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Hertz-Tesla Deal Signals Broad Shift to EVs for Rental-Car Companies

Hertz-Tesla Deal Signals Broad Shift to EVs for Rental-Car Companies

赫茲-特斯拉交易標誌着租賃汽車公司向電動汽車的廣泛轉變
Dow Jones Newswires ·  2021/11/27 18:30

By Nora Naughton

諾拉·諾頓(Nora Naughton)著

Car-rental customers could soon see more electric-vehicle options on airport lots and other places where they are looking to reserve a ride.

租車客户可能很快就會在機場停車場和其他他們希望預訂乘車的地方看到更多的電動汽車選擇。

The rental-car industry, long a big bulk-purchaser of new models in the car business, is sharpening efforts to add more battery-powered vehicles to fleets, the latest in a broader global shift among companies embracing greener technologies to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions.

長期以來,租車行業一直是汽車業新車型的大宗購買者,該行業正在加緊努力,為車隊增加更多電池驅動的汽車,這是更廣泛的全球企業轉向更環保技術以減少温室氣體排放的最新一例。

Two of the biggest car-rental firms -- Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and Avis Budget Group -- recently revealed plans to expand their plug-in offerings as the auto industry rolls out more options for drivers looking to avoid gasoline. Privately held Enterprise Holdings Inc., which owns brands such as National and Alamo, also has said it is looking to add more electrics, particularly for clients that are renting or leasing small vehicle fleets.

兩家最大的汽車租賃公司赫茲全球控股公司(Hertz Global Holdings Inc.)和安飛士預算集團(Avis Budget Group)最近透露,隨着汽車業為避免使用汽油的司機推出更多選擇,它們計劃擴大插電式汽車產品的供應。擁有National和Alamo等品牌的私人持股企業控股公司(Enterprise Holdings Inc.)也表示,正在尋求增加電子產品,特別是針對租賃或租賃小型車隊的客户。

"If you look now, 2% or thereabouts of all cars manufactured in the U.S. are electric," Avis Chief Executive Joe Ferraro said on an earnings call earlier this month. "That number will go to about 10% in 2025, and maybe north of 30% in 2030. And we'll play a big role in that."

安飛士首席執行長費拉羅(Joe Ferraro)本月早些時候在財報電話會議上表示:“如果你現在看看,在美國生產的所有汽車中,有2%左右是電動的。”“這一數字在2025年將達到10%左右,2030年可能會超過30%。我們將在這方面發揮重要作用。”

This shift is expected to come with challenges. Electric vehicles are typically more expensive, creating higher upfront costs for rental-car companies and potentially raising prices for renters. Additionally, a dearth of public charging networks could prove difficult for leisure travelers, who might not know how and where to charge their cars, analysts and executives say. That frustration could hurt the customers' experience, they say.

這種轉變預計會帶來挑戰。電動汽車通常更貴,這給汽車租賃公司帶來了更高的前期成本,並有可能提高租車者的價格。此外,分析師和高管表示,缺乏公共充電網絡可能會給休閒旅行者帶來困難,他們可能不知道如何充電,也不知道在哪裏充電。他們説,這種挫折感可能會損害客户的體驗。

Car-rental companies and their corporate clients are facing greater pressure from Wall Street to make environmental issues a higher priority and to outline steps they are taking to combat climate change, analysts and executives say.

分析人士和高管表示,租車公司及其企業客户正面臨來自華爾街的更大壓力,要求他們將環境問題放在更優先的位置,並概述他們正在採取的應對氣候變化的措施。

Stocks in companies focused on electric vehicles have shot up in recent months, even though sales of battery-powered models remain low -- less than 3% of the total new-car market -- and many drivers are still nervous about not having enough places to plug in.

近幾個月來,專注於電動汽車的公司股價飆升,儘管電池驅動車型的銷量仍然較低,不到整個新車市場的3%,而且許多司機仍然對沒有足夠的插座感到緊張。

Hertz's news in late October that it had placed a 100,000-vehicle order from electric-car pioneer Tesla Inc. sent shares in both companies soaring, pushing Tesla's valuation over $1 trillion for the first time. While the two companies are still working out details, Hertz said at the time that the order would increase its mix of electric cars to 20% of its overall fleet.

赫茲10月底宣佈向電動汽車先驅特斯拉公司(Tesla Inc.)訂購10萬輛汽車的消息推動兩家公司股價飆升,使特斯拉的估值首次突破1萬億美元。雖然兩家公司仍在制定細節,但赫茲當時表示,這一訂單將使其電動汽車組合佔其總車隊的20%。

Avis's stock also rallied earlier this month when executives said they were working to expand electric options for renters, making it a centerpiece of the company's efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% over the next decade. Following the disclosure, Avis's shares more than doubled that day, the stock's largest single-day percentage gain ever.

