Hertz is selling 20,000 used EVs due to high repair costs

The rental car company will replace them with gasoline-powered vehicles.

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[m0nckywrench]

I can totally picture someone renting one, never having driven an EV before, and then struggle a bit with how it drives/brakes differently. I own a Model Y and rented one on a trip once and had to pull over to set my options for steering and braking, etc to how I'm used to.

Human interfaces today vary considerably. It would make sense to have industry standards because unlike a desktop OS lives and property are at stake. Automobile control layouts and functions used to be easy to learn because they were very simple and industry had little reason to complicate them.

Rental agencies should consider posting vehicle familiarization videos because reading an owners manual with understanding is a bridge too far for many Americans who read at 8th grade level on a good day. (Ars is not representative of the general public.) The public prefer fewer and simpler choices (Apple is successful because it understands this).

 

[m0nckywrench]

While don't know answer to that, the main issue was the cost to repair the Teslas due to limited repair centers and the length of time time to repair waiting on parts. I want to say the other report I read that while they are reducing their electric fleet, they are also trying to get more electrics from the more traditional manufacturers that should have lower repair costs.

Fleets need readily available LOCAL repair and maintenance with sufficient spares. That means dealers or a suitably equipped (and factory supported!) independent shop. This should have been as obvious as gravity and sunlight.

The alternative is a larger vehicle pool dispatched from centralized repair centers but that would be punitively expensive and have the "U-boat problem" limiting systems on station because others are under repair or in transit.

 

[m0nckywrench]

The fuck you say? That's a $10,000+ job for modern cars.

How many times are you going to lie and misinform in this one thread?

It's usually done for much less thanks to the enormous salvage market but can be more for higher end rides. For example a 2022 Maverick engine can be had for high twos/mid three grand then R&Ied for another one or two. For anything recent swapping in a low mileage donor engine or gearbox is typical and cheaper than an overhaul. Having your local shop rebuild a stock engine is rarely cost-effective for modern passenger cars. Used transmissions are more of a gamble so I'd lean towards a volume remanufactured unit.

r/mechanicadvice is pretty decent for those with specific questions.

DIY has never been more profitable because auto shop labor rates are so high while tool prices are modest.