Rental car giant Hertz has invested in EV self-hire app Ufodrive, cementing its commitment to electric car hire and aiming to do away with the dreaded car hire desk experience for customers.
Founded in 2018, Ufodrive’s electric car hire app enables drivers to book and access an EV within just a few minutes, and is already in use in 15 locations throughout Europe.
The new $US19 million ($A26 million) funding round co-led by Hertz and equity firm Certares will see the EV hire company embark upon a global expansion, and comes just months after Hertz committed to an electric future with a massive order of 100,000 Tesla Model 3 electric sedans, 350 of which have been earmarked for Australia.
By using Ufodrive’s car-hire app, drivers avoid the lengthy paperwork associated with hiring cars and opaqueness around which model they will eventually drive. Instead, they get an “arrive and drive” experience that gets them in a car within minutes.
Importantly, Ufodrive’s app is only used with electric cars.
Mark Fields, interim CEO for Hertz said in a statement that the deal with UfoDrive would see the two “pilot ways to make renting an EV even easier using Ufodrive’s digital platforms for both the rental experience and fleet management.”
Hertz piloted the use of Ufodrive’s app in 2021, and will now roll it out globally starting with more locations in Europe as well as in the US. The app will include navigation to EV chargers, touchless smartphone access and online customer support.
