As you probably already know, Hertz purchased 100,000 Tesla Model 3 sedans for use in a new rental program. The company is also offering them at a discount to Uber drivers. We've already read stories about people renting a Tesla from Hertz, and we've learned about some Uber drivers giving the EVs a try.
That said, it will be a long time before Hertz gets all of its Teslas. In the meantime, the rental company may be ordering more for the future. It appears to have the program all set up, and people who have tried it have shared positive vibes.
To be fair, there was plenty of skepticism around the "deal" early on. After Hertz did all of its initial marketing and advertising, made various announcement, and got the new program all set up, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made it clear that there's no contract. He said Hertz is paying the same for each Model 3 as all other customers. Moreover, while we don't know exactly how Hertz placed its order, we do know that there is a long line of customers waiting for a Model 3 ahead of Hertz.
At any rate, infamous Tesla analyst Gordon Johnson tweeted at Hertz this week, just ah day ahead of Tesla's 2021 Q4 and Full Year Earnings Conference Call. Johnson noted that the Hertz rental cars are "sold out" through October 2022, and asked Hertz if the Tesla deal announcement was a stock pump.
Hertz graciously replied stating that it had, in fact, ordered 100,000 cars, and they're very popular. However, we all already knew that. Interestingly, it appears that reply no longer exists, and instead, Hertz seems to have replaced it with the message above, which actually answers his question. While Hertz doesn't have Teslas available at all locations, they are arriving. Johnson sent a few more tweets:
Tesla fans who appear to know others who have already rented a Tesla from Hertz replied to the tweet thread.
Our friends at Teslarati reached out to Hertz. While the rental company says it cannot share specific delivery numbers, it confirmed to the publication that it is:
“... actively receiving deliveries for both our retail and Uber rental fleet and have availability in several markets throughout the country as part of our phased national rollout.”
While we have no idea how many Tesla Model 3 sedans Hertz has received since announcing the new program, it seems clear that Hertz has Teslas in some locations, and has been renting them out. For Johnson to think Hertz would magically take delivery of 100,000 Model 3s instantaneously is arguably ludicrous, especially based on all the information that has already been provided, some of which we've shared above.
We'd love to know what you think of all this. Let's get a conversation started in the comment section below. Do you agree with Gordon?
