Uber Green to ditch hybrids and go electric-car only
10/10/2024 09:24 PM
The rideshare giant's platform's low-emission offering will drop hybrids in Australia by April 2025 to become electric vehicles only.
Rideshare platform Uber has announced its low-emission Uber Green option will be electric-vehicle only from April 2025.
Uber Green was introduced in Australia in June 2023 as a low-emission alternative to UberX, enabling customers to pay the same rate as UberX for a journey in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV).
At Uber’s second annual 'climate event' in London, United Kingdom (UK) – Go-Get Zero – the company announced Uber Green will be exclusively battery-electric cars as it reaffirms its goal of zero emissions by 2040.
Australian Uber users will also be able to choose a more luxurious electric vehicle with Comfort Electric, however, this will remain more expensive than Uber Green's parity pricing with UberX.
"While we've made significant progress in electrifying our platform – on average, there are more than 25,000 rides happening in an EV [Electric Vehicle] each day," said Emma Foley, Managing Director of Uber Australia and New Zealand.
Uber says an average of 2400 zero-emissions trips are taken each day on its rideshare platform in Australia.
During the third-quarter (July-August-September) of 2024, five-percent of the kilometres covered by an Uber in Australia were completed by electric vehicles – with 2.3 million trips taken in the period across all Uber journeys.
In 2020, Uber announced its goal of zero emissions by 2040, aiming for "100 per cent of rides and deliveries globally are in zero-emission vehicles or through micromobility or public transit".
Earlier in 2024 Uber Australia launched a partnership with Car Empire – a used car dealership specialising in imports – enabling its Uber and Uber Eats drivers working in Brisbane and Gold Coast to have the opportunity to purchase or finance a second-hand Nissan Leaf.
It has now expanded this program from a second-hand Nissan Leaf to include more electric vehicles including the MG MG4, Kia EV6 and Volvo EX30.
The post Uber Green to ditch hybrids and go electric-car only appeared first on Drive.
