Polestar Wins 65,000 Car Deal with Hertz
Car rental giant, Hertz, is not putting all its BEV eggs in the Tesla basket having announced a 65,000 vehicle order with Swedish premium automaker Polestar.
The deal follows the company’s 100,000 car order with Tesla for both its US and European rental fleets at the end of last year, Now it’s latest deal with Polestar will span five years with availability expected to begin in Spring 2022 in Europe and late 2022 in North America and Australia.
The partnership with Polestar builds on Hertz’s announcement last October to offer its customers the largest EV rental fleet in North America and one of the largest in the world. In addition to making the fleet available to its business and leisure customers, Hertz is extending EVs to rideshare drivers as a way to further accelerate electrification.
Hertz will initially order Polestar 2, an award-winning EV which established Polestar’s position as a premium EV manufacturer with its first volume model. Polestar 2 brings Scandinavian design and leading in-car technology and includes the world’s first infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS with Google built-in for the premium EV segment, in a driver-oriented, dynamic driving package.
Polestar is seen as one of the drivers of global EV growth, helping to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility as consumer interest in the environmental and convenience benefits of electrification increases. It reported that it nearly tripled volumes in 2021 and anticipates more than doubling volumes again this year. The automaker expects volumes to reach 290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, said: “Polestar is committed to accelerating the move to electric mobility with a fascinating and innovative product portfolio. We are delighted that Hertz has chosen Polestar as a strategic partner on their road to electrification. The partnership with a global pioneer like Hertz will bring the amazing experience of driving an electric car to a wider audience, satisfying a broad variety of our mutual customers’ short- and longer-term mobility requirements. For many of them it may be the first time they have driven an EV, and it will be a Polestar.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
