Renault and Nissan partner with Uber to encourage EV adoption
Renault Zoe will be offered to Uber drivers alongside sister brand Nissan's Leaf
Three firms will work together to electrify mobility service provider's fleets in seven European cities
Renault and Nissan have entered into a new partnership with ride-sharing service Uber as part of a shared drive to promote electric vehicle adoption in Europe.
The car makers have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the mobility giant, and will “explore a strong partnership to provide partner drivers on the Uber App with affordable electric vehicles in European markets, notably in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Portugal”.
Earlier this year, Nissan confirmed that it would supply 2000 Leaf EVs to Uber’s London drivers in order to help the mobility service achieve its goal of operating a fully electric fleet in the city by 2025.
The new agreement comes as Uber announces that half of all miles driven by its fleets in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Lisbon and Madrid will be in electric vehicles by 2025. These seven capital cities account for 80% of all Uber’s European business, and will offer passengers the chance to actively select a zero-emission vehicle by the end of next year.
As part of the new joint venture, Nissan and Renault will offer their Leaf and Zoe electric cars to Uber drivers, likely at a discounted price (the existing London initiative gives Uber drivers around £4500 off the list price of a Leaf) and launch a joint marketing and education initiative alongside Uber to educate partner drivers as to the potential benefits of EVs.
The scheme will be extended from London into France by the end of this year, before being rolled out into the other target capital cities.
Currently, Uber passengers in London pay a 15p ‘Clean Air Fee’ when riding with Uber to help fund the electrification of the company’s 45,000-vehicle fleet in the city.
Gilles Normand, senior vice-president for EVs and mobility services at Renault, said: “This MoU with Uber is an acknowledgement of our ability to conquest new markets and to support professionals in their energy transition. Today, we capitalise on our competitive advantage: an attractive EV-offer that contributes to large scale electric mobility roll-out.”
Renault and Nissan are not the first car makers to partner with Uber. In 2018, rival firm Toyota invested £388m in the mobility service provider’s autonomous vehicle development programme, and two years previously Volvo and Uber worked together on a series of driverless car trials in Pittsburgh, USA.
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