Hertz e Polestarthe Swedish manufacturer of high-performance electric cars, announced a new global partnership that plans to purchase up to 65,000 electric vehicles (EVs) over five years. It is feared that the availability of cars starts in Europe as early as the spring of 2022 and at the end of 2022 in North America and Australia.
For Hertz, the partnership is integral to the company’s ongoing commitment to drive electrification, shared mobility and a digital-first customer experience. The partnership with Polestar follows Hertz’s 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 this fleet available to business and leisure customers, Hertz is extending it to shared mobility operators as a vehicle to further accelerate the spread of electrified mobility.
“We are thrilled to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products to our fleet”, said Stephen Scherr, CEO of Hertz. “Today’s partnership with Polestar confirms and further strengthens our ambition to become a leader in the modern mobility ecosystem and to do so as an environmentally conscious company. By working with EV industry leaders such as Polestar, we can help accelerate the spread of electrification by providing our Guests and Partners operating in shared mobility with a premium EV product, exceptional experience and a lower carbon footprint. “
Polestar is one of the engines of global growth in electric vehicles, helping to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility while increasing consumer interest in the environmental benefits and affordability of electrification. Polestar reported that it nearly threefold its volumes in 2021 and plans to double it and beyond this year. Polestar expects volumes to hit 290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025. Polestar previously announced its intention to go public on Nasdaq New York in a proposed business combination. with Gores Guggenheim, Inc. (Nasdaq: GGPI, GGPIW and GGPIU), which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
“Polestar is committed to accelerating the transition to electric mobility with a portfolio of fascinating and innovative products”, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said. “We are delighted that Hertz has chosen Polestar as a strategic partner on their path to electrification. Partnering with a global pioneer such as Hertz will enable the incredible experience of driving an electric car to be made available to a wider audience, meeting a wide variety of short- and long-term mobility needs of our mutual customers. For many of them it could be the first time they have driven an EV, and it will be a Polestar ”.
Hertz will initially acquire Polestar 2, the award-winning electric car that helped position Polestar as a premium EV maker with its first volume model. Polestar 2 is characterized by the avant-garde of Scandinavian design and on-board technology. Polestar 2 includes the world’s first infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS with Google integrated for the premium EV segment, in a dynamic driving package that puts the driver at the center.