After Uber announced a deal with Hertz to allow its ride-hailing drivers to rent Tesla vehicles in the United States, a similar plan involving Elon Musk’s company has reached London, England, in the United Kingdom, reports Reuters.
On Wednesday, Uber drivers in London will be able to buy or lease a Tesla, part of the ride-sharing company’s plan to increase electric car adoption.
A Clean Air fee in London adds 3 pence (4 cents) to every mile of a trip in the city, and since then over 135 million pounds ($184 million USD) have been collected for drivers to apply towards green cars at discounted prices. Partners include the likes of Nissan, Hyundai, Kia and now Tesla. The average size amount per driver saved up is between 3000 to 4000 GBP, says Uber.
Earlier in 2021, Uber dropped the amount collected to 3 pence per mile, in an effort to persuade drivers to use the credits instead of saving them. The result has been a shift to electric vehicles, doubling since the change and now 90% of new vehicles joining Uber are EVs.
Uber says over 4,000 drivers have changed over to electric vehicles in London, which now offers more fully electric cars than any other city in the world. The company plans to have every vehicle in its fleet all-electric by 2025.
“There is still a lot of work to do to drive a green recovery and clean up urban transport, but the progress we are seeing in London is significant and as a city we are leading the way globally,” said Uber’s Northern and Eastern Europe boss Jamie Heywood, noting London now has roughly 45,000 drivers.
“Uber drivers are switching to electric vehicles at a much faster rate than the mass market, thanks to the lower running costs and greater earning potential of driving in an EV,” added Heywood.
