zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
The Rental Car Companies Will Manage Driverless Car Fleets
The Rental Car Companies Will Manage Driverless Car Fleets-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:39

Rental car companies have done virtually to a changing future of car ownership, yet tech companies seem to think Avis and Hertz hold the keys to driverless car success.

Apple will lease six cars from Hertz to test its long-anticipated autonomous driving software, according to . This mirrors a between Waymo, Google’s self-driving unit, and Avis also announced on Monday.

From the story:

The rental car firm will service and store Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Phoenix, where the parent of Google is testing a ride-hailing service with volunteer members of the public. Waymo will own the vehicles and pay Avis for its service, an arrangement that is set for multiple years but not exclusive. The companies would not share financial terms.

Avis gives Waymo a potential asset that rivals like the major automakers and Uber Technologies Inc already have: a sprawling network of traditional cars and customers that could be transformed into an autonomous transport service over time.

Avis owns Zipcar, the on-demand rental service with over one million members, largely in urban centers. The new deal is limited to Waymo’s vehicles in Phoenix, where it started its first pilot service in April after nearly a decade of research.

The news of two tech giants partnering with big rental car fleets comes after longtime confusion by rental car companies in the coming era of autonomous vehicles and ride-hailing. Hertz and Avis shares have declined 98 percent and 9 percent, respectively, over the last year.

In a declining market for sedans and economy cars, Hertz attempted to to buy more luxury cars, despite the fact .

The declining market for sedans and economy cars isn’t just being felt across dealerships, it’s…

The two made small moves to try and compete with car-sharing giants, like when Avis Zipcar, a less expensive, short-term rental model for urban areas, and Hertz to provide rentals to drivers. Yet the coming autonomous car revolution leaves still leaves the industry in limbo.

Time will tell if Apple and Google’s self driving tech could be enough to keep rental car companies afloat.

In the meantime, the rental car companies are managing autonomous car fleets—the jokes practically write themselves.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
fans are already cooling on despite more options on the market and news of upcoming models from the likes of Chevy and Ram. The and have yet to be released, while the has recently joined the and for sale in the U.S. And, yet, all of these current and...
Aug 22, 2025
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Experts have said that one of the ways to speed up EV adoption is for them to support . The ability for owners to power their house off their car or from the grid is vital. Just nine EVs on the market currently support bidirectional charging, but now VW...
Aug 22, 2025
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish pension fund PensionDanmark is dumping all of its stock and putting the U.S. EV maker on its exclusion list of the companies it chooses to invest in – or not. The fund is selling all of its shares due to Elon Musk’s refusal to enter into labor agreements...
Aug 22, 2025
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM is still dealing with the fallout of its decision to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of developing its own in-house system. In the last eight months, the company has had to deal with while still maintaining its in-house system will be “.” Since neither of...
Aug 22, 2025
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
knows that you keep coming back for the and Kirkland brand, but you can now also buy a cheaper at your local warehouse. Chevy notified its dealers that members are eligible for a $1,000 rebate on the through January 2, according to . The discount is part of ,...
Aug 22, 2025
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Despite in investments for the development of in the , not a single charging station had gone live thanks to — until now. The first EV charger paid for by Biden’s Bipartisan deal has come online in Ohio, according to , which marks the operational start of what the...
Aug 22, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved