They might be better organising themselves.  Much more efficiency and profitability.

Less vehicles sitting not being hired & less of those that are not what the customers want.

 

As to EV,s there seems little point hiring them unless they are going to suit your requirements and budget and the cost of Public Charging might well be the issue.

 

All hire firms could be more involved in the infrastructure of their regions and where the vehicles will be getting used.

They might well have cards in the cars for charging at EV hubs and have negotiated good rates for them.

 

Those i have meet at Chargers so far in Scotland have been ones having issues, but then there will be those that might not have and the cars are charging and they are off someplace.

Understanding chargers in Scotland must be a mystery for many.   The Councils / Government could help by Sign Posting to Public Charger Hubs. 

5 minutes ago, Rooted said:

The Councils / Government could help by Sign Posting to Public Charger Hubs. 

... and motorway and trunk road Service Areas could do with better signposting to the EV charging area(s).

10 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

@wyx087Even if you read the post that you referred to https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/11/24034462/hertz-ev-sell-one-third-fleet-ice-tesla-polestar-used, it also says that they shedding 20k of EV's including Telsa model 3, Chevy Bolt, and BMW i3, leaves them with just 40k EV's. It also backs up the maths that the 20k is a third of its fleet so it would throw some doubt on the claim of Hertz buying 100k of Tesla's.

The last part of that article states the 100k deal was seen to completion. 

Quote

Hertz’s problem is a bit unique. Of the 100,000 Teslas acquired by Hertz, half were to be allocated to Uber drivers as part of a deal with the ridehail company. And while drivers said they loved the Teslas, they also tend to drive their vehicles into the ground. This higher rate of utilization can lead to a lot of damage — certainly more than Hertz was anticipating.

 

Of course ride hailing cars get driven into the ground, and more likely to need bodywork repairs. EV's instant torque may also be surprising for people who are not used to it. 

 

In 2021-2022 they bought 100k Tesla, plus other cars throughout the year. At end of 2023 they have 60k total EV's. Beginning of 2024 they want to cut it down further down to 40k.

 

At some point between 2022 and 2023 they've cut their fleet by half, quietly. But in 2024 they decide to publicise this particular fleet restructure. I also think there's some narrative going on to shape public perception about supposed high cost of running EV's.  

 

 

 

Cost is indeed a prohibitive factor. I would happily hire a BEV if it were only slightly more expensive. My Austria holiday last year I rented a horrible diesel X1, even though there were free Tesla destination charger at my hotel. Cost to hire a Tesla were more than double compared to what it costed me with a small budget rental company. Problem is budget rental companies are not offering EV's around Europe. 

 

But I read it's different in sunny California, Model 3 costs same as a economy box to hire. 

An Autocar article ust popped up on my phone.

 

Toyota has no immediate plans for a Small EV / Electric Aygo.   Batteries too expensive.  

It says the cheapest car will be the £32,000 the New Urban Crossover.

 

VW Group are pretty much in the same boat, or just no small EV cars already on a boat or even on the horizon.

 

It looks like it will be the French that are going to have to be getting small and affordable EV,s into cities. Maybe small last mile electric delivery vehicles as well. 

 

@PetrolDaveIn Scotland we have the A9 & the A90 running hundreds of miles south to north, north to south and some charging hubs just a few hundred yards off of them but not visible and it is the Councils & their roads departments that could have signage.

As to planning and regulations on signage on the Trunk Routes and non trunk routes that does come down to the Scottish Government.

Transport Scotland is a total joke.

 

There are all at the Emergency Centre today though because the possible Snowmageddon hitting the Central Belt and South. 

 

As it is Local Councils might not even have those they use to clear roads or pavements of snow or grit clear the Chargers Bays, 

they can actual cause issues by pilling snow stopping you getting to them.

That can be Contractors or the Direct Labour Contractor.  ie, their staff by another name.

 

 

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

So it would seem as if the truth is indeed somewhere in between after all then?

