Hertz has decided to sell 20,000 cars from its electric fleet in the United States and replace them with combustion vehicles. However, Hertz Portugal has indicated that, here, the trajectory continues towards electrification, and that they will even reinforce the electric fleet in 2024. However, both this company and a sector association in Portugal, ACAP, recognise some problems in the repair and maintenance of electric vehicles.

“Hertz Portugal will reinforce its electric fleet this year”, says the company in a report by ECO. For now, the weight of these vehicles in the fleet is still less than 5%, but it should increase. Considering hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the weight is more than 5%, guarantees Hertz Portugal, but without giving further details.

The car rental company states that the share corresponding to the electric fleet should continue to increase in line with the increase in the weight of electric vehicle sales in the new car market in Portugal.

According to data from ACAP – Associação Automóvel de Portugal, in December 2023, 8,640 new electric, plug-in and electric hybrid passenger cars were registered, making a total of 92,395, which is equivalent to a jump of 52.7 % compared to the same month in the previous year. Trams in particular soared 101.9% last year, compared to the previous year. “These data indicate a robust and growing interest in electric vehicles in Portugal, both from individual consumers and companies with large fleets”, attests the association.

In the United States, Hertz justified the sale of 20,000 electric cars with weak demand and the “high costs” of repairing battery-powered cars. In Portugal, Hertz recognizes that “the immobilization of [electric] vehicles has been higher when compared to that of combustion vehicles, largely due to delays in parts in the supply chain”, although, as the company has electric vehicles of several brands, they do not depend on a single manufacturer.

Furthermore, according to Hertz Portugal, the company has no registration and “major problems” with the electric fleet, either due to its lower weight or the type of use and customers.