Avis mystery car rental-ugghh
- Thread starter GON
- Start date
For visitors that don't know the area, it can be a crapshoot just going to whatever Tesla navigation or a map check recommends. I know about the three closest ones to where I live, and I don't feel unsafe per se at any of them, but there are ones that I would avoid at night because of property crimes. There's one at an Asian mall (Pacific East Mall in Richmond) where I see a good deal of police and where they have tons of signs advising people to put away any valuables. I think the deal there is a lot of reasonably affluent customers, but it's also really close to the freeway. But in many ways that's what's desirable in a place to charge an EV. The surrounding neighborhood itself is extremely boring but potentially having stuff to steal is another matter. I personally wouldn't recommend that anyone go and charge there and leave their Tesla (or other vehicles once Tesla opens its network). And definitely don't have a lot of stuff visible and leave. But the Urban Superchargers at El Cerrito Plaza less than a mile away is probably better in terms of car break ins and overall lower property crimes.
But the limited number of Tesla Superchargers in the entire San Antonio metro area was a bit shocking. I tried making these roughly the same scale (the latter might even be larger scale) between centered on San Antonio International Airport and Oakland International Airport.
Also - the difference between "bad neighborhood" and "safe neighborhood" can be nebulous. For the most part we're not in walled communities where people are kept out. I hear of theft and violence in what I consider to be quiet suburbs, but that's possible because anyone can go there. Still - I look at the closest Superchargers to Oakland International Airport. The absolute closest is across the street from the Oakland Coliseum. I wouldn't recommend being there after it gets dark. If needed I'd recommend Alameda. I've been there at night and I've never felt like I would be a victim. It's at a shopping center that I've been to several times.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.756...0&thumbfov=100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&entry=ttu
Even then, I see differences between where Destination Charging has been installed and where Superchargers have been installed. It seems like it's mostly been in hotels in the downtown area of San Antonio, but around Oakland there aren't many.
Also - daytime vs nighttime might be a concern. I charged at a Tesla Supercharger in Crescent City, CA (I liked a photo earlier - this topic?) and it was the only option for at least 90 miles. I'd never been to the town before and frankly didn't know much about it other than it was a generally quiet town in an otherwise rural community. I knew that a lot of the local economy was centered around supporting Pelican Bay State Prison, but I've been to plenty of places where a local prison/jail are nearby and you don't really see it until you go there - like Folsom, California (where Intel is the largest private employer) or Milpitas (with the county jail right next to expensive homes). I looked up the crime ratings, and the downtown area is listed as being particularly bad, where the town itself has a 1 of 100 rating where 100 is the safest. But it may be nuisance crimes with a lot of homeless people there.
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/crescent-city/crime
Last edited:
So I guess all the crooks drive Teslas and charge late at night so they can get up to their shananigans?
I guess. But the big thing is that a convenient location for the customer is also a convenient location for a crook. And that's not much different whether or not it's an EV charging station nor a gas station.
Still - I've yet to experience a charging station where I felt that it was a bad idea to be there at that particular time. And a few times it was at night where I felt strength in numbers. I mean - what is anyone going to do? There's little incentive to steal cell phones these days and the vehicle itself (i.e. carjacking) isn't really amenable to theft where it's constantly reporting the location. They're not easy to part out either. If I'm charging it's going straight to the credit card on the vehicle's account (or whatever else), so I'm not whipping out cash nor credit cards to charge like I'd pay for gas. Kind of reminds me of when Arco stations started setting up pay cash at an island kiosk, where I'm thinking that wasn't the best setup when there are panhandlers and possibly robberies.
Of course a big thing with any long trip is not advertising what you're doing. I've gone on camping trips in a small car where I ran out of room in the trunk and had sleeping bags and coolers in the back seat (with a family of three) or even pre-child. But if it can go in the trunk that's even better. The Tesla loaner we got didn't have the cover for the trunk well, but that was surprisingly a good space for a larger cooler, and nobody is going to look at small cooler with any suspicion since many have those in the backseat of a car.
Once I rented a car in Florida (a Chevy HHR) and I asked if maybe I could get something with a real trunk just to hide my luggage. Nothing happened, but all those warnings about being a victim of this or that (carjackings, intentional collisions, car breakins) in Florida made me nervous as heck.
