Uber

Uber is expanding its electric vehicle rides through its new “Comfort Electric” option to more cities, and since most of its electric rides come from Tesla vehicles, the ride-hailing company has started sending notifications about how to open Tesla door handles, which can be confusing for first-time riders.

Uber announced that 15,000 Tesla vehicles are already in the hands of its drivers in more than 30 US cities through its deal with Hertz to expand access to electric vehicles.

Following a partnership announced in late 2021, Motional has begun end-to-end food deliveries for Uber Eats in Southern California using its autonomous IONIQ 5 robotaxi EVs. The pilot program marks the first autonomous deliveries for Motional’s robotaxis and the first autonomous vehicles used on the Uber Eats network.

Uber has launched a new product called “Comfort Electric” to get people to ride in electric vehicles, more specifically the Tesla and Polestar vehicles that the ride-sharing companies have been helping its drivers get.

London announced that it is providing funding to deploy a fleet of Tesla Model 3 vehicles through a vehicle subscription service to be available for private hire drivers such as Uber.

Following the partnership announced earlier this year, Arrival has now shared a first look at its Car EV, designed specifically for rideshare drivers with Uber’s help. The Arrival Car features a hood to rear panoramic roof, foldable front seat, and passenger legroom that the automaker claims is greater than a Rolls Royce.

Following a successful pilot program in Africa, Uber and EV developer Opibus have entered into a strategic partnership to promote EV adoption across the continent. As part of the agreement, Opibus will provide 3,000 of its unique electric motorcycles to support Uber’s growing demand for emissions-free drivers across the continent.

Tesla vehicles are being added to Uber’s new scheme to accelerate the electrification of its London fleet through “a clean air fee.”

Hertz CEO Mark Fields revealed that its deal to supply Tesla vehicles to Uber includes an option for 100,000 more Tesla Model 3s, which would double its total order to 200,000 vehicles.

Uber announced a deal with Hertz for its drivers to have access to 50,000 Tesla vehicles through the rental company.

EV startup Arrival has announced a new partnership with Uber to design and develop a purpose-built EV specifically for ride-share drivers. Arrival plans to invite Uber’s drivers to participate in the design process to ensure this new “Arrival Car” meets their needs. The new partnership also looks to further a strategic relationship together in primary markets like the UK and the EU.

Uber announced its plan to accelerate the transition to electric cars with $800 million to help its drivers go electric.

However, it only aims for 100% of drives to be electric by 2040.

Uber and Hyundai partnered on a new electric air taxi and unveiled a new eVTOL electric aircraft with a 60-mile (100 km) range and a cruising speed up to 180 mph (290 km/h).

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In November, Los Angeles-based clean technology leaders announced its Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap 2.0. At the time, Mayor Eric Garcetti called for a 25% reduction in air pollution by 2028. Today the Financial Times is reporting that Los Angeles may now force Uber and Lyft to use electric cars.

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Uber and EVgo announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate on electrifying rideshare programs.  The announcement came as part of a Climate Week event in San Francisco.

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One of Tesla’s future plans is to roll out a network of self-driving “robotaxis,” dubbed “Tesla Network.”  In today’s Tesla shareholder meeting, CEO Elon Musk fielded a question from a shareholder about the possibility of having a human-driven rideshare fleet prior to the rollout of Tesla Network.

This would be similar to Uber/Lyft or other rideshare services, but driven through an owner’s own Tesla app which they already have installed.

Musk seemed responsive to the idea, stating that while the end goal is to have autonomous ridesharing, this might be a good stopgap prior to Tesla gaining regulatory approval for their robotaxi fleets.

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Uber has been working on autonomous vehicles for years. However, they’ve always been of the four-wheeled variety. Now it appears that the ridesharing giant is focusing on autonomous electric bicycles and scooters as well.

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Jump, an electric bicycle sharing service, was scooped up by Uber last year. The ride-sharing giant used Jump as its first foray into the booming micro-mobility industry.

Now Jump has released a totally redesigned electric bicycle that focuses on usability, reliability and user interface upgrades. This new model could change the way people think about shared electric bicycles.

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Personal urban transportation, including one-person electric vehicles designed for cities, is a rapidly growing industry. Though cars are great multi-use vehicles for suburban and rural environments, commuters are now discovering that densely populated urban centers can be better served with smaller, purpose built transportation solutions such as electric bicycles and e-scooters.

Now with an increasing number of options in the market for affordable personal electric transportations, these little EVs are becoming popular alternatives in cities around the country.

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Announced by the company today, Uber has bought the ebike sharing company Jump for reportedly around $100M to $200M.  This could be a boon for ebike sharing and it has everything to do with Uber’s *uber* popular app and the integration of “ebiking” as a cheaper, more fun, and often quicker option than calling a car. Oh, and without fossil fuels…

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