Alice and Xaviar Steavenson rented a Tesla from Hertz.Alice Steavenson/Badax.life
A brother and sister rented a Tesla and found they had to stop six times in one day to charge it.
Xaviar Steavenson and his sister Alice drove from Orlando, Florida to Wichita, Kansas.
They said other customers with rented Teslas called Hertz with similar charging issues.
Xaviar and Alice Steavenson wanted to find out what it was like to drive a Tesla, so they rented one from Hertz for a road trip from Orlando, Florida to Wichita, Kansas.
They knew the electric car would need charging along the way, but what the siblings didn’t anticipate was how often they’d have to plug it in.
They realized it would take longer to charge the car after the weather turned so cold in late December.
However, it got to the point that “the battery was draining faster than it was charging,” Xavier told Insider.
If they drove off, they could drive at least two and a half hours before having to charge the Tesla. “We ended up all having to stop for an hour to an hour and a half to charge for an hour, then an hour and a half, then two hours,” he said.
Her Rented Tesla on a Supercharger.Alice Steavenson/Badax.life
“Beyond the lost time, it also got to a point where it cost between $25 and $30 to charge. In just one day we stopped six times to charge at that cost,” said Xaviar.
Hertz said on its website that renting a Tesla is “always cheaper than gas,” according to Xaviar, but he said that claim was far from the truth.
When the siblings first called Hertz, Xaviar said the agent told him he “had nothing but Tesla calls today — I have no idea why they’re having trouble.”
A Hertz spokesperson told Insider, “We haven’t seen a significant increase in communication from customers about their electric vehicle rental battery. However, battery range varies by vehicle manufacturer and can be affected by several factors, including weather and driving conditions.”
The Steavensons weren’t the only ones to have Tesla charging issues in very cold weather. A 44-year-old radio host from Lynchburg, eastern Virginia, told Insider it was 19 degrees (-7C) when he was stranded just before Christmas because his Model S wasn’t charging.
The story goes on
Xaviar said Hertz told him to go to the nearest branch to get a new car. “But they don’t have Teslas there or even the equivalent, so I drive back in a Nissan Rogue Sport – at least it’s economical.”
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.
Read the original article on Business Insider