Hertz put a first-time EV driver in a Tesla that was half dead, then tried to hold her financially accountable for getting stranded on the side of the road.

Hertz put a first-time EV driver in a Tesla that was half dead, then tried to hold her financially accountable for getting stranded on the side of the road.

Now that EVs are filling out rental fleets around the U.S., drivers are going through an adjustment period full of hazards and inconveniences. A mother and daughter from Gurnee, Illinois, became trapped inside of a Tesla from Hertz, which the company rented out to them in lieu of an ICE-equipped sedan the woman had reserved in advance. After the dead Tesla stranded them, Hertz tried to put the woman on a do-not-rent list, despite being responsible for much of the trouble, as the woman tells CBS News.

When Becky Liebau and her daughter arrived to the Hertz counter, they were told the only car left on the rental lot was a Tesla. Liebau had never driven an EV; she had booked a reservation for a gas-powered car, but rental companies are notorious for taking reservations though not holding onto them. According to Liebau, this was around closing time and she had no other choice but to take the Tesla, which appears to have been a Model 3 based on the CBS report:

Disaster ensued for the mother and daughter, who had booked the trip to scope out prospective colleges for the 16-year old scholar. We could easily say this was due to driver error, but it’s not that simple. User error figures into the problems that left the woman and teenager stranded, but the onus rests on Hertz now that it’s bolstered its rental fleet with over 50,000 EVs. Especially when dealing with first-time EV drivers like Liebau.

And it’s not like it was for lack of trying on the part of the mother and daughter. Liebau says her daughter tried getting up to speed on the Tesla EV, going on the internet to learn how to to operate the fully-electric car.

Hertz had given the pair an EV that was reportedly under 50 percent state of charge. The Tesla showed approximately 90 miles of range left, which may have been enough to get Liebau and her daughter to a charger. Hertz, however, did not provide them with an adapter to use charging stations that don’t conform to Tesla’s charging standard. Hertz later suggested these adapters are often targeted by thieves. It’s hard to see why that matters, or why Hertz would mention this — other than to suggest it was acting in its own best interest.

The Tesla’s tires were also low on air and would have benefitted from a top up. What Hertz basically did was hand Liebau the keys to a less than half-charged EV with low tire pressure and a missing adapter for use at nearby chargers. The Tesla went dead as Liebau searched for a charging station, trapping the two inside the cabin. Liebau and her daughter had no idea how to get out of the dead EV, and their phones were running out of battery, too. Again, that’s user error, but no one at Hertz explained the proper procedures to Liebau.

No roadside assistance came from Hertz. The two were eventually towed by a driver they had tracked down on their own, who taught them to override the electric door locks. They were taken to a hotel nearby, and had to pay one of the maintenance workers there for a ride across the state.

Presumably, back to their home. A hefty bill was waiting for them, as Hertz tried to pin the blame on Liebau. She refused to pay the invoices, and the company put her on a do-not-rent list. Hertz only happened to reverse course after CBS investigators reached out to the company. CBS says that Hertz has now refunded all charges and has reimbursed Liebau for the expenses she incurred.

  • Captain AggravatedEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    What shit.

    1. My family has owned Camaros my entire life. I was brought home from the hospital as a newborn in an '83 Camaro, took my driver’s test in a '96 Camaro. Both had mechanical door latches, both had frameless, manual windows. Both survived nearly 20 years of service without having to wind the windows down slightly every time you open and close the door. If Chevy could do it for decades, why can’t Tesla?
    2. I’ve also been in cars that had mechanical door latches that slightly lowered the windows when the door handle was pulled. I’m guessing that’s still not fancy enough for an idiot like Musk, so we get the above system.
    3. This whole thing of engineering problems that we have to half-assedly solve just shouldn’t be legal. The DOT should not have approved this design. The electronic door latch is too prone to failure, and the mechanical backup release is too obscure. This would require training. “The front edge of the window switch group is also the backup latch for the door. It isn’t labeled as such and doesn’t resemble any door handle or lever a typical driver would recognize in an emergency, but that’s what it is.”
    4. Most EVs I’m aware of have a 12V lead acid battery that runs all the body systems; the lights, radio etc. because regulating the propulsion batteries down to a noiseless 12 volts for the computers and radios and such is a bit of a pain. This should also prevent body systems such as radios, lights and door locks from failing should the driver fail to recharge the car and run out of range; sure you can’t move but you can put on the hazard lights, raise/lower the windows or indeed open the silly electronic doors. You’re telling me Teslas don’t have this feature?

    Why are these cars allowed on the road?

    • @ElectricCattlemanEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      They’re literally some of the safest cars on the road. This is a minor issue that is blowing up.