Hertz
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Hertz CEO steps down following Tesla EV purchase debacle
Following a disastrous misadventure with EVs, Hertz's CEO Stephen Scherr is stepping down.
Hertz is selling 20,000 EVs and replacing them with gas-powered vehicles
Hertz is selling 20,000 EVs and using some of the proceeds to buy gas-powered vehicles. The company cited demand concerns and higher expenses linked to EV repairs for the decision.
Hertz decides to slow down its EV expansion
CEO Stephen Scherr said Hertz's "in-fleeting of EVs will be slower than [its] prior expectations."
Uber drivers in Europe can soon rent Polestar and Tesla EVs
Uber is expanding its EV rentals to Europe, where drivers will get cars from Polestar and Tesla.
Hertz and BP plan to build a nation-wide EV charging network in the US
After recently signing deals to purchase electric vehicles from GM and Polestar, Hertz is turning its attention to the infrastructure needed to support those cars.
Hertz to purchase 175,000 General Motors EVs over the next five years
Hertz announced Tuesday that will purchase from General Motors 175,000 electric vehicles including Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop over the next five years.
Uber now offers EV rides in 25 cities
Uber has expanded its Comfort Electric service "nationwide" to 24 US cities, letting users request rides in all-electric vehicles.
Polestar begins delivery on 65,000 rental vehicle order for Hertz
In April, Hertz and Polestar struck a deal to add 65,000 vehicles to the rental fleet. On Thursday, Polestar made good on that bargain with its first batch of deliveries.
Hertz will order up to 65,000 Polestar EVs for its rental fleet
Hertz will order as many as 65,000 Polestar EVs to help electrify its rental fleet.
Elon Musk says Hertz hasn’t actually ordered 100,000 Tesla EVs yet
Elon Musk tweeted that a 100,000 vehicle order from Hertz is far from firm, saying that "no contract has been signed yet."
Uber will rent up to 50,000 Tesla EVs to drivers
Uber will rent up to 50,000 Tesla EVs to US drivers through Hertz, potentially saving them money as they help the planet.
Hertz reportedly orders 100,000 Teslas in the single largest EV purchase ever
Tesla has just had a double-shot of good news on the sales front today.
Hertz launches monthly car rental subscription starting at $999
Today, Hertz announced a new vehicle subscription service, Hertz My Car. For a monthly fee, users will have access to select sedans, crossovers, SUVs and trucks. The service follows on the heels of a similar, but more expensive, pilot program that Enterprise launched last month.
Hertz is using biometrics to speed up car rentals
The next time you rent a car, you might need to show your face instead of your ID. Hertz announced today that it is teaming with security startup Clear to introduce Fast Lane, a biometric check for car rentals. The system -- which is the first of its kind for car rentals, according to the companies -- is currently operating at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and will be expanding to more than 40 Hertz locations over the course of 2019.
Hertz charges into EV Plugless Power pilot program, can't say it three times fast
Hertz has been offering up electric vehicles amongst its fleet of rental cars, and now it's getting ready to pull the plug. The company is teaming with Evatran to test out the those cool little Plugless Power discs, installing some at its corporate headquarters this month. Hertz, along with a number of other companies will be logging "feedback on daily usage routines, user interfaces, and any additional functionality needed." No word on when such technology might see wider distribution.
Purdue University creates 'bass' powered medical implant, knows where it hertz
We've seen all kinds of medical implants over the years, but none that had a musical preference -- until now. Researchers at Purdue University have created a pressure sensitive microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that uses sound waves as an energy source. The proof-of-concept has a vibrating cantilever that's receptive to sound -- or music -- in the 200 - 500Hz frequency spectrum, which is towards the bottom end of the audible range. The subcutaneous implant converts the low-frequency vibrations into energy, and then stores it in a capacitor. Once the cantilever stops vibrating, it sends an electrical charge to a sensor and takes a pressure reading, the result is then transmitted out via radio waves for monitoring purposes. The immediate real world applications include diagnosing and treating incontinence, but we're already wondering if that self-powering mp3 player implant could finally become a reality?
