If you’ve found your way into an electric vehicle, you’ll know about a bunch of benefits, including a quieter driving experience, snappy performance and dramatically lower operating costs.
For those with EVs, Uber made an announcement this week of a $26 million investment into Australia’s electric-vehicle market, committing to encourage the conversion to the use of battery-electric vehicles on its platform.
From the 1st of July 2022, Uber will reduce its service fees by 50% for driver-partners using eligible battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the platform until June 30, 2025.
Given how difficult it is to buy an EV right now in Australia due to limited supply and increasing demands, if you have one already, you’re in a great position to take advantage of this for 3 years.
If you’re wondering which EVs are on the list of supported vehicles that are eligible for this discount, it’s really quite simple. Any battery-electric vehicle which also meets our other vehicle requirements, such as our 5 star ANCAP rating, will be eligible for a reduced service fee and more details can be found at Uber.com
This follows the success of a 12 month trial of reduced service fees for BEV driver-partners which ran from July 2021 to June 2022.
This announcement aligns with Uber’s commitment to transitioning all rides to zero-emission vehicles or through micromobility and public transport, by 2040.
At Uber we believe the future of transport is shared and electric and we are committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in Australia. This investment is about providing incentives to help driver-partners make the switch to electric, and the results from the past year have been phenomenal,
The number of driver-partners using EVs on the platform has almost quadrupled, with five times as many EV trips being taken now than before we began the initiative, equating to over 500 tonnes of C02 emissions saved.
So we know this approach is producing results and we also know that driver-partners want the program extended. We want to do our bit – we’ve listened to them and have extended this initiative for another three years.
said Dom Taylor, GM Rides, Uber Australia and New Zealand.
In April last year, Uber announced a service fee reduction of 50% for BEV driver-partners taking trips on the platform from July 1 2021 to June 30 2022, which has driven huge increases in green trips.
Here are the results from the 12-month trial:
- Over 378,000 EV trips completed
- EV driver-partners on the platform have increased 4 times nationally
- Monthly EV trips have increased nearly 5 times nationally
- Approx 502 tonnes of CO2 has been saved (the equivalent of planting 16,000 trees)
- EV driver-partners saved an average of $5.5K AUD from a combination of service fees and fuel savings over the last 12 months
Australia lags behind the rest of the world in electric vehicle adoption, with EVs still only accounting for less than 2% of new car sales.
Mr. Taylor went on to say one electric vehicle on the Uber platform can help the equivalent of 100 riders a month get from A to B, with rideshare drivers realising three to four times greater emissions savings compared to average car owners.
We want to work with governments, vehicle manufacturers and key stakeholders in the industry to accelerate the rate of EV adoption across Australia so that together we can create a more sustainable transport future.
“Governments and the private sector need to work together to achieve net zero by 2050 and a key part of this is ensuring that we accelerate the use of more sustainable transport options. It’s great to see big businesses like Uber invest heavily in the industry and this initiative will help to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles with rideshare drivers in a cost-effective way.
NSW has a nation-leading EV strategy and our commitment to tax reform and government rebates, together with support from private companies, will lay the foundation for an EV revolution across the State.”
Matthew Kean, NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy said:
“Australians understand that electric vehicles help clean the air, cut carbon emissions, and reduce our dependence on imported oil, meaning they are keen to see more on our roads. What we know is the best way to support people going electric is to take a ride in or drive one. Once you experience the performance of an electric car, there’s no going back. That’s what makes Uber’s initiative so great – not only will it help drivers go electric, but it will provide riders with an opportunity to experience new sustainable innovation.”
Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council
