Car rental firm Hertz and ride-hailing app Uber have agreed a new partnership to make up to 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) available in major European cities.
The EVs from manufacturers such as Tesla and Polestar will be made available initially to Uber drivers in London from this month, with the goal of expanding the scheme to cities such as Paris and Amsterdam later this year.
Uber and Hertz already have a similar deal in North America, which has allowed around 50,000 Uber drivers to rent Tesla EVs to complete more than 24 million rides.
The new European deal will be a major component of Uber’s goal to become a zero-emissions platform in London by 2025 and then achieve the same status across Europe by 2030.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said: “Climate change is the most urgent global challenge which we must all tackle together – now is the time to accelerate.
“Expanding our partnership with Hertz into Europe will significantly boost our transition to zero-emissions, helping drivers reduce running costs and cleaning up urban transport.”
Stephen Scherr, CEO at Hertz, added that the new European deal “significantly advances” the goal to become more sustainable.
“By making EVs available to rideshare drivers, we will not only contribute to reducing emissions in European cities but also expand opportunities for people to experience the benefits of electrification,” said Scherr.
“As Hertz invests to create one of the largest EV fleets globally, our Uber partnership will ensure that we continue to lead in the rapidly-changing mobility landscape across Europe.”