Uber drivers in London looking to buy or lease a new electric vehicle will now be able to choose a Tesla as part of an Uber incentive scheme aimed at tackling pollution in England’s capital.
According to a Reuters report – though seemingly not confirmed in any official Uber statement – Tesla cars are now available to Uber drivers in London as part of the company’s Clean Air Plan.
Uber announced its Clean Air Plan back in late-2018 which would tack on a 15-pence (A28 cents) per mile fee to every ride to help Uber drivers buy an environmentally friendly vehicle from partners such as Nissan and Kia.
The level of discount available to Uber drivers would be based on the amount they drive and could add up to as much as £3,000 (about $A5,500) in two years’ time. The scheme has so far raised more than £135 million, according to Reuters.
And now Uber drivers will be able to choose to use their accrued discount money on a Tesla, after the American EV giant joined the scheme last week.
Already over 4,000 Uber drivers have switched to EVs in London, increasing the number of London-based electric vehicles available on the ridesharing app to the highest share than any other major global city.
“There is still a lot of work to do to drive a green recovery and clean up urban transport, but the progress we are seeing in London is significant and as a city we are leading the way globally,” said Uber’s Northern and Eastern Europe boss Jamie Heywood, as quoted by Reuters.
Uber passengers are also able to request an all-electric vehicle instead of a regular ICE vehicle in London. The Uber Green service was announced earlier this year and is available in London’s Zone 1 – which includes the suburb of Westminster and several smaller neighbourhoods.
Tesla’s participation in the Uber Clean Air Plan marks yet another headline for the company, just over a week after the company agreed to sell as many as 150,000 electric Model 3s to car rental giant Hertz – which includes 350 coming to Australia.
Though there was no official contract or agreement signed between the two companies – a point Tesla CEO Elon Musk was quick to make on his personal Twitter account – Hertz revealed that it would purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3s.
Hertz announced only a few days later that it was set to provide up to 50,000 Tesla EVs to Uber drivers by 2023 – a number that could increase to 150,000 by 2024.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.