 

Even with Uber drivers driving their cars in to the ground, it doesn't still make any sense, are they trying to say that they treat BEV cars differently to ICE then?? There is more to this than is meeting the eye currently and with time, I expect it will be revealed.

 

As to Hertz reducing the fleet still further to 40k EV's, then once again my figures would seem to be correct because if the only had 60k and are now selling 20k (33%) then that would in fact leave them with 40k, yes?, as per my calculation.

9 minutes ago, Rooted said:

An Autocar article ust popped up on my phone.

 

Toyota has no immediate plans for a Small EV / Electric Aygo.   Batteries too expensive.  

It says the cheapest car will be the £32,000 the New Urban Crossover.

 

VW Group are pretty much in the same boat, or just no small EV cars already on a boat or even on the horizon.

 

It looks like it will be the French that are going to have to be getting small and affordable EV,s into cities. Maybe small last mile electric delivery vehicles as well. 

 

 

That would make sense, I've always thought that the current range available from BEV's is woefully inadequate, but however they make perfect sense (if the figures they keep quoting are truthful), that they are ideal for cities and large urban areas for trips in and around the immediate area and thus making massive differences locally to air quality where the most of the population are. There is no problem with air quality outside these areas. So the small last mile delivery vehicles make the ideal solution, use ICE power to local hubs, and then distribute the goods to BEV for the last mile delivery, perfectly logical. 

Like DPD and Royal Mail, Open Reach etc are doing around Scotland and elsewhere now then. 

 

Open Reach EV,s to be trialling the Street Green Box to EV charger conversions in Scotland.

 

...........

Dundee 2019 and facilities get better and better for public charging, but sadly now the cost for public charging exceeds running a petrol vehicle for non business users, 

eg just a normal motorist using a car for Domestic, leisure /pleasure or even commuting.

 

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

@RootedThanks for the info regarding Hertz, not looking too rosy there, is it. Shades of another Post Office style scandal there, with the arrests and jailing of innocent hirers.

I had to drive around an ev spinning his rear wheels in the snow on a hill this morning .

There will be plenty EV,s doing that on OEM tyres.  What about ICE BMW,s were there any of those about spinning there wheels regardless of RWD, FWD or AWD? 

 

Appropriate tyres, appropriate use of the accelerator even with the wrong tyres, regen if you want and one pedal driving and TC / ASR or not selected and off you go and stop when you want.

Pre heating / de-icing is lovely.

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

Its not so much the fact that they are not using OEM tyres, I mean they must be suitable or otherwise they would be fitting them, would they? My car is still on all weather tyres as fitted when new. It's got far more to with the engine power at the sometimes pretty big torque figures available and the drivers' inability to understand just how to drive on slippery roads, be they icy or snow impacted, we don't get enough of the bad weather for them to get used to driving in such conditions and for many it might well be their first experience of bad weather. 

 

So many people get these big powerful cars like BMW's etc and then just like Clarkson go "Power" and bury their foot in the carpet and wonder why their wheels are spinning, and TBH I can predict this getting worse as there seems to be a race to develop ZEV's with even more power and torque being delivered to the wheels right from the off, I can see many accidents being caused by the massive acceleration that many are now capable of and insurance premiums going sky-high as a result. 

 

I do agree that it is nice to have the ability to preheat / de-ice before setting foot in the car. Some can Skoda's have that ability, mine can be sadly they don't seem to be approved on models destined for the UK 😒

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

13 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

I do agree that it is nice to have the ability to preheat / de-ice before setting foot in the car. Some can Skoda's have that ability, mine can be sadly they don't seem to be approved on models destined for the UK 😒

How does that work from Highway code perspective about running engine unattended. Is this why it's not available?

 

17 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

TBH I can predict this getting worse as there seems to be a race to develop ZEV's with even more power and torque being delivered to the wheels right from the off, I can see many accidents being caused by the massive acceleration that many are now capable of and insurance premiums going sky-high as a result. 

This is the thing I was alluding to earlier. Handing renters who are not used to it, instant fast accelerating cars.

