Uber will make up to 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) available for drivers after agreeing a new partnership with Hertz – with cars initially being rolled out in London.
The companies have agreed a European expansion to their successful North American partnership through which Hertz will make the EVs available to Uber drivers in European capital cities by 2025. A wide range of suitable EVs will be on offer, including vehicles from Tesla and Polestar.
The partnership is a key element of Hertz’s strategy to build one of the largest fleets of rental EVs in the world and Uber’s industry-leading commitment to become a zero emissions platform in Europe and North America by 2030.
The partnership in North America has already benefited tens of thousands of drivers on the Uber platform. To date, nearly 50,000 drivers have rented a Tesla through this program, completing more than 24 million fully-electric trips and over 260 million electric miles.
The European expansion of the partnership will begin in Hertz Europe’s London base in January 2023 and aims to expand to other European capitals, such as Paris and Amsterdam, throughout the year and beyond. Further details will be announced in due course.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, said: “As the largest mobility platform in the world, we know that our impact goes beyond our technology. Climate change is the most urgent global challenge which we must all tackle together – now is the time to accelerate. Expanding our partnership with Hertz into Europe will significantly boost our transition to zero-emissions, helping drivers reduce running costs and cleaning up urban transport. We aim to become a 100% electric platform across Europe by 2030.”
Stephen Scherr, Chief Executive Officer at Hertz, said: “Hertz continues to accelerate the drive toward sustainability and our partnership with Uber significantly advances that goal. By making EVs available to rideshare drivers, we will not only contribute to reducing emissions in European cities but also expand opportunities for people to experience the benefits of electrification. As Hertz invests to create one of the largest EV fleets globally, our Uber partnership will ensure that we continue to lead in the rapidly-changing mobility landscape across Europe.”
Image courtesy of Hertz.