My sister in law very wealthy however eternal bargain hunter fell into same rental trap with Avis random. They embraced the weekend with Tesla Model 3 they got however the Bed and Breakfast lacked charging so Whole Foods for 30 mins a day while they explored Asheville area.
Too bad a little as they thought EV was this experience but I said you charge at home and trips yes this hassle.
Too bad a little as they thought EV was this experience but I said you charge at home and trips yes this hassle.
I don't like the idea of the "dealer's choice" option just in case I get stuck with a massive gas guzzler. I have been there where the employee was giving me the hard sell on paying more for an upgrade, even claiming that it would be more fuel efficient. When I said no I got it without an upgrade price and it turned out pretty well.
I think in many ways, an EV rental might help for potential EV buyers to get a feel for how they drive. They are very different and not everyone adjusts that quickly. I think it would take my mom months (she doesn't drive their new Model 3 at all) but my dad was reasonable after a week even though he's constantly asking me for help in figuring out this or that setting.
I'd think a big concern would be how much one is driving. For something like a business trip rental where I might be driving less than 100 miles, I'd probably only need to charge once during the trip, even if it's delivered with only 80% charge. However, I've rented a car to go on a road trip, and that would have been interesting. But I'm quite familiar now with driving a Tesla on a road trip, so it might not phase me as much as someone else who's never lived with one before.
It’s rarely the only option. Just the cheapest option. You open yourself up to the mercy of what they have an abundance of. It also frees them up to upsell other bookings and give out the leftovers.
Eventually they would, if Tesla is reliable like Toyota. Come to think of it maybe Mercedes fall apart after warranty expire by design, so they can't get passed down to the slum dwellers?
I suspect that when I got the upsell, it was because they were out of that car class. Obviously an opportunity for an upsell that might contribute to employee bonuses.
Agree. To long trip with an EV you probably should charge around area you don't want to stop and just top off quickly. I don't know if Tesla has a routing option on picking where to stop instead of letting their GPS decide for you and land you in a bad spot (not just for security reason but also for weather condition and traffic). If they don't have it now it is something purely software, and can be added easily in the future. This really isn't a technical problem of EV but rather just a different way to use it, like how people switch from horses to cars.
I read all these posts and in all fairness, there isnt any need in the ICE threads to discuss where to gas your car up in 4 minutes or the safety of any gas stations nor preplanning stops. You can read through these posts and it's like an alternate universe. 
I mean let's call it what it is. EVs are in the infancy, actually more like pre-infancy. There is no comparison nor is there ANY thought process involved where to get gasoline compared to charging up an EV. Case closed.
The EV works PERFECT for many people and I suspect way more so for those with a home and place to charge. Possibly in a tiny spec of this nation where EV charge points are more prevalent. TO claim OR imply that it is universal as gas and as convenient as gas is completely bogus.
I mean let's call it what it is. EVs are in the infancy, actually more like pre-infancy. There is no comparison nor is there ANY thought process involved where to get gasoline compared to charging up an EV. Case closed.
The EV works PERFECT for many people and I suspect way more so for those with a home and place to charge. Possibly in a tiny spec of this nation where EV charge points are more prevalent. TO claim OR imply that it is universal as gas and as convenient as gas is completely bogus.
EVs are different. To a large extent, the people who struggle with them are expecting them to be like ICE.I read all these posts and in all fairness, there isnt any need in the ICE threads to discuss where to gas your car up in 4 minutes or the safety of any gas stations nor preplanning stops. You can read through these posts and it's like an alternate universe.
I mean let's call it what it is. EVs are in the infancy, actually more like pre-infancy. There is no comparison nor is there ANY thought process involved where to get gasoline compared to charging up an EV. Case closed.
The EV works PERFECT for many people and I suspect way more so for those with a home and place to charge. Possibly in a tiny spec of this nation where EV charge points are more prevalent. TO claim OR imply that it is universal as gas and as convenient as gas is completely bogus.
I read all these posts and in all fairness, there isnt any need in the ICE threads to discuss where to gas your car up in 4 minutes or the safety of any gas stations nor preplanning stops. You can read through these posts and it's like an alternate universe.
