Uber and EVDirect have announced a partnership that will see 10,000 BYD EVs made available to Uber Drivers and Uber Eats delivery people. The a deal marks another step in Uber’s journey to becoming a zero-emissions platform in Australia by 2040.
On the back of two years’ sustained investment to increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the platform, Uber has also launched its first fully-electric product, Comfort Electric, available first to Uber for Business customers.
“In 2020, we announced our ambition to eliminate tailpipe emissions on the Uber platform by 2040, and in 2021, we took a conscious decision as a business to invest ahead of the curve here in Australia,” said Dom Taylor, General Manager of Uber Australia and New Zealand.
“Today we’re thrilled to see our EV flywheel propelling us forward – with our first fully-electric product and a major partnership to make even more EVs available to Uber drivers and delivery people.”
In the third quarter of 2023 alone, more than 1.2 million Uber rides were taken in an EV (that’s an average of 13,000 zero-emissions trips per day). In the same period, there were more than 2,400 EVs operating on the Uber platform – a marked increase from fewer than 100 before Uber started investing in 2021.
Introducing Comfort Electric: Australia’s first fully-electric Uber product
From today, Uber for Business customers will be able to choose a more sustainable ride when it comes to ground travel across the country with the launch of Comfort Electric.
Comfort Electric offers Uber for Business travellers a ride in a fully-electric, premium vehicle with highly-rated drivers suitable for business travel. Comfort Electric is now available for Uber for Business customers across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Adelaide.
With this new fully-electric offering, organisations using Uber for Business can better track emissions reductions across their company’s ground travel via the platform’s sustainability insights dashboard. The dashboard gives companies the ability to track carbon emissions data, view and report on how frequently employees use low-emission trips – providing data that can help corporates work to reduce ground transportation emissions. Uber for Business customers can also access metrics such as total carbon emissions and the percentage of corporate travel trips taken on eco-friendly alternatives, including Comfort Electric and Uber Green.
“Australian businesses are increasingly examining ways to incorporate more sustainable solutions across the corporate travel mix,” said Sarah Forsterling, Acting Head of Uber for Business, Australia and New Zealand.
“Tens of thousands of clients globally have used Uber for Business’ Sustainability Dashboard since its launch in 2022, a platform we provide to customers that helps them easily report on the sustainability impact of corporate travel. We’re excited about how Comfort Electric will help Australian businesses reduce carbon emissions, as well as provide their employees the option to embrace a greener way to travel in style.”
Though Comfort Electric is initially available on Uber for Business, Uber is continuing to invest in EV growth on the platform to launch fully-electric products broadly to consumers as supply becomes available.
New EV incentives for Victorian drivers
Adoption of EVs on the Uber platform in Victoria has been slower than hoped, and to help make it easier for local drivers to make the switch, Uber is announcing an additional 500 places in its Service Fee Reduction program, exclusive to drivers in Victoria. From 1 November, drivers who complete trips on the Uber platform with an EV will have their service fees reduced by 50 percent, up to $3,500 per financial year, through June 2025. Details on the program will be communicated directly to Uber driver partners in the coming days.
