Tag Archives: Polestar

Hertz Car Rental is selling over 30,000 EVs

Hertz Car Rental announced that it is selling almost 30,000 electric vehicles due to increased losses. A few years ago, the rental company acquired a large number of electric vehicles, but in the end this experiment was not successful.

The company aims to sell a certain number of cars by the end of the year, including the Tesla and Polestar models. A number of vehicles will remain in the fleet to meet the needs of customers booking trips in electric cars. The reason for this decision is low earnings, and electric vehicles that are not in use quickly lose value.

Three years ago, the company ordered 100,000 units of the Tesla Model 3, which at the time seemed like a good business move. Customers liked the car, and the company only had to pay for simple interventions such as tire repair, windshield wiper fluid, etc. Luckily, all the vehicles were not even delivered, so the losses are smaller.

The biggest problems appeared when Tesla started cutting the prices of the vehicles. This forced Hertz to start thinking about selling, as the price of the vehicle they owned was higher than the price of a new car, causing them to quickly lose money.

To make matters worse, the analysis showed that Tesla cars are not as economical as the company thought. There were also transport problems caused by accidents, leading to high repair costs and long deliveries.

Hertz will continue selling EVs in 2025.

Source: Hertz Car Rental; Photo: EPA-EFE

Polestar 3 Long range Single motor

At the end of 2023, the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group started production of the Polestar 3, and after delaying the delivery, the company informed the first customers that they could come and pick up their cars.

Polestar 3 is a BEV mid-size luxury crossover SUV with Long range Dual motor specifications. That means it’s powered by two electric motors with 483 hp (360 kW) and 620 lb-ft (820 Nm) of torque, and all-wheel drive. It is equipped with a 111 kWh battery that provides a range of 610 km (380 miles) WLTP.

At the same time, the company also included the Long range Single motor option in the offer. It is powered by a single electric motor with 299 hp (223 kW) and 361 lb-ft (490 Nm) of torque. It is equipped with a 111 kWh battery that provides a range of 650 km, which is 40 km more than the Long range Dual motor option, and reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.8 seconds.

The 111 kWh battery can be charged on fast DC chargers with a power of up to 250 kW, while the Dual motor option can use a charger of up to 350 kW. The battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 30 minutes of charging.

When it comes to price, it varies from market to market. In some markets, there are no subsidies, such as Germany, so the price of the Polestra 3 starts at 79,890 euros. In other markets, with a subsidy, the car is cheaper.

Source: Polestar

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Polestar Charge gives access to almost 700k chargers in Europe

Car manufacturers are rapidly working on the electrification of their cars, but the number of charging stations is not keeping up with their growth. Tesla is the largest investor in electric vehicle infrastructure and the owner of 50,000 Supercharger charging stations, and now Polestar has announced that with the company Plugsurfing, it is launching a charging service in Europe called Polestar Charge.

Polestar Charge is an application that gives access to almost 700,000 chargers with a single charge service on the largest charging networks on the old continent. This is the first time Tesla Supercharger has given app access to its chargers.

This feature will be available before Polestar starts delivering the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 in Europe. The app will be integrated with Google Maps to make it easier to find chargers.

“We know that an important part of owning an electric car is the possibility of convenient charging. With access to the largest networks in Europe and smart integration into Google Maps, we’ve made it easy for Polestar drivers to enjoy life with an electric car instead of worrying about where they’ll find their next charge,” comments Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar.

Source: Polestar