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Xaviar Steavenson and his sister Alice recently decided to rent a Tesla to drive from Florida to Wichita, Kansas. Along the way, they had to stop six times in one day to recharge their rental because, according to Steavenson, the battery “drained faster than it would charge”.
Business Insider reports that Steavenson indicated that he initially drove for 2 ½ hours before recharging. However, he said he and his sister “eventually had to stop every hour and a half to charge for an hour, then an hour and a half, then two hours.”
Steavenson pointed out that it cost “between $25 and $30 to recharge”, then went on to say that he and sister Alice “stopped six times to recharge at that price” in just one day. He added that Hertz’s website states that renting a Tesla is “always cheaper than petrol” – something he said was not true for him.
Steavenson reportedly said an agent for Hertz told him the company had “no idea why they’re in trouble.” He also claimed the agent said they received “nothing but Tesla calls” that day.
A Hertz representative, contacted by Insider for comment, said the company had “experienced no significant increase in customer communications about their EV rentals’ battery.” “However, battery range varies by vehicle manufacturer and can be affected by multiple factors, including weather and driving conditions.”
According to Steavenson, Hertz recommended that he pick up a new ride from the nearest branch. So he did, but said the venue “didn’t have Teslas or even the equivalent,” so he returned home “in a Nissan Rogue Sport.”
Business Insider noted another report from a Virginia radio host who said he was stranded after his Model S wouldn’t charge properly at 19 degrees Fahrenheit — the same host was featured in a New York Post breakdown published on December 29, 2022about viral videos of Tesla owners documenting their vehicles breaking down in extreme cold.
Customers who have had the same experience as the Steavensons are likely to notice: South Korea has fined Tesla $2.2 million on Monday for exaggerating “the driving range of its electric vehicles, which are found to be shorter in cold weather.”
