Hertz and Polestar, the Swedish premium electric performance car maker, have announced a new global partnership that includes purchasing up to 65,000 electric vehicles (EVs) over five years. Availability is expected to begin in Spring 2022 in Europe, and late 2022 in North America and Australia.
The partnership with Polestar 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.
In addition to making the fleet available to its business and leisure customers, Hertz is extending EVs to rideshare drivers as a way to further accelerate electrification.
Hertz will initially order Polestar 2, its first volume model.
The Hertz Corporation, a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands throughout North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO, says: “We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets. 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.”
“Polestar is committed to accelerating the move to electric mobility with a fascinating and innovative product portfolio,” adds Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath. “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.”
Polestar expects volumes to reach 290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025.
Polestar has previously announced its intention to list on Nasdaq New York in a proposed business combination with Gores Guggenheim, Inc., which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
