A few years ago when Pine Hills resident Chris Lowery was driving Uber full time, his 2005 Honda Civic was his mode of transport, both for personal use and rideshare driving. All that driving took at toll on the car, which already was advanced in years.
“I would do it especially while my son was at school, throughout the day and also throughout the night — more than 40 hours a week,” Lowery said. “I already had a lot of miles on my car, so of course I was worried about adding more.”
Lowery has a different job now, but says if he were to drive for Uber again, he would consider the Hertz Rideshare Program.
Through this program, rideshare drivers can rent vehicles from the Hertz fleet for a week at a time, driving unlimited miles with liability coverage and roadside assistance included. The base rate is $214 for the week, and the program also is offered to Lyft drivers. Both rideshare companies incentivize drivers to choose electric cars over those with combustion engines.
Orlando's growing relationship with Hertz
Hertz on May 11 announced a new private-public partnership, Hertz Electrifies Orlando, with the city of Orlando that will benefit the local rideshare market and some of the metro's low-income communities while supporting the city's sustainability objectives.
The new partnership between Hertz and Orlando will see 6,000 electric vehicles added to Hertz's Orlando fleet, including cars from GM, Tesla and Polestar. Nationwide, 10% of the company's 500,000-strong fleet is electric, and Hertz says that share will increase to 25% by the end of 2024.
Also, 50 new fast-charging stations will be installed throughout Orlando in collaboration with BP. The company did not share whether the charging station installation project will open up for bids or if it already has been awarded. In sum, Hertz plans to invest $1 billion in charging stations nationally by 2023.
Hertz declined to reveal how much money it will invest in the additional electric vehicles and charging stations in Orlando.
Ubiquitous fast-charging EV stations — which means adding to the network of 100 stations that were installed by Orlando Utilities Commission and the city of Orlando in 2021 — will help build toward goals relevant to sustainability. Ultimately, the city will need considerably more charging stations to keep up with the incremental shift toward electric cars.
“Mayor [Buddy] Dyer was very accommodating and a really good partner, as was the whole of the city. And the reason why Orlando was very high on our list is that it's the largest rental car market in the country, and we have our largest fleet in Orlando. We have almost 18,000 vehicles in Orlando, of which about 12% or 13% are electric. And through Hertz Electrifies, we're going to add an additional 6,000 electric vehicles to Orlando,” said Estero-headquartered Hertz Chair and CEO Stephen Scherr.
That means the Orlando fleet will be about 34% electric after the acquisition of 6,000 EVs.
How ridesharing and Hertz Electrifies Orlando are tied
Sergio Avedian, senior contributor at the nation’s most popular blog covering the rideshare space — explained why some rideshare drivers rent from Hertz.
“If you're only going to drive 20 hours a week, you're just going to cover the rental and show off your Tesla. What's the point?” he said. “But if you’re going to drive 60 hours, go ahead, knock yourself out. If you're going to hustle and you're a top 1% driver in your city and you know exactly what you're doing, where to be, when to be there, [renting an electric car] can work out.”
“Uber and Lyft are both saying that their whole fleet is going to be electric by 2030. In order to accomplish certain metrics, Uber and Lyft are going this rental route,” he said. “It’s not good for part-time drivers, but for young guns with patience, persistence and planning, it can help them avoid wear and tear on their own vehicles while still making good money. Uber and Lyft do reward them for driving EVs. Uber pays $1 more per EV ride, and if you give 50 or more rides in a week with Lyft, they give you $150. That helps defray the car rental cost.”
This means the expanded Hertz Orlando fleet of EVs will be a resource for local rideshare drivers, who are relied upon by tourists and business travelers.
Scherr said he's handing over data to the city that shows where rideshare drivers need the fast-charging stations to be: “We rent to Uber and Lyft and rideshare drivers who happen to live in neighborhoods that traditionally would not benefit from technological advancement. Because they're customers of Hertz, it makes sense to build out electric charging stations in neighborhoods that might be otherwise overlooked.”
Hertz possesses data showing where its fleet's electric vehicles are moving and dwelling, he said.
“We don't know the people, but we watch the cars. And the consequence of that is that we're giving that data to cities with whom we're participating to help inform the decision on where to build charging networks,” continued Scherr. “If a city was just going to look at census data and makes assumptions about the wealth of a particular census track, and therefore the likelihood that they are a buyer of an electric vehicle, those neighborhoods would likely be different than the customers of Hertz who are employees of Uber and Lyft and others.”
"We want these stations to be accessible to residents from every part of our community, so all residents will have an equal opportunity to take part in our sustainability efforts. Hertz’s commitment to add to our EV infrastructure only helps us accelerate that commitment,” Dyer said during his May 11 speech about the Hertz partnership, which was announced at Orlando Technical College's South Campus.
How Orlando got started with Hertz Electrifies
The nationwide Hertz Electrifies program first was made public in January at the Washington, D.C., United States Conference of Mayors, and the company quickly was approached by “a whole host of mayors who took interest,” as Scherr described it. Already, the program is underway in Denver, Houston and Atlanta, which have seen the installation of 350 kW fast chargers that charge an EV battery in under 30 minutes. Orlando is the fourth city, and implementation is scheduled to begin immediately.
Hertz Electrifies Orlando also has implications for Orange County Public Schools. On May 11, Hertz handed OCPS superintendent Maria Vazquez the keys and title to an electric vehicle, which will be based at Orange Technical College so students can receive hands-on training in the repair and maintenance of EVs.
"Having access to electric vehicles provides critical hands-on experience with new technology for students in Orange County," Vazquez said.
“The city of Orlando's collaboration with Hertz and Orange County Public Schools is a perfect example of the type of public-private partnership fostered here in Orlando. Hertz’s commitment to transition more of its fleet to electric aligns with the city of Orlando’s goals to be one of the most sustainable cities in the United States as electric vehicles provide so many benefits,” Dyer’s office said in a prepared statement. Also, “The city of Orlando has a goal to convert 100% of its municipal fleet to electric or alternative fuels by 2030.”
In addition, Hertz will contribute jobs to Orlando's Summer Youth Employment Program, which is run through CareerSource Central Florida. The specifics, including the number of jobs, have not yet been announced.
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