Reserved a Polestar 2 from Hertz for next weekend in Philly. Not sure if I’ll get out of the city to do a proper eval, but looking forward to checking it out.
Reserved a Polestar 2 from Hertz for next weekend in Philly. Not sure if I’ll get out of the city to do a proper eval, but looking forward to checking it out.
I rented a Model 3 from Hertz and returned it with less than that and didn't get charged (last October). Maybe it depends on the location?
Edit: I see that in their written policy now. Maybe I somehow got lucky or need to check my credit card statement! (Or that wasn't the policy at the time.)
That doesn't sound too much different than a standard rental then. Not a ringing endorsement, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Everything is relative of course. My next rental is a manual transmission Ford Focus wagon in Europe given the cost difference for large/automatic/EV vehicles is obscene there. But it should get the job done with no drama. At least I'm going to a country where they drive on the same side of the road...my manual transmission SUV on opposite side road with a newborn and 2-year old on winding narrow Irish countryside roads was an adventure ... but made it through unscathed!
Tesla is recalling approximately 16,000 Models S and X. Apparently it failed to properly reconnect front seat belts after an earlier repair.
That’s so Elon.
Meanwhile, remember the big to-do earlier in the year about Tesla retrofitting Superchargers with CCS adapters? Well, six months later the original eleven stations so equipped (eight in upstate New York, one on Long Island, and two in Northern California) are still the only stations so equipped.
I just read an article today talking about how buying a non-Tesla EV in the next two years is basically stupid because manufacturers are going to move to Tesla's charging port/technology (NACS; and they will have access to Tesla Superchargers), but that's not happening until 2025. So, if you buy a non-Tesla in the next two years, you're basically locking in a technology that is about to die out (well, you can always get an adapter, but it's an extra hassle). It's like getting a VHS player when DVDs are about to make it an outdated technology. The article predicted EV leasing to go up because of this dynamic.
Given EVs are much more "tech vehicles" than ICE cars, I wonder if leasing will become more in vogue a la the iPhone model of "swapping out" every few years. I guess they can do OTA updates, so it'd only be physical elements which don't evolve as much (once the charging standards land somewhere).
Tesla's major advantage remains its charging network.
Those that basically only charge at home (a.k.a use it as a "local/commuter" car), though, won't be as impacted and buying a non-Tesla EV could still make sense IMHO if it fits your needs.
I agree that Tesla's charging network is it's most valuable asset, but disagree on the overall premise of the article, mostly because I think the pace of change in the EV world is much slower than people expect. Look no further than the cybertruck, launched in 2019 and promised to deliver in 2021, but yet still to be available. Standardizing the entire charging infrastructure in the US is going to take a very long time, and I don't think changing charging tech would drive a car purchased today into obsolesce any time soon.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...taliban-china/
Heck of an article about the coming lithium wars.
A bunch of car companies are adopting the Tesla (now "NACS") charging connector as the standard in North America. And SAE developing a true, independent standard for it. Announced companies include Ford, GM, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Polestar, and Volvo. It seems the inevitable endpoint right now.
Those of us with a CSS or other charging sockets will simply get an adapter - sort of like international travel and AC adapters. Tesla or not, having a single standard will be nice.
Fortunately, the connections are self diagnosing and electrons are electrons - no chance of accidentally putting diesel or gas in the wrong tank or using the wrong octane.
-jk
Fair enough. For the record, here's the article I was talking about as I missed providing a link before:
https://www.businessinsider.com/tesl...acs-ccs-2023-7
doesn't matter what EV you try to charge at the tesla charging station. There's going to be a pick-em-up truck with a trailer blocking most of them...
grrrrrrrrr.
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
Probably a ford lighting.
Guy down the road has one .that thing is low to the ground .he says towing just kills the range .
He is not happy with it.
Had to tow a car on a dolly for him.
He Was a on a time crunch couldn't wait to charge it.
I swear he cursed that thing the entire 4 hour trip.
It was almost worth it to hear the new and exciting ways to curse a automobile.
I've read about ICE pickups deliberately blocking tesla chargers here and there. Really obnoxious.
-jk