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 9/11 Memorial designs, an electric helicopter and laser headlights
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Today a day of reflection dawns in New York as the city recognizes the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks with the official unveiling of the National 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Tranquil though the memorial may be, it has had a tumultuous past - this week we showcased seven unrealized designs for the WTC site that will never see the light of day, and we took a look at what happened to Daniel Libeskind's original plans for the WTC Freedom Tower. We also saw green buildings soar as Sydney unveiled Australia's greenest office tower, we learned that the new Batman movie may be filmed in a salt mine in Transylvania, and we spotted an amazing replica of the Trump Tower built from 65,000 LEGO bricks. It was also a record-breaking week for green transportation as the world's first manned electric helicopter took flight and scientists developed the world's tiniest electric motor. Meanwhile, pedal-powered transportation got a major boost as Hertz launched an electric bike rental program in London and Silverback unveiled a series of bikes with built-in USB chargers for your gadgets. We also brought you the latest news from the Frankfurt Auto Show as Rimac teased the unveiling of its 1,000 horsepower electric supercar and Audi and BMW both unveiled vehicles endowed with ultra bright next-gen laser headlights. Speaking of shining examples of green design, this week we brought you a first look at the Samsung Galaxy Skin concept phone, which features a flexible AMOLED display that can fold to fit inside your pocket. We also saw several inspiring ways to reduce waste as scientists worked on a fuel cell that generates power while cleaning up nuclear fallout, Think Geek brought us a clever set of Fridgeezoo icebox pets that encourage kids to save energy, and we looked at Sloan's innovative AQUS grey water toilet system that recycles your sink water. Finally, we brought you the state of the art in wearable tech as we reported that scientists developed a Terahertz "Invisibility Cloak" and researchers discovered a coral reef secret that could lead to sunscreen in a pill in five years.
Rich Decibels Brainwave Disruptor scrambles your head, not your eggs
Child of the '80s? Then you'll most likely remember those notorious PSAs about your brain and eggs, and the dangers of turning yourself into an omelette. Yeah, well turn off your inner Nancy Reagan for a second because we've got an Arduino hack that should have you just saying yes. New Zealand artist Rich Decibels created a homebrew brain entrainment device that uses low frequency sound and light to induce different mental states. The mod pieces together an Arduino Uno with two separate interface boards -- one for pitch and separation controls, the other for LED and volume -- to deliver a combo of binaural beats (two slightly out of sync tones) and flashing headset-mounted lights that'll slow down those cerebral hertz cycles. If you happen to live in the land made famous by Frodo's Shire, you can check out the brain-slowing goods at Thistle Hall's Project Briefcase exhibition. Not a Kiwi? Then be sure to hit the source for an audio taste of this hacked head experience.
Hertz launches hourly EV rentals in London, self-satisfaction comes free
Contract-free cellphones, declining marriage rates and car-sharing services all tell us you're a bunch of commitmentphobes. Lucky for you the world is willing to oblige your wishy-washy ways, and for those who also happen to have a bit of a green streak, Connect by Hertz offers hourly rentals on electric cars. After launching its EV rental program here in New York last year, Hertz promised to expand to several other cities and countries by the end of 2011, with London being the next to go online this Friday. British urbanites averse to car ownership will be able to pick from a fleet of vehicles including the iMieV, Nissan LEAF and Renault Kangoo, range anxiety diminished thanks to the city's 16 charging stations. It's not exactly the Jetsons, but if this is the future of transportation, we're ok with that -- we're thinking Mother Earth is too.
Hertz plug-in rental program to boast 1,000 vehicles, including the Tesla Roadster
Hertz is getting serious about its about-to-launch, by-the-hour plug in car rental service Connect by Hertz. Set to launch on December 15th in New York City, the company has plans to extend the service into San Francisco, Washington D.C, Texas and London by the end of 2011. The list of cars in the fleet which will be available to rent now includes the previously announced Nissan Leaf, the Volt, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Tesla Roadster, the Smart ED, and the Coda Sedan. The program will start extremely small, with only 20 total vehicles available to rent to begin with, but with a plan for between 500 and 1,000 by the end of 2011. The Hertz EV rental program has a fee to join up, and the cars will be rented on a first come, first served basis, but you can sign up now if you're ready to get behind the wheel of one of the aforementioned silent bad boys.
