Hertz is selling its EVs because it botched the rollout for ride-share drivers It's a precautionary tale for how to assess new markets — and how not to introduce a new product.
Hertz made a splash in 2021 when it announced that it would buy 100,000 Tesla Model 3 sedans in a little over a year.
Hertz said in an SEC filing that it would be selling 20,000 of its EVs and replacing them with fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
After Hertz started buying EVs, it directed most of them to Uber drivers.
Uber drivers also rented the cars for longer periods of time, Hertz said, meaning that fewer employees were needed to support a given number of vehicles.
CES has increasingly become defined by what automakers and other mobility-focused companies bring to Las Vegas, and CES 2024 has been no exception.
Hydrogen’s making a big comebackThe underlying technology for hydrogen-powered vehicles has been around for a while, though it’s been eclipsed by battery-powered electric vehicles.
But at CES 2024, a number of companies from Nikola to Hyundai and Bosch were touting its benefits.
We explore why this is the year several companies are highlighting hydrogen, with an additional deep dive into Hyundai’s plans.
Kia’s modular EV lineup is revealedModular phones may have come and gone, but Kia hopes modular vehicles will have a bit more success.
Hertz is selling off a third of its electric vehicle fleet, which is predominantly made up of Teslas, and will buy gas cars with some of the money it makes from the sales.
Hertz’s move to slash its EV fleet comes as electric vehicle sales growth has cooled from record highs.
Just two years ago, Hertz announced plans to buy 100,000 EVs from Tesla by the end of 2022.
Instead, as of October 2023, Hertz had only purchased 35,000 Teslas and its entire electric fleet included about 50,000 EVs total.
It announced plans in 2022 to buy up to 175,000 EVs from General Motors, and another 65,000 from Polestar.
CES has increasingly become defined by what automakers and other mobility-focused companies bring to Las Vegas, and CES 2024 has been no exception.
Honda’s 0 series EVs, Saloon and Space-Hub concepts debutIf you’re tired of “thick, heavy” EVs, Honda has an alternative vision for you.
The carmaker showcased a more sleek design for its Saloon concept, while the Space-Hub takes a more family-friendly van approach.
Though like its standard form factor, the voice-powered ChatGPT could still be tricked, as we learned in a hands-on demo.
Kia’s modular EV lineup is revealedModular phones may have come and gone, but Kia hopes modular vehicles will have a bit more success.
Honda is dunking on the ‘thick, heavy’ electric vehicle trend in an attempt to build buzz around its upcoming 0 series EVs.
Honda also didn’t say specify if it plans to use such materials when it commercially launches its first 0 series electric vehicles.
Honda has lagged in the switch to electrics, and it recently called it quits on a plan to co-develop “affordable” electric vehicles with GM.
Though Honda plans to launch an electric Prologue this year, the automaker intends to launch 30 EVs by 2030.
That’s why the 0 series launch will be a big moment for Honda.
CES 2024 or bust, Superpedestrian e-scooters hit the auction block and Fisker struggles to meet sales goalsThe Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation.
I appreciated a bit of rest and recovery, just in time for CES 2024.
The Big Three U.S. automakers (Ford, GM and Stellantis) won’t have big splashy displays and announcements as in past years.
However, there will be plenty of automotive, and more broadly, transportation companies and startups in attendance.
Shell Ventures, InMotion Ventures, Porsche Ventures, and Revo Capital also participated.
Sono SionGerman automaker Sono once led the charge to bring solar panels to electric cars with the five-seater Sono Sion hatchback.
No longer an automaker, Sono now focuses on embedding its solar tech into other vehicles.
GM, Honda’s affordable EVsGeneral Motors and Honda said in April 2022 that they’d co-develop millions of small and affordable EVs.
Months later, it seems the acquirer has yet to restart VanMoof production or resume repairs.
On the other handIt’s been a bummer year for fans of small EVs, but all is not lost.
EnergyX has developed a unique extraction and refining process that it says can produce high-quality lithium at a lower cost than traditional methods. The company is hoping to use the…
The Hyundai Motor Group’s investment in the South Korean electric vehicle industry is a step in the right direction for eco-friendly transportation. With more than 24 trillion won planned for…
But in the rest of the world, where automobiles are often more utilitarian and sparsely decorated, SUVs and crossovers are considered less cool. In countries like Japan or Korea, for…
