Autonomous cars are growing to carve a niche for themselves in the auto industry. Thanks to Tesla for revolutionizing autonomous cars and setting out to perfect the self-driving technology. The auto industry is in the process of a major shift from the conventional internal combustion engine to an all-electric motor, which is the heart and soul of fully autonomous vehicles. The car rental business is also acclimatizing to this shift by adding self-driving cars to its fleet.
All things said and done, how effective are self-driving cars to the car rental business, and can they revolutionize the car rental business? Waymo, a company that runs autonomous vehicles on the roads of Phoenix has partnered with Avis Budget Group, a rental car company that owns about 580,000 vehicles in 11,000 locations across 180 countries, to run and manage a self-driving fleet. Things are looking bright for self-driving vehicles and the car rental business and several collaborations between the two industries are underway.
Avis Budget Group believes that the world will be soon dominated by self-driving vehicles and several businesses need to get in on the action. Many believe that car rental companies like Avis are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the self-driving revolution. Car rental companies are already equipped with car rental software and rental solutions; therefore, it is much easier than expected for self-driving cars to merge, operate, and revolutionize car rental solutions.
Here are a few reasons why self-driving cars could revolutionize the car rental business.
- Quick Mobility – Consumers do not have to stop at a rental office to avail a car rental service, since car rental companies can send driverless vehicles. Picking a vehicle from a car rental company, whether Enterprise, Avis, Hertz, or any other company could now be as simple as picking up a smartphone. Self-driving cars eliminate the obstacles that are present where a car rental business might require at least one person to make time to pick up a customer. Self-driving cars offer advantages both to the car rental business and the customer.
- On Par with Evolving Market – People’s (customer) needs and habits are ever-evolving. With self-driving vehicles, the car rental business can embrace people’s evolving needs and changes. Car rental companies are retorting with innovative ideas, intelligent strategies and technological expertise to improve operational efficiency.
- Future Proof & For the Mass – the world is heading towards an independent and smart future and self-driving vehicles are the epitome of an independent and smart lifestyle. With car rental businesses keen on adapting and revolutionizing themselves with self-driving cars everybody can enjoy an independent and smart future. The collaboration between self-driving vehicles and car rental businesses will also enable the optimization of car rental solutions and car rental software, thereby creating a perpetual evolution and growth of the entire auto industry.
The officials at Enterprise, which has over 5,500 offices within 15 miles of 90% of the US population, think that they are ready and well set for a future with self-driving cars. Neil Abrams, President of Abrams Consulting Group – a car rental consulting firm, estimated the concept of self-driving vehicles picking people up about two decades away from becoming a reality.
