Tesla is combating declining electric vehicle sales with short-term rentals

Tesla is now in the short-term rental car business, as the company tries to mitigate a decline in sales in the United States following the expiration of federal tax credits for electric vehicles. Rentals are currently being offered at two California Tesla stores San Diego and Costa Mesa, with plans to expand to more locations by the end of this year, Electric Reports.

The vehicles can be rented for three to seven days, with prices starting at $60 per day, depending on the Tesla model. To sweeten the deal, Tesla is allowing customers to charge vehicles at Supercharger locations and use supervised full self-driving for free, along with offering a $250 credit to renters who choose to purchase a Tesla vehicle.

Third-party rental services like Hertz already have Tesla cars available in their fleets, but Tesla’s new program cuts out the middleman for anyone who wants to rent from the company directly. This launch comes as demand for electric vehicles in the United States is expected to decline after the crisis End of $7,500 federal tax credit On the first of October. Now that people actually do Hurry up and use those credits Before it disappears, electric-only car companies like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid are trying to find ways to keep their cars from languishing in showrooms.