Hertz & Polestar: Car rental company and e-car manufacturer collaborate

That sounds like a real dream team. With Hertz and Polestar, two well-known car companies are entering into a promising cooperation. The focus is on the acquisition of a total of 65,000 e-cars from the popular Polestar brand.

Hertz focuses on electric cars

So far, electric cars have unfortunately been scarce among car rental companies. Since they are extremely popular as rental vehicles, it is very difficult to get hold of one. Accordingly, well-known rental companies are now upgrading. Hertz is probably one of the most well-known and successful companies in this field. But the company is not going for a cross-section of vehicles, but has apparently focused on one particular manufacturer – Polestar. The young subsidiary of the iconic Swedish car brand Volvo began its corporate history as the manufacturer of a promising hybrid car. By the second generation, however, the Polestar was already fully electric and, above all, one thing – sporty. Not without reason, the high-priced electric car is considered a serious competitor to Tesla.

With the cooperation between Hertz and Polestar, both companies should get a decent boost. While Hertz will have a total of 65,000 more Polestar-branded electric cars in its portfolio over the next five years, Polestar will not only benefit from good business. On top of that, there’s hardly any better advertising than having your own vehicles at a car rental company. After all, this is a great way to ensure that lots of potential customers take a test drive. Incidentally, it shouldn’t be long before Hertz customers are allowed to take their first seat behind the wheel of an electric Swede. In Europe, the first models will probably be added to the range in the spring of this year.

The environment is pleased

Hertz itself has set out to score as a car rental company with the world’s largest electric car fleet. According to the company, this is already the case in North America. The rest of the world is now to follow. While in the USA it has so far been vehicles from the Tesla brand, in Europe in particular the triumphal march is now to be launched with the help of Polestar. The Swedish electric cars are by no means intended to serve only as a vehicle for a week’s trip. According to the car rental company, it also aims to provide ride-sharing services. This is intended to provide a modern form of electromobility. Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr is already full of anticipation:

“We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to integrating the brand’s premium electric vehicles into our consumer and carsharing fleets.”

Further, as part of the joint press release, he clarifies the aspirational goal Hertz has as a car rental company:

“The cooperation underlines our ambition to become a leading player in the modern mobility ecosystem and to position ourselves as a forward-looking, environmentally conscious company. By partnering with electric car industry leaders like Polestar, we can help accelerate the adoption of electrification while offering renters, corporate customers and car sharing partners an exceptional experience and a lower carbon footprint with the brand’s premium electric vehicles.”

Polestar as new draw

The fact that Hertz has found a promising partner in Polestar is already evident from the popularity of the Swedish carmaker. For example, the company nearly tripled its number of electric cars sold in 2021. These already impressive sales figures are to be doubled again for the 2022 fiscal year, if the company has its way. In the long term, the company expects a steady increase in sales, which should already be around 290,000 cars sold in 2025. Accordingly, Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, is naturally almost euphoric in view of the new partner:

“We are delighted that Hertz has chosen Polestar as a strategic partner on the road to electrification. Thanks to the cooperation with a global pioneer like Hertz, the fascinating experience of driving an electric car will be accessible to a wide audience. In this way, many short- and long-term mobility needs of our mutual customers can be satisfied. In fact, for many consumers, it will likely be their first time driving an electric car – and it will be a Polestar.”

The Polestar 2 kicks things off

Connoisseurs of Polestar’s product range know that the choice is rather limited. So far, there is only one fully electric vehicle from the brand, the Polestar 2. But it is not without reason that the company gained its good reputation. After all, high-quality workmanship meets chic Scandinavian design and plenty of power. Accordingly, Hertz has only been able to order one batch of the Polestar 2 so far. However, the Swedes want to supply new models soon. We are curious to see how the cooperation between the two companies will develop.