 

EV's generally get a higher category than ICE cars, hence more slightly expensive. Fast acceleration may be a contributing factor.

1 hour ago, wyx087 said:

How does that work from Highway code perspective about running engine unattended. Is this why it's not available?

Because some of the Superbs can be fitted with a diesel powered heater system and can be programmed to switch on and off via the onboard management systems so it does need the engine running. Similar heaters can also be fitted into caravans for example.

 

Here is a similar system for Volkswagen T5/T6 vans that have the heater mounted beneath them and the hot air ducted inside.

 

Eberspacher Airtronic D2L Externally Mounted Diesel Heater With Easystart Pro Controller For Volkswagen T5/T6 | 12 Volt Planet

 

There is one of these fitted into this superb self designed and built camper van and if you goto around the 10:50 area you can see it and they describe it.

 

 

 

 

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

3 hours ago, wyx087 said:

How does that work from Highway code perspective about running engine unattended. Is this why it's not available?

To further substantiate what I was saying about the Superb being available in some markets with the pre-heating and de-icing similar to that of some EV's of the car without the engine running and also as it turns out with the added bonus of warming the engine to at least 50oC to aid cold starting as well as warming the interior up, page 125 to 127 of the Superb manual cover this topic and it can be downloaded from here 😉

 

 

^^^ I think on a Skoda forum especially this forum we know what you get in some countries and what people ask on this forum regularly about can i fit this'.

 

@Graham ButcherWhat 'All Weather Tyres did your Superb Come from the Factory with,  are these 3PMSF / 3 Peak / Snow Flake tyres?

They all come on All Season / All Year / All Wether tyres,  Just that these tyres for 12 months of the year that most come with are not Winter Certified.

 

As to OEM tyres, the forum is full of those wanting to change them because yes they are suitable for importing cars into the UK on right up till some people do  not feel they are safe enough for them to be getting about on. 

 

PS.         EDIT i see now that @Graham Butchercovered this. 

@wyx087

There are pre-heaters for ICE engines that Pre-Heat the coolant & oil,

because starting the Engine from cold to Pre-Heat it is not Pre-heating is it ?, 

it is maybe getting the engine ready for you to drive off or heating the interior. 

Edited 17 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

4 minutes ago, Rooted said:

^^^ I think on a Skoda forum especially this forum we know what you get in some countries and what people ask on this forum regularly about can i fit this'.

 

As to OEM tyres, the forum is full of those wanting to change them because yes they are suitable for importing cars into the UK on right up till somepeople do  not feel they are safe enough for them to be getting about on. 

Well, clearly @wyx087was not aware hence his question 😉

 

As to the tyre fitment, it is personal choice, but maybe some don't feel safe because they are always pushing the limits of grip and performance trying to first to get anywhere? 

 

I have never felt the need for other tyres and I have been driving professionally ever since passing my test at 17.

What are the OEM your tyres the car still has fitted?   The 'All weathers'   That Skoda put on. 

 

-6*oC and i am away to get the drivers door of the Estate car open and get it fired up and the ice under the snow melted and then drive with great care on the 275 wide rear 'All year round tyres' that it has fitted.  (RWD)

I have been driving lots for many winters on very bad roads, but very very seldom ever on sh1tE tyres for winter roads. 

(I should have had the Greenhouse heater in it before the snow started.)

 

EDIT.

Doors were not frozen shut.

Hurry up and slow down.   Flight from Norway i am going to meet might be delayed as a big storm there overnight. 

 

Edited 17 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

Electric car charging ?

No. In cold climates ICE (not a pun) get plugged in to block heaters to keep the glycol in the "cooling", yes cooling systems warm enough not to bust the "cooling" system.

Diesel fuel itself starts to get sludgy around minus 12C.

Glyloc needs to be very close to the range of being 60% strength with the water being the other 40% to give protection down to minus 45/50 C I gather so you need to get your hydrometer to get that just right.

 

And media trying to paint the picture EVs have issues with vey cold temperatures . 

