EV firm Polestar announces global partnership with Hertz

Car hire company Hertz and Swedish EV manufacturer Polestar 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.

For Hertz, the partnership is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to electrification, shared mobility and a digital-first customer experience. Hertz claims the partnership with Polestar builds on its 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.

“We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets,” said Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO. “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 reported that it nearly tripled volumes in 2021 and anticipates more than doubling again this year with  290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025. Polestar previously announced its intention to list on Nasdaq New York.

“Polestar is committed to accelerating the move to electric mobility with a fascinating and innovative product portfolio,” said 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.”

Hertz will initially order Polestar 2, an award-winning EV that the manufacturer claims brings avant-garde Scandinavian design and leading in-car technology. Polestar 2 includes the world’s first infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS with Google built-in for the premium EV segment.