Uber has reportedly announced it aims to push forward with its emission-free mission by working with Tesla to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, Uber's senior vice president of mobility and business operations, Andrew Macdonald, the company has talked to drivers about the two biggest challenges they face when switching to electric cars: the expense of ownership and the lack of easily accessible charging stations. As to the article, Tesla and the ride-hailing service are working together to address these problems.
Uber will reportedly campaign for the use of EVs by giving its riders, in addition to the current federal tax credits, special purchase incentives for Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y, worth up to $2,000. As for the inaccessibility of charging stations, Uber has also shared its driver's data to Tesla to ensure that charging stations for these EVs are more accessible and available to its drivers.
Uber's Efforts
Axios, reporting on the same story, states that starting in New York City, Uber has started to share data with Tesla on the majority of the destinations visited by its drivers. This will make it easier to see where the greatest demand for charging infrastructure is. Uber hopes to have an impact on the construction of the upcoming wave of Tesla Superchargers by sharing travel data.
The information will highlight the locations where drivers may profit from access to overnight charging, but it will be compiled and anonymised to protect the privacy of specific driver addresses.
In addition to the purchasing incentives, Axios states that federal tax credits of up to $7,500 are available for U.S. EV purchasers. Uber drivers who choose to buy a new Model 3 or Model Y directly from Tesla will receive a referral code. To be eligible, the drivers must accept delivery by March 31 and finish 100 trips by May 15.
This is not the first time that Uber has partnered with Tesla to boost EV adoption as back in December, as per Yahoo news, Uber's car marketplace, where drivers can buy new or used electric vehicles, included Tesla as a partner. Depending on a driver's grade, the business gave discounts on Model 3 and Model Y automobiles ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.
This reportedly came shortly after Hertz halted its plans to buy additional Tesla electric vehicles due to unforeseen issues with their Uber agreement. Although Teslas are well-liked by drivers, the report states that maintaining EVs could be more expensive due to its advanced safety and technological features.
Uber's Zero Emission Mission
Uber stated last November that drivers who use the Uber app are adopting electric vehicles at a rate that is almost six times faster than that of the whole population in Europe and over seven times greater than that of the U.S. and Canada.
Reuters adds that Uber has 74,000 current EV drivers as of last year in the US, Canada, and Europe.
