- Uber to become a zero emissions mobility platform by 2040, with 100% of journeys taking place in zero exhaust emission vehicles, public transit and micro-mobility.
- By 2025, 50% of kilometers driven in aggregate across seven European capitals (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris) will be in zero emission vehicles.
- Uber announces new industry-first partnerships with Renault-Nissan, BP, EDF and Power Dot to make it more affordable for drivers to switch to zero emission vehicles.
AMSTERDAM (September 8, 2020) – Uber has committed to becoming a zero emissions mobility platform by 2040 across 10,000 cities and six continents, with 100% of journeys taking place in zero emission vehicles, public transit and micro-mobility.
European markets are leading the way in the electrification of the ride-hailing industry. By 2025, 50% of kilometers driven on Uber’s platform in aggregate across seven European capitals (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris) will be in zero emission vehicles.
In part this will be achieved due to the $800m available to hundreds of thousands of drivers across Europe, the US and Canada to help them with the cost of switching to a zero emission vehicle.
Uber will continue the expansion of Uber Green across Europe – where riders can request a lower emission vehicle for a small surcharge – from 37 cities today to 60 cities by the end of 2021. This will mean that riders will be able to select a zero emission vehicle in cities representing 80 percent of our European business by the end of 2021.
Anabel Diaz, Regional General Manager for EMEA, Uber, said: “As the largest mobility platform in Europe, we have an important role to play in tackling climate change and supporting a green recovery. With our responsibilities to drivers, riders and cities in mind, today we have made a series of ambitious commitments to help advance the electrification of our platform across Europe. As we set out our roadmap to become a zero emission mobility platform by 2040, Europe will lead the way by delivering impactful changes in the next five years.”
William Todts, Executive Director, Transport and Environment (T&E), said: “People across Europe are sick of pollution and congestion. Shared electric mobility is key to solving these problems. And the right place to start is with high-mileage drivers who’ll benefit first from cheaper-to-run, clean electric vehicles. Uber’s commitment to rapidly electrify its fleet in major European cities is good news. Now it’s time for Europe’s majors to show leadership. We need all major cities in Europe to introduce zero-emission zones, new pop-up bike lanes and cycle-only corridors, whilst providing easy access to charging, at home, at work and wherever people park.”
Uber has also struck a number of industry-first partnerships to make it easier and more affordable for drivers to switch to zero emission vehicles:
- Renault-Nissan and Uber have signed a strategic partnership to ensure drivers on the Uber App have access to affordable electric vehicles in Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Portugal.
- Power Dot will also provide exclusive access to four charging hubs to drivers in Greater Paris and Portugal, as well as a 20% discount.
- In the UK, Uber and bp have signed a deal to provide drivers with new dedicated charging hubs in London. Uber Pro drivers will also get up to 50% off BP’s Polar Plus monthly membership, unlocking discounts on BP Chargemaster’s Polar network of 7,000+ charging points.
- In France, a partnership with EDF will help provide discounts to a large network of rapid charging infrastructure on large routes across France, as well as discounts for home-charging installation.
Gilles Normand, SVP, Electric Vehicles & Mobility Services, Groupe Renault, said:
“This is an acknowledgement of our ability to conquer new markets and to support professionals in their energy transition. Today, we capitalize on our competitive advantage: an attractive EV-offer that contributes to large scale electric mobility roll-out. We have worked closely with local authorities over the past years to propose solutions to the growing challenges facing cities: transportation, decarbonization and air quality. With the signature of this MoU we aim to join our forces to accelerate the movement.”
Jordi Vila, Divisional Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Nissan Europe, said: “From 10 years of experience with the Nissan LEAF, we know people love driving electric, and that making the switch can help drivers to save money and support the clean air ambitions of our major cities. By teaming up with Uber in the UK, we have already been able to increase the awareness and adoption of zero-emission vehicles, and we are looking forward to exploring how to roll that out further in Europe.”
Richard Bartlett, senior vice president, Future Mobility and Solutions, bp, said: “We are pleased to be working with Uber to help to enable their partner-drivers to start the transition to a fully electric ride. Ride hailing is a growing phenomenon in our cities and we look forward to expanding our collaboration in other locations across Europe and the globe. With bp’s ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and to help the world get to net zero, we want to play our part in electrifying fleets and helping cities deliver on their own low carbon commitments.”
Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility, said: “Transport induced noise, air pollution and CO2 emissions are detrimental to public health, the environment, and quality of life in European cities. Technologies and solutions for clean, connected and shared mobility already exist but we need to integrate them, and accelerate implementation and scaling. Electrification and shared Mobility are key for sustainable urban mobility, so we support Uber´s efforts and ambition to commit significant resources to the transition of electrification of its fleet and bringing together different key-players to cooperate.”
Philippe Crist, Advisor for Innovation & Foresight, International Transport Forum at the OECD, said: “Ride-hailing services and taxis provide clear value to people. As a part of a broad urban mobility ecosystem, they can contribute to more sustainable urban travel — if the environmental impacts over their whole lifecycle are addressed. There are several ways to reduce the environmental burden of these services as work by the International Transport Forum shows: reducing empty vehicle travel, increasing the number of passengers carried per kilometre driven while avoiding a shift to ride-hailing and taxis from public transport and other, more sustainable modes and fostering a rapid transition towards electric vehicles — especially for vehicles that travel a lot every day. Uber’s ambitious commitment to rapidly electrify is a welcome step in delivering more sustainable mobility outcomes.”
Christoph Wolff, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, said: “As a company that enables shared mobility, Uber’s commitment to carbon reduction highlights the importance of private sector companies in the global fight against climate change, and the need for innovative partnerships between companies and public agencies to tangibly confront some of our greatest challenges.”
Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General, POLIS, said: “POLIS cities and regions have been working towards a sustainable multimodal urban mobility ecosystem for many years. We welcome Uber’s continued efforts to exchange with POLIS and its members, as well as its commitment to improve the roll-out of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. As rightly noted in Uber’s SPARK! report, only through common efforts of various stakeholders and a comprehensive approach, we will be able to bring about substantial change, and reduce noise, air and greenhouse gas emissions in our beloved cities.”
Uber has published a new report on how to advance the electrification of the ride-hailing market across Europe. ‘SPARK! Partnering to electrify in Europe’ examines the barriers that high-kilometre commercial drivers face in electrifying – particularly around charging and affordability – and ways in which Uber, carmakers, charging companies, cities and national policymakers can all work together to overcome them.
Anabel Diaz, Regional General Manager for EMEA, Uber, added: “If private and public bodies work together to create the right conditions, we believe ride-hailing could then be electrified in any major European city within 5 years. This could act as a catalyst for change and drive a broader, transition to zero emission vehicles across European society, leading to a dramatic reduction of emissions in cities across the continent.”
