 500,000
> publicly available chargers is only scheduled for 2030 and will do
> little to assuage current worries.
>
> According to the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, there are only
> 140,000 publicly available chargers in the US.
>
> The Register asked Hertz for more detail on the reasons behind its
> decision and will update should the company respond.
>
> The US is not alone in encountering bumps on the road to EV adoption.
> According to the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT),
> while sales volume of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached record
> highs, their market share has slipped slightly to 16.5 per cent.
>
> SMMT observed that although the market share for BEVs had dipped a
> little, UK sales of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MEVs) and plug-in
> hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were surging. It is also worth noting
> that SMMT recorded a larger drop in the market share of petrol and
> diesel vehicles.
>
> As the law stands today, all new cars bought in the UK must be zero
> emission by 2035. ®
>
> <https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/>

Zero cycling content! What a surprise - NOT!

On 13/01/2024 09:29 am, Spike wrote:
>
> Going green Hertz: Rental giant axes third of EV fleet over lack of demand
>
> Company expects $245 million hit due to depreciation
>
> Richard Speed
> Fri 12 Jan 2024 // 15:30 UTC
>
> Rental giant Hertz is backing away from electric vehicles (EVs) and plans
> to sell off a third of its global fleet of battery-powered cars.
>
> Approximately 20,000 EVs are to be offloaded from its US fleet throughout
> 2024, and the company plans to spend at least a portion of the proceeds
> buying internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles "to meet customer demand."
>
> The decision was revealed in a filing made with the US Securities and
> Exchange Commission (SEC) [PDF] and reflects low demand from customers
> coupled with lower margin rentals and "damage expense associated with EVs."
>
> Hertz expects to take a hit to the tune of $245 million due to incremental
> net depreciation expense related to the sale.
>
> While Hertz emphasized plans to improve profitability of the remaining EV
> fleet, with initiatives including expanding EV charging infrastructure and
> making deals with manufacturers around access and parts and labor, it's
> hard to see the decision as anything other than an abrupt about-face by a
> company that a mere two years ago amplified its intent to buy 100,000 cars
> from Tesla, along with thousands more from other EV makers.
>
> It seems likely that Tesla's recent price cuts have resulted in alarming
> levels of depreciation, which, combined with the cost of fixing the
> vehicles, have played a part in Hertz's decision. That, and the fact the
> buyers have been staying away from EVs in their droves, according to an
> open letter from thousands of US auto dealers.
>
> Lack of demand could also be attributed to concerns regarding the US's
> charging infrastructure. Range anxiety continues to represent a barrier,
> and although the US Biden-Harris administration announced $623 million in
> grants to build out a charging network, the goal of at least 500,000
> publicly available chargers is only scheduled for 2030 and will do little
> to assuage current worries.
>
> According to the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, there are only
> 140,000 publicly available chargers in the US.
>
> The Register asked Hertz for more detail on the reasons behind its decision
> and will update should the company respond.
>
> The US is not alone in encountering bumps on the road to EV adoption.
> According to the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT),
> while sales volume of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached record
> highs, their market share has slipped slightly to 16.5 per cent.
>
> SMMT observed that although the market share for BEVs had dipped a little,
> UK sales of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MEVs) and plug-in hybrid
> electric vehicles (PHEVs) were surging. It is also worth noting that SMMT
> recorded a larger drop in the market share of petrol and diesel vehicles.
>
> As the law stands today, all new cars bought in the UK must be zero
> emission by 2035. ®

That last sentence is gibberish (sorry, "theregister").

Weighing every word correctly, it means something different from what
must have been meant.

What must have been meant (assuming theregister to be reasonably
literate) was "... by 2025, all new cars offered for sale in the UK must
be "zero emmission"...".
>
> <https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/>

I was offered a Tesla by Alamo in the USA last year. Since I planned to
do an eight hundred mile road trip (and back), I politely declined.

What possible use would it have been?