 

"ICE" car plugged in to a block heater to stop the glycol bursting the engine.

 

 

As most of my cars have been company cars, the tyres were always replaced with the same make and type as they left the factory, when the ownership transferred to me and tyres were needed, I went with the advice of the tyre fitters for the best performance on all season tyres at the best price and compatible with any tyres that were still on the car and not needing replacements they were Avon ZV7. Having learnt my craft on skinny cross-ply tyres fitted to a 1957 Hillman Minx and was taught by a bus driver, who are trained in the art of giving smooth and gentle inputs to the car, be it steering, throttle, brakes and even clutch control. That is still the way I drive today what is the point of driving on the limits of adhesion, because one day that adhesion will disappear and these heavy footed and late brakers will find themselves will discover that are in a whole heap of trouble. Yes I have people in their BMW's, Audi's etc roar past me like a bat out of hell, only to find them sitting at the next set of lights or roundabout or even stuck behind a stream of traffic in front that I could see, but they couldn't until they passed me.

 

Regardless of whatever speeds people hit on the odd occasion, they cannot escape the fact that the average speed for a trip of a decent length still comes out at approx 50mph at best unless you have the added benefit of blue lights and a two-tone siren.  

@lol-lolI can't say as If I've ever encountered temperatures that low, but we used to have to start Gardener diesel engines on the buses in the garages early mornings when it was well below freezing. We would have to flip the compression levers down to lower the compression ratio a little bit, get a rag and tie it to old school welding rod, dowse it in paraffin and light it and then take it to each bus in turn and stuff that rag into the air intakes while someone else cranked the engine over on the starter till it started. Once started, withdraw the lit rag, and flip the decompression levers back up and leave the bus ticking over.

 

You can imagine how smokey the garage got with around 60 odd buses all running spewing greyish white smoke out, it was like a good old fashioned pea soup fog and it would make your eyes sting and water, forcing us outside into the freezing weather in order to not breathe in any more of the fumes that we absolutely had to.

This is interesting. It won't affect me as I've taken the step to stop working abroad (it's too much hassle wince 'B' day - not the toilet support system thingy), so it's likely that even if I go full electric one day, I would hire abroad anyway, or better still, hire a big V8 

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/battery-passports

 

 

6 minutes ago, Lady Elanore said:

This is interesting. It won't affect me as I've taken the step to stop working abroad (it's too much hassle wince 'B' day - not the toilet support system thingy), so it's likely that even if I go full electric one day, I would hire abroad anyway, or better still, hire a big V8 

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/battery-passports

"Battery passport" does not mean you need to get a passport for your car. 

 

It wouldn't affect consumer apart from more easily accessible supply chain knowledge about the vehicle. 

 

Read the contents of article you've shared! 

 

Edited 17 January, 20242 yr by wyx087

1 hour ago, Graham Butcher said:

 I went with the advice of the tyre fitters for the best performance on all season tyres at the best price and compatible with any tyres that were still on the car and not needing replacements they were Avon ZV7.  

 

Avon ZV7 are not All Season tyres that have relevant 3PMSF / 3 Peak / Snow Flake certification - they are simply a high performance Summer Tyre that can be used year round should you so desire Avon ZV7 - Avon Tyres

 

Avon's true All Season tyre is the AS7 AVON AS7 ALL SEASON (avontyres.com)

Edited 17 January, 20242 yr by skomaz

Good grief, what ever next

14 minutes ago, skomaz said:

 

Avon ZV7 are not All Season tyres that have relevant 3PMSF / 3 Peak / Snow Flake certification - they are simply a high performance Summer Tyre that can be used year round should you so desire Avon ZV7 - Avon Tyres

 

Avon's true All Season tyre is the AS7 AVON AS7 ALL SEASON (avontyres.com)

Well whatever, I've not had any problems with the standard tyres or the Avons, they have all provided me with enough grip under all conditions I have come across, including snow. The secret is to always use  gentle inputs.

Edited 17 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher