Tesla is no longer joining one of the world’s largest car rental companies: here’s why | Car

“Teslas currently in our fleet will be sold after their expiration date,” a Sixt spokesman said. “As a result, the number of Teslas will be gradually reduced.” According to a German news magazine Focus Tesla regrets Sixt’s decision. For many customers, renting a Tesla or Tesla through subscription is a good introduction to electricity. Sixt currently offers the Model Y and Model 3 for rent.

However, that does not mean that Sixt rejects electric cars. On the contrary: by 2030, Sixt’s fleet should consist of 70 to 90 percent electric vehicles, according to a spokesperson. Sixt recently signed a contract to more than 100,000 electric cars with Chinese car giant BYD. Currently, 20 percent of Sixt’s fleet is electrified.

Sixt cites reasons for saying goodbye to Tesla such as the high purchase price or the low residual value of the vehicles at the end of their life. This is caused by the decrease in the price of new Teslas. According to Focus Agreements have been made with many other manufacturers to buy back vehicles for a pre-agreed amount, so that the leasing company does not run any residual value risk. No such agreement has been made with Tesla.

Sixt also cites high repair costs as a reason. Due to the small number of wearing parts, electric vehicles are considered to be less prone to failure than combustion engines and are also cheaper to maintain, but repair costs are still high for damage to electric vehicles. about 30 to 35 percent higher than comparable combustion engines. This is evident from a study by the German Insurance Association GDV. The highest costs are caused by expensive damage to the battery and unknown to other owners of garages and electric vehicles, which are associated with long-term decline.

However, Sixt does not want to continue to offer electric cars from other brands and therefore there is a good chance that it is because of the Teslas themselves, the Swiss newspaper Blick concludes. Three years ago Tesla started Gigacasting mode of production for the Model 3 and Model Y. As a result, the back of the Model 3 now has two complex castings instead of nearly seventy separate parts. This not only saves time, but also the costs of molds and tools.

However, according to Blick, these production savings cause problems for post-accident repairs. Instead of replacing damaged sheet metal parts, in the event of a rear-end collision in the Model Y, for example, almost the entire rear end must be replaced. In the event of accidental damage, this is of course often more expensive than simply replacing individual parts.

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