On 13/01/2024 10:18 am, Simon May Sun (transparently) wrote:

> On Sat, 13 Jan 2024 09:29:53 +0000, Spike wrote:
>
>> Going green Hertz: Rental giant axes third of EV fleet over lack of
>> demand
>>
>> Company expects $245 million hit due to depreciation
>>
>> Richard Speed Fri 12 Jan 2024 // 15:30 UTC
>>
>> Rental giant Hertz is backing away from electric vehicles (EVs) and
>> plans to sell off a third of its global fleet of battery-powered cars.
>>
>> Approximately 20,000 EVs are to be offloaded from its US fleet
>> throughout 2024, and the company plans to spend at least a portion of
>> the proceeds buying internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles "to meet
>> customer demand."
>>
>> The decision was revealed in a filing made with the US Securities and
>> Exchange Commission (SEC) [PDF] and reflects low demand from customers
>> coupled with lower margin rentals and "damage expense associated with
>> EVs."
>>
>> Hertz expects to take a hit to the tune of $245 million due to
>> incremental net depreciation expense related to the sale.
>>
>> While Hertz emphasized plans to improve profitability of the remaining
>> EV fleet, with initiatives including expanding EV charging
>> infrastructure and making deals with manufacturers around access and
>> parts and labor, it's hard to see the decision as anything other than an
>> abrupt about-face by a company that a mere two years ago amplified its
>> intent to buy 100,000 cars from Tesla, along with thousands more from
>> other EV makers.
>>
>> It seems likely that Tesla's recent price cuts have resulted in alarming
>> levels of depreciation, which, combined with the cost of fixing the
>> vehicles, have played a part in Hertz's decision. That, and the fact the
>> buyers have been staying away from EVs in their droves, according to an
>> open letter from thousands of US auto dealers.
>>
>> Lack of demand could also be attributed to concerns regarding the US's
>> charging infrastructure. Range anxiety continues to represent a barrier,
>> and although the US Biden-Harris administration announced $623 million
>> in grants to build out a charging network, the goal of at least 500,000
>> publicly available chargers is only scheduled for 2030 and will do
>> little to assuage current worries.
>>
>> According to the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, there are only
>> 140,000 publicly available chargers in the US.
>>
>> The Register asked Hertz for more detail on the reasons behind its
>> decision and will update should the company respond.
>>
>> The US is not alone in encountering bumps on the road to EV adoption.
>> According to the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT),
>> while sales volume of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached record
>> highs, their market share has slipped slightly to 16.5 per cent.
>>
>> SMMT observed that although the market share for BEVs had dipped a
>> little, UK sales of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MEVs) and plug-in
>> hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were surging. It is also worth noting
>> that SMMT recorded a larger drop in the market share of petrol and
>> diesel vehicles.
>>
>> As the law stands today, all new cars bought in the UK must be zero
>> emission by 2035. ®
>>
>> <https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/>
>
> Zero cycling content! What a surprise - NOT!

Oh... the IRONY... May Sun complaining about posts in uk.rec.cycling
which don't mention chav-bikes.

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 13/01/2024 10:18 am, Simon May Sun (transparently) wrote:

[…]

> Oh... the IRONY... May Sun complaining about posts in uk.rec.cycling
> which don't mention chav-bikes.

It can’t be Mason, he would have to pay to use Astraweb, which he wouldn’t
do as there are so many free Usenet servers out there…

=====
X-Complaints-To: https://www.astraweb.com/aup
=====

<https://www.astraweb.com/>

--
Spike

On 13/01/2024 06:57 pm, Spike wrote:
> JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
>> On 13/01/2024 10:18 am, Simon May Sun (transparently) wrote:
>
> […]
>
>> Oh... the IRONY... May Sun complaining about posts in uk.rec.cycling
>> which don't mention chav-bikes.
>
> It can’t be Mason, he would have to pay to use Astraweb, which he wouldn’t
> do as there are so many free Usenet servers out there…
>
> =====
> X-Complaints-To: https://www.astraweb.com/aup
> =====
>
> <https://www.astraweb.com/>

Ah well...

We'll see whether there comes any more of it...!