I mean let's call it what it is. EVs are in the infancy, actually more like pre-infancy. There is no comparison nor is there ANY thought process involved where to get gasoline compared to charging up an EV. Case closed.
The EV works PERFECT for many people and I suspect way more so for those with a home and place to charge. Possibly in a tiny spec of this nation where EV charge points are more prevalent. TO claim OR imply that it is universal as gas and as convenient as gas is completely bogus.
A lot of this talk is about safety, and in the dozen+ times I've charged a Tesla at a public charging setup, I've yet to be in any situation where I was uncomfortable, even at 9 PM at night in the back lot of a strip mall. But absolutely I've been there at a gas station where I was wondering if the homeless guy I didn't "donate" to might damage my car in anger.
The only thing that worried me was a guy parking at a Tesla Supercharger in his F150, since I'd heard about various "protests" by pickup drivers blocking EV charging stations. But then I saw who I believe was his wife to pick up the Tesla charging at the next space. So I guess I was basing my worries on a stereotype.
And sure there's a thought process in getting fuel - especially with different prices that are posted to GasBuddy. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I'll look specifically for Costco gas stations. I suppose one bonus is that there's always one or even two Costco employees on site and I've yet to encounter a panhandler since they will shoo them off, including the possibility of bringing in private security. But then I hear some here say why bother waiting in line?
I'm not 100% sure where do store owners or gas station owners draw the line on trespassing, but I know if they insist and call for police they can come to shoo the panhandlers away. However, armed robbery can be tricky and I'm not sure whether they would target EV owners who may not carry something valuable and Tesla's reputation of having security cameras on when charging.
Still, most chargers are build for people to park their cars then walk away, or spend time inside a structure (store? break room?) when wait for extended period of time. I don't think I have ever seen people just stand next to the car while charging for more than 5 mins, unless they just want some outdoor time. I don't think it is a good place to target someone to rob and a traditional gas station may have more opportunity.
Typically there's **something** there that might be at least worth a bit of window shopping in order to get out of the car. Examples from experience included a nearby Target, Raley's, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc. But then I've seen the ones in a restaurant parking lot where I wouldn't have been interested. If I'm stopping at the Olema Farmhouse near Point Reyes Station, that's just a weird point because it's not within reasonable walking distance of anything other than a few expensive restaurants. But I suppose that was a hole in the map and Tesla was happy to fill it. But I would have recommended a spot in Point Reyes Station.
The photo I had of the three Shell Recharge kiosks (Crescent City) was from the most random parking lot where I've ever seen a Tesla Supercharger. There's a Safeway about three blocks away which would have been a much better location.
Also - I've seen some where there is some crazy overlap like they don't really care how close they are to each other and just want more. This is a Google Street View of parking lot of The Veranda in Concord, CA which has 19. But you can see one peeking over the hedge rom the Willows Shopping Center next door, which has 16. The ones next door are supposedly 250 kW versions, but when I've been there the 150 kW ones at The Veranda are more popular probably because it's a nicer mall overall, even if it's possible to just cross the boundary.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.9702491,-122.0587175,34m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
For those that think there is strength in numbers in today's violent environment. Man killed that went to the rescue of a woman who was being attacked by three men.
Yesterday in Tacoma, WA...... and very sadly like violent acts like this are happening across the USA daily.
Yesterday in Tacoma, WA...... and very sadly like violent acts like this are happening across the USA daily.
When you are in the military your 'boss' does it all the time. It's what you signed up for.
Exactly. There are people being sent everywhere. Do you blame Tesla for building a charger there? Would you rather have a charger there or no charger there?
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2020
- Messages
- 2,095
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
Many like Enterprise, I avoid Enterprise.
Historically Enterprise does dot rent a car with a full tank, and one has to bring back the car at the same level it was rented at. That is a hustle/ trickery. Enterprise historically performed a pre- and post rental inspection that was much more time consuming and inefficient for me. Rent a dozen plus cars per month, sometimes two cars in one day at two different airports, no time for the manual inspection. Finally, I am not necessarily a fan of the Enterprise management trainee program. Enterprise hires four year college graduates as management trainees, and works them 60+ hours per week, but as management they don't qualify for overtime. A few make it big in the scheme, most walk after a few months, but Enterprise saves huge $$$$ on labor by this. Just not a practice I like, but I know others may have a different assessment.
