Uber expands EV options to the whole of London
Uber has announced that its passengers can now request an EV from anywhere in London, as its fully electric ride-hail option, Uber Green, has been expanded from Zone 1 to the whole of London.
Since its EV-only option called Uber Green first launched in 2021, the company has tripled the number of EVs available on the app with over 5,000 EVs now on Uber in London. By the end of 2022, the company is set to have over 10,000 EVs in London and is on track to become an all-electric platform in the capital by 2025.
Jamie Heywood, Uber’s General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, said: “Since we launched Uber Green, thousands of drivers have switched to an EV, benefiting from lower running costs and higher earnings on Uber. We are excited to now offer every rider in London the opportunity to choose electric – helping to tackle climate change and clean up London’s air. With Uber on track to be an all-electric platform in the capital by 2025, Uber Green will soon be the default option for all Londoners.”
According to Intelligent Transport, in 2021, more than 90 per cent of new vehicles joining the Uber app are fully electric. In comparison, only 12 per cent of new vehicles in the mass market were fully electric in 2021. This is likely to be at least partly due to Uber’s Clean Air Plan, whereby Uber says that drivers in London have raised over £145 million that they can put towards the cost of switching to an EV. These funds enable drivers to purchase EVs at discounted rates thanks to Uber’s partnerships with Nissan, Hyundai and Kia. To incentivise their drivers to drive electric, Uber says it ensures that they earn 13% more when taking trips on Uber Green.
Uber has also had a helping hand from the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF). Just last week the fund announced it was providing capital to private hire drivers from both Breathe and Uber for deploying 100 Tesla Model 3 in London.
Uber has further supported EV drivers on its app with a project to install 700 charge points in three London boroughs throughout this year.
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