In my first few minutes inside a Hertz waiting room in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I quickly realized I wasn't the first person here to try test-driving an EV through a rental service.
One of the men in front of me was asking the rep about his options — a Tesla, a Volvo, a Chevy. He wanted to know what set each car apart, what each one looked like, and what the pricing was for each.
When the worker went to the back to look for something, the man turned to someone nearby and explained that he really hated Elon Musk and didn't want to rent a Tesla if he didn't have to.
A conversation in the waiting room followed, with a spirited debate (well, as spirited as a bunch of polite Midwesterners get) about the pros and cons of Elon Musk and Tesla.
After that, it was my turn to pick up my Model 3. I thought the employee might find it amusing after all the Tesla talk in the waiting room — but he wasn't phased. He must do tons of these a day, I figured.
The experience that followed reflected some of the headaches that may have led to Thursday's decision by Hertz to sell off 20,000 EVs from its fleet, citing higher costs to service and repair.