'Really Happy With My Tesla:' Italian Rally Driver Clocks 236K Miles On Model S Over 6 Years With Nearly Zero Maintenance - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Italian rally driver Piero Longhi took to Instagram last week to recount his experience driving his Tesla Model S. Longhi drove about 236,120 miles on his Model S with little to no maintenance over 6 years.

What Happened: Despite the long distance covered, the Model S underwent little maintenance in the timeframe besides a recent change in front brake pads, as Longhi wrote in a post.

“Honestly not sure what the future will be… And I don’t want to get into any electric car debates,” Longhi wrote, adding, “I am really happy with my Tesla.”

Why It Matters: The post helps alleviate concerns about EV upkeep, repair, and maintenance, especially in the context of Tesla.

Tesla’s repair costs have often been noted as higher than those of its traditional fuel engine counterparts. A recent investigative report even claims Tesla has been blaming customers for part failures even though the EV company knew the parts were defective.

In October, Tesla came under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for potentially exaggerating the range of its electric vehicles.

Rentals Distancing: In the past few months, multiple car rental companies have announced that they would phase out Tesla vehicles from their fleets, citing higher repair costs.

In October, Hertz Global Holdings Inc HTZ announced it would scale back on Tesla vehicles due to higher collision and damage repair costs for EVs compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles, coupled with low resale value.

Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr mentioned the company would instead purchase EVs from other manufacturers with established part supply networks at lower price points. Europe’s largest car rental, Sixt SE, echoed similar sentiments earlier this month.

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