Rental car giant SIXT has announced plans to buy up to 250,000 Stellantis electric vehicles, a month after telling customers it would be removing Teslas from its EV fleet.
SIXT this week announced plans to reach a “multi-billion euro agreement” with Stellantis to add cars from a range of automakers to its rental fleet, including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Alfa Romeo and Maseratis. Europe and North America by 2026.
According to some information, the Stellantis vehicle will be a combination of internal combustion engine, plug-in hybrid and battery electric power. press release By agreement.
The company did not disclose the exact financial terms of the deal.
SIXT this week said it continues to aim for 70% to 90% of its European products to be EVs by 2030, while Stellantis aims to have 50% of its cars and light trucks comprised of battery-powered vehicles. He announced that he is aiming for According to a press release, sales in the United States will increase by the same year.
But last month, SIXT told customers in an obtained email: bloomberg That means they won't be able to reach their EV goals with Tesla's help. Rather, it will likely phase out Elon Musk's cars from its fleet, citing the manufacturer's aggressive price cuts that are hurting the rest.
SIXT, Europe's largest car rental company, said the problem is exacerbated by the high cost of repairing Teslas compared to gasoline-powered cars, according to Bloomberg.
A Sixt spokesperson told the magazine that the Stellantis order was unrelated to the company's decision to sell Tesla.
The Post has reached out to Sixto for comment.
A spokesperson for Stellantis declined to comment beyond the press release.
U.S.-based rental rival Hertz also announced this month that it would scrap about 2,000 of its EVs, about 80% of which were Teslas. This is also due to the high costs associated with vehicle repairs.
Hertz was selling the Tesla Model 3 on its website for just $18,000 earlier this week, Bloomberg reported.
That rate is a nearly 50% discount from the $35,000 price the Model 3 boasts on Tesla's website, and shows just how much the Austin-based manufacturer's cars have fallen in value.
According to recent data released by insight firm LexisNexis Risk Solutions, drivers will pay approximately This is an increase of 14.5%.
EVs involved in collisions require expensive repairs due to complex features such as safety sensors in the bumper. While it may seem like a luxury perk while driving, even minor dents can be expensive to repair.
LexisNexis also found that EVs are more likely to be involved in accidents, and that drivers who ditched gasoline-powered cars for electric cars had a 14.3% increase in insurance claim frequency.
The increase in insurance claims is the highest in the year since drivers switched to EVs, according to a LexisNexis study first reported by CNN Business.
As a result, although there were many collisions in the first year after switching from battery-powered to gas-powered models, it was found that accidents increased sharply in households that owned both gas-powered and electric-powered models. I found that switching from to another formula made the problem even worse.
LexisNexis did not point out specific EV features that cause crashes, but there are some important differences between Teslas and typical gasoline-powered cars. For example, a Tesla powers up and is ready to drive as soon as a person sits down. In the driver's seat.
Similarly, the high-tech vehicle automatically turns off when the driver gets out.
Also, since the car is fully electric, there is no engine revs or vibrations when you turn on your Tesla, making it difficult to tell if the car is ready to drive.
Teslas can also accelerate much faster than their gasoline-powered counterparts.
For example, Tesla's Model 3 can reportedly go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, while the BMW 330i takes over a second longer to reach that speed.
It can also be difficult for drivers to get used to the so-called “one-pedal driving” feature of EVs. This means that when the driver takes their foot off the gas pedal, the car slows down rapidly, rather than just coasting like a gasoline-powered car. car.
CNN reports that getting used to using just one pedal for both starting and stopping can lead to confusion in emergency situations where you need to quickly press the actual brake pedal.
