Car rental company Sixt expels Tesla from its fleet | Electric cars

“Tesla vehicles currently in our fleet will be sold after their term expires,” a Sixt spokesperson said. “As a result, the number of Tesla vehicles will be gradually reduced.” According to a leading German news magazine to focus Tesla regrets Sixt’s decision. For many customers, renting a Tesla or Tesla car via subscription is a good introduction to electric mobility. Sixt currently offers the Model Y and Model 3 for rent.

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

Sixt cites reasons for saying goodbye to Tesla such as high purchase prices or low residual values ​​for vehicles at the end of their lives. This is partly due to the sharp decline in prices for new Tesla vehicles. according to to focus Most other manufacturers have agreements in place to buy back vehicles for a pre-agreed amount, so that the leasing company is not exposed to any residual value risk. No such agreement has been concluded with Tesla.

Sixt also cites high repair costs as a reason. Because of fewer wear parts, electric cars are less likely to fail than combustion engines and are cheaper to maintain, but damage repair costs for electric cars are still about 30 to 35 percent higher than for comparable combustion engines. This is evidenced by a study conducted by the German Association of Insurance Companies GDV. The high costs are mainly due to expensive battery damage and some garage owners’ unfamiliarity with electric cars, which is associated with a longer downtime.

However, Sixt wants to continue offering electric cars from other brands, so there is a good chance that this will be due to Tesla cars themselves, the Swiss newspaper Blick concluded. Three years ago, Tesla introduced a Gigacasting production method for the Model 3 and Model Y. As a result, the back of the Model 3 now consists of two complex molds instead of about seventy separate parts. This not only saves time but also saves mold and tooling costs.

However, according to Blake, this production saving presents a problem for repairs after an accident. Instead of replacing individual damaged sheet metal parts, in the event of a rear-end collision in a Model Y, for example, almost the entire rear end would have to be replaced. In the event of damage due to an accident, this is of course many times more expensive than simply replacing individual parts.

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