Car rental firm Hertz will provide 25,000 electric vehicles to Uber drivers for rent. By 2025 all the vehicles will be provided. The rollout includes Tesla and Polestar, starting with London. More 10,000 EVs will be added by 2025, which Uber drivers will be able to rent.
The program will also be expanded to other European capitals, including Paris and Amsterdam during 2023. Uber said the models on offer would include the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2 and that pricing would be confirmed once rentals launch in London. But the company added pricing “will be competitive with other rentals currently offered through Uber partners in the UK” and will include insurance and maintenance, while drivers will benefit in London from not having to pay congestion or emission-zone charges.
The ride-hailing company said London is currently its leading European city for EVs, with more than 7,000 zero-emission vehicles driving 15% of Uber’s miles in Britain’s capital. The EV rentals build on a partnership where Hertz agreed to provide 50,000 Tesla rentals to Uber drivers in the United States. It is part of Hertz’s strategy to build one of the world’s largest EV rental fleets and Uber’s commitment to becoming a zero-emission platform in Europe and North America by 2030.
Rental EVs
The companies said on Tuesday that to date, nearly 50,000 U.S. Uber drivers have rented a Tesla through the program, so far completing more than 24 million fully-electric trips covering more than 260 million miles (418 million km). In the U.S. deal, Tesla rentals for Uber drivers were said to start at $334 a week, including insurance and maintenance, and consist mostly of the Model 3 sedan.
Building on that success, the rental car company is now partnering with Uber to bring electric vehicles to Europe. “Hertz and Uber today announced a European expansion to their successful North American partnership through which Hertz will make up to 25,000 electric vehicles (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.”
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, commented on the announcement, “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.”
