Part 2 of Unveil - Uber-type ability to rent out your car

[jkk_]

I remember because someone mentioned not wanting puke in the back of their car, which made sense to me.

Wasn't me but I have exact same thoughts. No way in hell I'm trusting strangers with my (estimated) 60k EUR car. People have very little respect for other people's possessions, especially when not supervised. Source: just walk around any town and see the trash, graffiti etc everywhere.

 

[vjason]

I'm in the "my car is mine alone" category. If you wonder why just peek in random cars the next time you are at the supermarket; it isn't always pretty.

And let's not forget the treatment of rental vehicles in general; I think it is second only to Top Gear test vehicles in terms of abuse.

Plus I'm fairly certain your insurance company would make you pay for this privilege, if just for liability reasons. And this is even *if* Tesla offers an insurance package to owners who rent out ala Uber, as I'm sure that package wouldn't replace your insurance just supplement it. Given that, how much money will be left over from that rental when it is said and done?

It is one thing when full autonomy means that you are just renting to passengers, not drivers. At least then it is just a matter of protecting your interior as much as you see fit (and hoping people don't smoke).

 

[Jleafs]

Why would I want some stranger (and perhaps their chocolate eating kids) sitting in my car? You're life would revolve around cleaning the car after every rental.

It's not for everyone, but it's not as if you couldn't price the cleaning into the offering. Look at Airbnb, does the exact same thing utilizing a much more expensive asset (housing).

 

[N5329K]

Renting my car out? No. Renting my Tesla? Hell no.
Robin

 

[Randy7fx]

@vjason - what makes you think you would be renting to drivers vs passengers??? The way I see it, a passenger would get in the rear seat, put the address where they are going into the phone app, and the car would drive them there...

 

[jsrawa]

Renting my car out? No. Renting my Tesla? Hell no.
Robin

Agreed, call me OCD but when people don't own an item themselves they don't take care of it at all. They will spill, scratch, dent and abuse. It won't phase them a bit.

 

[vjason]

Admittedly, if this were a feature for passenger only (AKA full autonomy cars) then that makes it a little safer to participate in. I was just trying to describe the current methods for this (such as Zipcar) vs. the autonomous approach.

If if it were full autonomous I'd be worried about my interior. Not all smells or stains can be removed.....

@vjason - what makes you think you would be renting to drivers vs passengers??? The way I see it, a passenger would get in the rear seat, put the address where they are going into the phone app, and the car would drive them there...

 

[ggies07]

Although I feel uneasy about it, I would try it out. Those asking "why would anyone want to do this" sound like those that said/say "why would you want an EV?" Try and step back from your reservations, clear your mind, and think about the future for a minute....cars will not be personal objects to a lot of people anymore. In the end, I guess you don't have to participate.....

 

[model3fan]

My mind immediately went to the puking nightmare scenario we've all read about that uber drivers run into. The only way I can see myself interested in this 'sharing my tesla' business is if I could whitelist who could use my car (family, friends, etc).

 

[alseTrick]

It's not for everyone, but it's not as if you couldn't price the cleaning into the offering. Look at Airbnb, does the exact same thing utilizing a much more expensive asset (housing).

Exactly. Passengers would have to be held financially responsible for damages and cleaning. Anyone doing this would probably be wise to treat the interior of their car to minimize stains, etc.

Besides, this Tesla fleet thing isn't going to happen anytime soon. We are years away from autonomy. Younger generations who grow up with autonomy are going to be more likely - in my opinion - to be comfortable with something like this than older generations (see: any number of social issues and adoption rates of new technology).

 

[WileyTheMan]

"If there is to be a brave new world, our generation will have the hardest time living in it." Love that quote.

Anyway, the point here is you wouldn't be sharing a personal item. It would be a commodity that you would have to maintain. This really isn't that much of a stretch for those who rent out property like houses or cottages. You assume that wear and tear will happen, and you factor that in when figuring out your charging price.

 

[1208]

For those who are going to rent out their Tesla... 4:10 to 6:10

 

[Jleafs]

"If there is to be a brave new world, our generation will have the hardest time living in it." Love that quote.

Anyway, the point here is you wouldn't be sharing a personal item. It would be a commodity that you would have to maintain. This really isn't that much of a stretch for those who rent out property like houses or cottages. You assume that wear and tear will happen, and you factor that in when figuring out your charging price.

I think we can safely assume that everyone here that's adverse to car-sharing would probably never rent out their personal homes and would retch at the thought of strangers sleeping in their beds. So obviously the "personal item" aspect will never go away for some. The point is that the model CAN exist for that kind of car ownership in the future, whereas it isn't feasible now.

 

[SureValla]

And let's not forget the treatment of rental vehicles in general; I think it is second only to Top Gear test vehicles in terms of abuse.

What kind of car goes 60 mph in reverse?

...

Any rental car

 

[Garlan Garner]

There is absolutely no way I would ever rent my tesla out.

 

[Jason Bourne]

I think we can safely assume that everyone here that's adverse to car-sharing would probably never rent out their personal homes and would retch at the thought of strangers sleeping in their beds. So obviously the "personal item" aspect will never go away for some. The point is that the model CAN exist for that kind of car ownership in the future, whereas it isn't feasible now.

Totally agree. Spot on.

For people who are comfortable sharing their personal space/items, there is and will be a market. But it's not for everyone.

 

[jkk_]

Totally agree. Spot on.

For people who are comfortable sharing their personal space/items, there is and will be a market. But it's not for everyone.

Yup. And it doesn't mean I wouldn't want others to have that option even though I'm not going to do it.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Yup. And it doesn't mean I wouldn't want others to have that option even though I'm not going to do it.

Do I have this right? I buy a $35K car and let someone use it for $35 per ride? What if they do bad things in it that cause horrific odors and such? I suppose that would be the risk of doing such a thing as renting your car out.

 

[jkk_]

Do I have this right? I buy a $35K car and let someone use it for $35 per ride? What if they do bad things in it that cause horrific odors and such? I suppose that would be the risk of doing such a thing as renting your car out.

More or less. We have no idea what the charge per ride might be. Or how fixing the negative things that will happen eventually will be handled. For me, even though I could get the cost of damaged goods recovered I don't want the hassle.

 

[johnnyS]

Maybe there will be a special edition interior just for renting--an interior that could be hosed down once in a while.