Uber on Tuesday announced that It will be investing $260 million to help all of its drivers in London transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025.
The company unveiled plans to combat air pollution in the British capital, “By providing a fee of 15 cents per mile on every London booked trip, incentive payments to its drivers, and a diesel scrap scheme.
Uber said “The 15 pence “clean air rate” will help finance its switch to electric cars.” “with a penny of each levy charged toward driver incentives as well as other clean air schemes,” it added.
Uber will pay its drivers a certain amount to help them pay for electric vehicles, depending on the number of miles they have used in the company’s application. “For example, a driver who uses the application for an average of 40 hours a week can expect about 3,000 pounds of support for a VE in two years and 4,500 pounds in three years,” the company said in a statement.
The company expects 20,000 drivers to upgrade to electric vehicles by the end of 2021.
In addition, Uber will start a diesel scrapping scheme to remove 1,000 of the most polluting cars on the streets of London, the company said. The initiative will award the first 1,000 Londoners to discard diesel vehicles prior to the Euro 4 standard – a minimum emission standard set by the European Union in 2005 — up to 1,500 pounds in credits to spend on tours within the Uber application.
The company said it is working with several electric vehicles charging providers, including BP’s ChargeMaster, EO Charging, EVBox, and Franklin Energy, to help drivers find a charging point. The company says it has partnered with ChargePoint from the United States to give its drivers access to charging stations in central London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has prioritized cleaning the city’s dirty air and should impose a daily charge of £12.50 on drivers of older gasoline and diesel vehicles, polluting, in April. Dubbed the “ultra-low emission zone,” the area covered by the rate – which is added to the top of an existing congestion charge – will also expand to more roads in the inner area from October 2021 onward.
“The mayor of London has set a bold vision to combat air pollution in the capital, and we are determined to do everything we can to support it,” Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.
“Our 200 million pounds clean air plan is a long-term investment in London’s future destined to be fully electric in the capital by 2025. Over time, our goal is to help people replace their cars with their phones. Of mobility — be it cars, bicycles, scooters or public transport – all in the Uber application. “