Uber is launching its services “comfort electric” in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dubai, and San Diego. These rides will be providing customers rides in Tesla and Polestar vehicles. The rollout comes after a year of its announcement with Hertz making 50,000 Teslas available for its drivers by 2023.
A unit of Volvo, Polestar has also signed an agreement to supply 65,000 electric cars in the coming five years to Hertz. Uber stated, “As part of Uber’s global commitment to becoming a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2040, we’re continuing to take steps to help you go electric.” In addition to providing its customers with the option, the company is also working on attracting drivers. More features to incentivize drivers who switch to electric vehicles will be introduced. EV cost calculators and charging station locating maps, will all be made available.
New @Uber option starting today in Los Angeles, San Diego and S.F.: Comfort Electric. Get a ride in an EV including Teslas and Polestars. pic.twitter.com/D1qcTp8CwO
— Rich DeMuro (@richontech) May 16, 2022
Furthermore, Uber launches Uber Travel, which is for those customers who will get designed coordination to a booking for each leg of a long journey. This feature is part of the suite which the ride-hailing company announced on Monday. Another interesting rollout is Uber Charter, proving bus bookings for group gatherings. This move is in partnership with bus group US Coachways to facilitate third-party, vetted vehicles and drivers who book them. For bookers, a new voucher program will be introduced to cover the ride costs for their guests.
Increasing profits
And, Uber is also making it possible for sports fans to order food ahead at stadium concessions via Uber Eats or Postmates. Although Uber saw growth in rides and food orders in the first quarter of 2022, the company is still not profitable and has seen its share price dragged down amid the broader sell-off among tech companies. In an email this month obtained by CNBC, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told employees that going forward, the company would have to treat hiring “as a privilege” as it sought to cut costs.
“It’s clear that the market is experiencing a seismic shift and we need to react accordingly,” Khosrowshahi said. Uber launched EV Hub for drivers, saying, “Helping earners go electric is core to our goal of becoming the cleanest mobility platform in the world. That’s why we’ve built an EV Hub in the Uber Driver app, a one-stop-shop where they can get information and incentives to join the electric revolution, and even compare the cost of ownership of an EV with a non-EV.” With such a widely covered plan, Uber appears to be ready for the electric vehicle shift.
