Hertz Puts You in An Electric Car's Driver's Seat

Tesla Roadster.
I don't know if this is the model Hertz offers.

Bloomberg News, in a story the Mercury News picked up, reported that Hertz customers at LAX and San Francisco International Airport can rent a Tesla electric car. The price of curiosity? $500 per day. Presumably, the deal comes with unlimited free mileage.

The opportunity sounds like great fun. I admit I do have a bit of Tesla deprivation jealousy. Someone in my general area owns a Tesla. On occasion, I see the car quietly cruise down a Main Street normally filled with SUVs, and I want to drive it. I have actually looked into the innards, such as they are, of a Tesla. A floor model was showcased at a local shopping mall recently. I was quite curious and looked inside; my wife acted on her interest and sat in the driver's seat.

There are relatively few electric charging stations in northern New Jersey. In fact, I wonder if the Northeast will ever embrace electric automobiles. The region has a strong conservative streak in matters of consumption and taste (contrary to popular perception about NY and NJ). Automobiles are not an exception to that sentiment. How quickly Hertz offers Teslas in its New York area centers remains to be seen.