Uber customers in London can now order a fully electric vehicle for the first time following an agreement between the transport company and car manufacturers Nissan and BYD.
The first electric cars were launched on the app on Wednesday with Uber planning to make more than 50 available in the capital by the end of September. Top-rated drivers on the app will be offered the electric vehicles (EVs), which will include a mix of BYD E6s and Nissan Leafs, at better rates.
A three month study of the EVs will be conducted by the Energy Saving Trust to investigate the feasibility of running large numbers of electric private hire vehicles in the UK. In particular, the EST will research the experience, driving patterns and economics of private hire drivers using electric cars, and the capacity of London’s current network of charging points to support these vehicles.
If successful, Uber expects to have hundreds more on its app next year and is already planning to introduce EVs to at least one other UK city this autumn.
Jo Bertram, regional general manager of Uber in the UK, said: “People already associate Uber with hybrid cars, but we now want to go a big step further with fully electric cars on the road from today.
“Of course there are challenges ahead. A bigger roll out of fully electric cars needs a good network of charging points and the economics must add up for drivers too. That’s why the three-month study by the Energy Saving Trust is so important. We look forward to seeing the results and sharing the findings with the government, Transport for London and the Mayor.”
Uber has already adopted a significant number of low emission vehicles in London, with 60% of journey miles in London already taking place in hybrid cars.
Andrew Benfield, group director of transport at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with Uber to help realise and build upon their ambition to add a significant number of electric vehicles to their app. We hope that this trial represents an important step in Uber’s contribution towards the wider efforts to improve air quality in the capital – the benefits of which will be felt by all.”
As well as the environmental benefits for London in helping to tackle its critical air pollution levels, wider adoption of EVs – particularly in the fleet sector – can offer businesses significant financial savings.
A study carried out by Lex AutoLease found that with the Nissan LEAF Acenta, the monthly saving over a Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Zetec S is £77 a month. That equates to almost £3,700 over a four-year operating cycle and almost £37,000 on a fleet of only 10 cars
Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said: “We’re pleased to see such a well-known company embrace electric vehicles. With running costs from as little as 2p per mile, electric cars have never been more popular with UK drivers. The Uber electric vehicle programme will help grow public interest in zero emission technology – and we’re excited to see the results.”