Hertz to Buy Cadillac Lyriqs and Chevy Silverado EVs to Bolster Electric Rental Fleet

by Chris Teague

August 22nd, 2023 12:00 PM

hertz to buy cadillac lyriqs and chevy silverado evs to bolster electric rental fleet

Automakers are going electric, which means that all the companies that rely on them will have to adapt. Car rental companies have long pledged to make the transition alongside their auto industry partners, and Hertz recently announced that it would be adding the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Silverado EV.

Hertz already noted plans to buy 175,000 EVs from General Motors by 2027, and the rental giant’s fleet already houses 50,000 EVs, around 10 percent of its inventory. The company said it plans to have one of the most extensive electric fleets in the world, aided heavily by the thousands of new electrics from GM. That said, the automaker hasn’t had the smoothest time producing its Ultium-backed EVs, so it could be a bumpy road ahead.

The Silverado EV isn’t on sale yet, and the Lyriq is just hitting the market, so it’s likely the new vehicles will take a while to filter into the rental fleet. Hertz said it had plans to purchase EVs from other automakers and will offer other electric models, including vans and pickup trucks. It’s already possible to rent EVs from peer-to-peer services like Turo, but Hertz’s move would give a significant boost to the U.S. electric rental fleet. Now, if they could come up with a few extra chargers.

[Image: Jonathon Weiss via Shutterstock]

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12 of 26 comments

Carson D on Aug 22, 2023

I rented a plug-in hybrid Pacifica from Enterprise. I'm sure they received generous taxpayer subsidies to encourage them to buy such expensive vans. I was told not to charge the battery and just treat it like a normal gas car, just one that weighed 5,000 pounds and doesn't use fuel as efficiently as any of my non-hybrid vehicles. I'm sure it is great if you've got a short commute and the ability to charge it though. You could save hundreds of dollars on gas each year!

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- See 4 previous
- 28-Cars-Later on Aug 23, 2023
  
  "I'm sure it is great if you've got a short commute and the ability to charge it though. You could save hundreds of dollars on gas each year!"
  
  Save hundreds of dollars while spending thousands more to buy!
  
  1
- MaintenanceCosts on Aug 23, 2023
  
  For most of its life, after tax credit, the Pacifica PHEV has been cheaper to buy than the gas-only version. The real difference is that you get Stow 'n' Go on the gas-only version, but the seat well is taken up by batteries on the PHEV. (On the other hand, the PHEV's not-stowable second-row seats are much more comfortable than the Stow 'n' Go ones.)
  
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- TheEndlessEnigma on Aug 23, 2023
  
  @MaintenanceCosts, if it requires tax credits to be cheaper than the ICE version THAN IT IS NOT CHEAPER!
  
  2
- Golden2husky on Aug 24, 2023
  
  The type of commute is a big factor in deciding if a hybrid is right for you. My commute (NYC to Long Island) was precisely the conditions where hybrids shine. 42 miles, typically 2 hours going home. The '14 Prius returned 65 MPG if I drove it without any particular care about mileage. Driving with mileage in mind - not hypermiling - and using the excellent dash power/throttle graphics to help, I routinely saw 73 MPG. It gave me something to do to help with the monotony of the drive. A regular car of the same size would struggle to break 20 in such hellish conditions. To have the commute I did and not drive a hybrid would just be foolish. And you get to use the HOV lanes. The plug-in part is more of the question mark. Theoretically I would be able to go about half my one way commute on battery power which sounds great but that also means I need to charge on both ends to get the most benefit. My coworker friends tell me that chargers have become more difficult to find available in our lot. Glad I retired; don't need to worry about that anymore!
  
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- Gregory Neff on Aug 31, 2023
  
  If you shift a five speed Sentra or Civic 1,3,5, and know how to drive efficiently, you can get similar gas mileage without all of the batteries and nonsense. I was given a beater ‘93 Nissan Sentra in 2004. drove it for ten years, got 40 miles per gallon consistently, and the only things it ever needed were tires, brakes, a battery or two, and a clutch at 190K miles. I gave it to a guy when it’s R 12 A/C quit, with 267K miles, and it’s still running. Let’s see an electric car perform and last like that.
  
  Like
Kcflyer on Aug 22, 2023

Woke stupidity.

2 Reply
- See 1 previous
- SCE to AUX on Aug 23, 2023
  
  "Woke stupidity" doesn't pay the bills. Hertz is buying EVs to make money, and they're doing so by reducing maintenance costs.
  Rental companies don't want a fleet of unreliable cars with expensive repairs.
  
  1
- Carson D on Aug 24, 2023
  
  They're doing so because they're in the hands of ESG capital. Running a business is secondary.
  
  Like
Inside Looking Out on Aug 22, 2023

Robotaxi solves all these problems. Charging Robotaxi and accidents are not your problem anymore.

1 Reply
Tassos on Aug 23, 2023

I wouldn't bother with the stupid Silverado EV, but I could try the Hertz Lyriq.

I despise crossovers and SUVs, but I read really good reviews about the Lyriq from VERY distinguished Auto Journalists (as WSJ's Dan Neil, the only Auto Journalist I know who won a Pulitzer for his very entertaining as well as incisive, high level car reviews.

1 Reply
- ToolGuy on Aug 23, 2023
  
  @Tassos, sorry to disappoint you. I believe by your standards (only respect persons with net worth above $X) you aren't allowed to give Dan Neil any credence.
  Sad trombone.
  
  Like