American car rental company Hertz has placed an order for 100,000 Tesla electric vehicles as part of its wider plan to electrify its fleet.
The company ordered Tesla’s Model 3 sedans, which Hertz said will be available to rent in major U.S. and European markets beginning in early November. The massive order comes just months after Hertz got out of bankruptcy.
Bloomberg broke the news of the purchase first, claiming that it is the single biggest order for electric vehicles ever, costing an estimated $4.22 billion. In pre-market trade, Tesla’s shares jumped by 4.3% on the news of the purchase.
Despite the global chip shortage, which has crippled the automotive sector, Tesla still managed to post record sales for its third quarter.
Anyone renting a Tesla from Hertz will be able to utilize the automaker’s 3,000 superchargers located around the United States and Europe. Hertz plans to complement Tesla’s charging station network with “thousands” of its own.
After the pandemic nearly destroyed the automobile rental sector, Hertz filed for bankruptcy in May of last year. Investors led by Knighthead Capital Management and Certares Management refinanced the nearly century-old company for $5.9 billion.
Hertz now wants to electrify virtually all of its roughly 500,000 vehicles and vans, with the Tesla purchase being a big initial chunk.
Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields said that the company is moving with where the car rental business and the rest of the automotive industry are heading. He said electric cars are already mainstream and it interest and demand for these types of products are increasing worldwide.
Fields said that Hertz will soon have the biggest EV rental fleet in North America. He added that the company is committed to developing its EV fleet and delivering the finest rental and recharging experience for leisure and corporate clients throughout the world.