Uber to ban petrol and diesel cars in North America and Europe by 2030
Uber plans to exclude ICE cars from its taxi fleet from 2030, the ride-hailing company’s CEO has confirmed.
“We have a target to be fully electric in the US, Canada and Europe,” said Dara Khosrowshahi in an interview with CBS News.
When asked if drivers of “gas-powered” cars – which includes hybrids such as the ubiquitous Toyota Prius – would be allowed, Khosrowshahi replied: “No, if we’re doing our job, we’re gonna be all-electric.”
Uber previously joined EV makers including Arrival, Lucid, Rivian and Tesla – among numerous others – in launching the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a group lobbying for 100 per cent EV sales in the US by 2030.
In 2018, Uber confirmed plans for its London fleet to go EV-only by 2025; and in April 2022, it announced that it was on track to have 10,000 EVs operating in London by the end of the year.
The switch poses a significant challenge for Uber drivers given the cost of EVs. Meanwhile, budget-oriented four-door EVs such as the MG ZS EV is priced at just under $50,000..
Uber previously partnered with Arrival to produce a dedicated car for its operators, expected to be offered through a leasing scheme, but the latter halted the project in August to save cash as its share price dipped.