本月早些時候,Avis的股價也出現上漲,當時公司高管表示,他們正在努力擴大租房者的電動選擇,使其成為該公司未來10年温室氣體排放量減少30%的努力的核心。消息披露後,安飛士的股價當天上漲了一倍多,創下該股有史以來最大單日百分比漲幅。

Currently, the pickings are relatively limited for customers looking to rent an electric or hybrid model. For Avis, the share of hybrid and electric vehicles in its global fleet is around 3%, the company said earlier this year.

目前,對於希望租賃電動或混合動力車型的客户來説,選擇相對有限。安飛士今年早些時候表示,混合動力和電動汽車在其全球車隊中的份額約為3%。

Chris Haffenreffer, an executive in charge of Enterprise's electric-vehicle strategy, said it sees the most potential for electrics in its commercial-rental fleets and fleet-management business, which mostly serves companies looking for longer-term arrangements. These business clients tend to be more cost conscious and see value in the lower maintenance and operating costs afforded by battery-powered vehicles, he said.

負責企業電動汽車戰略的高管克里斯·哈芬裏弗(Chris Haffenreffer)説,該公司在其商業租賃車隊和車隊管理業務中看到了電動汽車的最大潛力,這些業務主要為尋求長期安排的公司服務。他説,這些商業客户往往更具成本意識,並從電池驅動汽車所能承受的較低維護和運營成本中看到了價值。

Enterprise is still studying how to make electric cars a better fit for leisure travelers, who are more likely to worry about finding enough charging stations, Mr. Haffenreffer said.

企業號仍在研究如何讓電動汽車更適合休閒旅行者,他們更有可能擔心找不到足夠的充電站,Haffenreffer説。

The shift to electrics can benefit rental-car companies in other important ways. It helps them shrink their own carbon footprints by integrating more zero-emissions vehicles into their overall rental fleets. That, in turn, can help improve their environmental, social and governance, or ESG, standing with investors, executives and analysts say.

轉向電動汽車可以在其他重要方面讓汽車租賃公司受益。它通過將更多的零排放車輛整合到他們的整體租賃車隊中,幫助他們縮小自己的碳足跡。高管和分析師表示,這反過來可以幫助改善他們的環境、社會和治理,即ESG,在投資者中站穩腳跟。

"ESG-associated names like Tesla usually get a much higher multiple," said Hamzah Mazari, an analyst with Jefferies Group who covers the rental-car industry.

傑富瑞集團(Jefferies Group)研究租車行業的分析師哈姆扎·馬紮裏(Hamzah Mazari)表示:“像特斯拉這樣與ESG相關的公司通常會得到更高的市盈率。”

Corporate clients also see an advantage because the more clean vehicles they rent, the more they can count the emissions-reduction efforts toward their own ESG ratings, analysts say.

分析師説,企業客户也看到了優勢,因為他們租用的清潔車輛越多,他們就越能將減排努力計入自己的ESG評級。

Still, hurdles remain for rental-car providers looking to electrify their lots.

不過,對於希望將停車場電氣化的租車提供商來説,障礙依然存在。

Battery-powered vehicles are typically more expensive than their gas-engine counterparts, requiring companies to make more upfront investment, said Maryann Keller, an independent consultant who previously served on the board of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which is now part of Hertz.

獨立顧問瑪麗安·凱勒(Maryann Keller)説,電池驅動的汽車通常比汽油發動機驅動的汽車更貴,這需要公司進行更多的前期投資。凱勒曾在Dollar Thrity Automotive Group董事會任職,該集團現在是赫茲(Hertz)的一部分。

They also require rental providers to install charging stations in their parking areas and to educate consumers about how to use the vehicles, she said. A steep learning curve could be a major turnoff for clients, she added.

她説,他們還要求租賃提供商在停車場安裝充電站,並教育消費者如何使用車輛。她補充説,陡峭的學習曲線可能會讓客户望而卻步。

There is also uncertainty around the resale market and how much an electric model will hold its value, a factor that is particularly important to rental-car companies because they turn over fleets frequently, analysts say.

分析師説,轉售市場以及電動車型能在多大程度上保值也存在不確定性,這一因素對汽車租賃公司尤其重要,因為它們經常更換車隊。

Enterprise's Mr. Haffenreffer said developing a more robust network of public charging stations would be critical to broadening EVs' appeal to renters.

Enterprise的哈芬裏弗説,發展一個更強大的公共充電站網絡對於擴大電動汽車對租房者的吸引力至關重要。

"The conventional wisdom for EV owners right now is that the vast majority of charging is going to happen at home, but for our renters, that charging is going to happen in the public," he said.

他説:“目前對電動汽車車主的傳統看法是,絕大多數充電將在家裏進行,但對於我們的租户來説,這種充電將在公共場合進行。”

Write to Nora Naughton at Nora.Naughton@wsj.com

寫信給Nora Naughton,電子郵件:nora.naughton@wsj.com

譯文內容由第三人軟體翻譯。


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