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by khalilravanna 806 days ago
Similar experience.

- Rented Model Y. Show up and no Model Y. “We got a 3”. I’m driving to Vermont with snow but no choice now. “Ok sounds great.”

- Have to stop every couple hours to charge.

- Multiple times the GPS plotted us a route which would have battery hit 0% before arriving to charger. Nerve wracking.

- Most of the full speed charging stations had lines and if we did the slow speed ones our entire weekend trip would be spent charging.

- Regenerative braking is cool till you’re going down hill in snow with all season tires. Then it’s a great way to lock up and slide. Thankfully I’m not a noob. (Also not that I expected winter tires from a rental, even in Boston, but cmon Hertz.)

My biggest takeaway is that if where we stayed had a charger for overnight charging it would have been fine. Without that it was undeniably worse than renting a gas car. We basically had to plan our days around the rental which is a bit insane. I don’t doubt that having one to whip around local with a charger at home would rule but for anything more than short drives I don’t think a rental electric makes sense.

2 comments

>Rented Model Y. Show up and no Model Y.

I don't understand how this isn't considered fraud. If you try to cancel your trip, they want to charge a crazy fee, but if they don't have the car that you reserved, sorry maybe we can offer you another one. Rental car companies need a good lashing from a government regulator.

Generally you don't rent a specific model, you rent a "So-and-so or similar". And undoubtedly the rental agreement specifically gives them permission to make substitutions. It's unlikely this scenario has not been fully mitigated by corporate legal and risk management.
As Jerry Seinfeld once said:

They know how to take the reservation. They just don't know how to hold the reservation.

It's been a while since I've rented, but I assume this is covered in the agreement when you make a booking. I'd guess their butts are covered from the fraud perspective. Maybe misleading advertisement though?
> with snow

Isn’t the 3 and Y mostly equivalent, one just slightly larger? There is big difference in clearance, 2/4wd or anything else that would make them different in a cold climate drive? Or am I missing something?