According to Uber’s virtual newsroom, starting November 1, 2021, drivers can rent Tesla’s through the Hertz rental program. It should be noted, at the moment the service will only be available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Washington DC, but the company’s plan is for it to reach all of North America. The statement, written by Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of Mobility and Commercial Operations at Uber, mentions, Hertz will make available to drivers up to 50 thousand electric Tesla by 2023. This to be closer to the company’s goal of zero emissions, which for the moment will only take place in the United States.
According to Macdonald, this is the largest expansion of electric vehicles on a mobility platform in North America and one of the largest globally. In addition, company data showed that when rideshare riders go electric, they achieve emissions savings 3 to 4 times greater than the average car owner. Therefore, the benefit is for both parties, driver, customer and environment, as it is an opportunity to increase profits and reduce environmental impact at the same time.
Another incentive is the Green Future program, which offers an extra dollar per trip to drivers who make the transition from diesel to electric cars. Hertz also requires drivers to have a 4.7-star rating and have completed at least 150 trips to be eligible to rent Tesla cars. Macdonald said owning an electric vehicle is more expensive than owning a gasoline-powered one, but the vice president hopes to implement policies that support equitable access to electrification and climate progress through U.S. lawmakers.
Important to mention, on January 12, 2021 Uber announced that 100% of its trips would be made in electric cars by 2030 in the United States, Canada and Europe and until 2040 globally. At that time, Uber did not ask riders to have an electric vehicle and that was when it implemented the Green Future program which offered an extra incentive to drivers who drove a hybrid or electric car.
At that time, Uber considered it difficult to make the millions of people who drive for the company switch to electric vehicles, however in 2021 it will be a fact with Tesla. All this with the intention of reducing the carbon footprint on planet Earth, in order to slow down global warming.
