Uber customers in eight more cities can request an EV - including Birmingham
Uber customers in eight more UK cities can book an electric vehicle (EV), the ride-hailing app company said as it revealed by how far it had missed its target for going all-electric in London.
Passengers in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Belfast and Merseyside – including Liverpool – can request a trip in an EV when one is nearby from Tuesday.
Journeys in an electric Uber car cost the same as those in a standard UberX vehicle.
The company failed in its ambition for all its cars in London to be electric by the end of 2025, despite saying as recently as April 2022 it was “on track” to meet the target.
It said “over 40%” of miles travelled on Uber journeys in the capital are in EVs, as it blamed access to chargers for limiting the rollout of the cars.
Andrew Brem, general manager for Uber in the UK, said: “We’re delighted to bring Uber Electric to eight new cities across the UK and offer even more people an emissions-free trip at the same price as an UberX.
“It’s clear that electric is better for riders, drivers and cities, but access to charging is the biggest barrier for drivers thinking about making the switch to electric.
“Uber is helping to unlock more charging infrastructure in the UK, making charging easier and bringing down costs for drivers.”
The company has announced a series of measures in relation to EV chargers, including discounted home and public charging, a new advice service covering when and where drivers should charge, and financial guarantees of chargepoint utilisation.
Debbie Foley, chief revenue officer with chargepoint operator Pod – which is partnering with Uber, said it is “bringing electric living into the mainstream and enabling cleaner transport across UK cities”.