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'Uber Green' launched in London allowing riders to request a fully electric vehicle
Ride-sharing firm Uber have today launched their 'Uber Green' option, which allows riders to request a fully electric vehicle as their choice of transport in London.
The service is available to use for pickup in Zone 1, with the destination unrestricted.
Uber say their "Green" option will cost the same as a regular UberX journey on the app.
Drivers who have already switched to electric vehicles will pay a lower service fee of 15% on Uber Green trips.
Jamie Heywood, Uber’s Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern, said: “With cities beginning to open up once again, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive a green recovery by ensuring that every car on the Uber app in London is fully electric. We continue to partner with drivers to help them make the switch to electric and today we are excited to start offering riders the option to select an electric vehicle at no extra cost, allowing everyone using Uber to play their part in cleaning up urban transport."
Since 2019, Uber has collected an additional fee of 15p for every mile travelled in London, which goes directly to drivers to support them with the cost of switching to an electric vehicle.
The firm has said more than £125m has so far been raised for UK drivers to support the switch to green vehicles. Since the launch of Uber’s Clean Air Plan, more than 3 million trips have taken place on the app in fully electric vehicles - no hybrids, diesel or petrol -the company has said.
The money raised through Uber’s Clean Air Plan means that drivers can on average save £4,500 off the cost of an electric vehicle. Other initiatives put in place for drivers include:
Uber drivers can benefit from discounts when using bp Pulse’s public charging network. They will also be able to access Uber dedicated charging points at a series of rapid charging hubs in London.
Uber has signed deals with car makers including Nissan and Kia to provide discounted vehicles for drivers.
Uber has announced funding of more than £5m to invest in new electric vehicle charging infrastructure in London. It will target areas with the highest number of professional drivers living, such as Newham, Brent and Tower Hamlets.
By the end of 2021, Uber Green will be live in 60 major European cities. Uber Green is also set to be available in 1,400 US locations by the end of the year.
Uber set out plans to become a fully electric mobility platform across Europe and North America by 2030, with London leading the way by 2025. ‘SPARK! Partnering to electrify in Europe’ was also published in September to examine how Uber, carmakers, charging companies, cities and national policymakers can work together to fully electrify urban mobility.
