International vehicle rental firm Hertz Corporation will be purchasing about 65,000 electric cars from Swedish manufacturer Polestar in the next five years, as part of the latest strategic partnership between the two companies to further e-mobility in the rental segment.
The deliveries of the electric cars are expected to begin around spring this year in Europe and late 2022 in North America and Australia. Hertz will initially order the Polestar 2 model, the company has announced.
"We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets," said Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO. "Today's partnership with Polestar further builds on our ambition to become a leading participant in the modern mobility ecosystem and doing so as an environmentally-forward company".
"By working with EV industry leaders like Polestar, we can help accelerate the adoption of electrification while providing renters, corporate customers, and rideshare partners a premium EV product, exceptional experience, and lower carbon footprint", he added.
For Hertz, the partnership is part of the company's ongoing commitment to lead in electrification, shared mobility, and a digital-first customer experience. It builds on Hertz's announcement last October to offer its customers the largest EV rental fleet in North America and one of the largest in the world. The company is also extending EVs to rideshare drivers as a way to further accelerate electrification.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said, "Polestar is committed to accelerating the move to electric mobility with a fascinating and innovative product portfolio. We are delighted that Hertz has chosen Polestar as a strategic partner on their road to electrification".
"The partnership with a global pioneer like Hertz will bring the amazing experience of driving an electric car to a wider audience, satisfying a broad variety of our mutual customers' short- and longer-term mobility requirements. For many of them, it may be the first time they have driven an EV, and it will be a Polestar", he added.
Polestar has reported that it has nearly tripled volumes in 2021 and anticipates more than doubling volumes again this year. The brand expects volumes to reach 290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025.
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