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Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution
Manage episode 514913612 series 3555556
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What happens when a 16-year-old buys a doorless, topless Jeep Wrangler with Bar Mitzvah money, then inherits his dad's Tesla with no way to pay for it?
Rei Vardi turned a college student's nightmare into a thriving business. His 1995 Jeep Wrangler—complete with red rims, no airbags, and a top speed of 50 mph—taught him to love driving. But when his father's 2015 Tesla Model S became his problem to solve, Rei discovered that renting out electric vehicles was nearly impossible. Someone even robbed a bank in his car.
Instead of giving up, he built Eon Rides, a virtual fleet that's revolutionizing how we think about car sharing and electric vehicles.
In this episode, discover:
- The authentic joy of driving a "beautiful piece of junk" first car
- Why traditional car sharing fails (and what Ray did differently)
- How family, entrepreneurship, and automotive passion collide
- The surprising connection between a Jeep Wrangler and a Land Rover Defender named Sasha
Guest: Rei Vardi, Founder of Eon Rides (eonrides.com)
Join Doug and Christian for another unforgettable automotive story where every car tells a tale, and every tale reveals something deeper about the drivers who love them.
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Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.
Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.
Chapters
1. Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution (00:00:00)
2. Banter, Weather, And Endurance Drives (00:00:03)
3. T-Shirts, DeLorean Fix, And Garage Talk (00:02:45)
4. Global Listeners And How To Support Us (00:05:10)
5. Theme Reveal: Some Batteries Included (00:06:50)
6. Meet Ray And The Eon Concept (00:07:42)
7. How The Virtual Fleet Works (00:08:49)
8. Coast-To-Coast Access And Subscriptions (00:13:29)
9. Booking Flow, Tutorials, And Phone-As-Key (00:15:14)
10. First Car Stories: Jeep Wrangler Memories (00:17:46)
11. From Tesla Payments To Startup Idea (00:21:48)
12. Family Roots In Vehicle Sharing (00:24:58)
13. New York Transport Hack: Overpowered E-Bike (00:26:46)
14. User Reviews And Why Convenience Wins (00:27:59)
15. Mom’s Heirloom: Rebuilt Land Rover Defender (00:29:40)
16. Purpose, Team, And Building What Matters (00:31:45)
17. Closing Thanks And Listener CTAs (00:34:10)
144 episodes
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