With the introduction of additional electric vehicles, partnerships with fleet operators, increased financing choices, and the opportunity to lease electric vehicles during the booking process, Uber Technologies (UBER.N) is ramping up its green initiatives in India.
Uber announced on Wednesday that in conjunction with the June launch of Uber Green, it would add 25,000 electric cars to its platform through partnerships with fleet suppliers like Lithium, Everest, and Moove.
Along with Zypp Electric, another EV start-up, it plans to release 10,000 electric two-wheelers in Delhi by 2024.
In addition, it has collaborated with the microlender SIDBI to give 10 billion rupees ($122.3 million) in funding to purchase clean vehicles and construct charging stations.
This is in response to BluSmart, a new entry funded by BP’s (BP.L) venture fund that is betting on an all-electric taxi fleet and aggressively courting dissatisfied passengers and drivers from Uber and SoftBank-supported Ola.
According to Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s senior vice president for mobility and business operations, “India’s huge scale and electrification momentum makes the country a priority for Uber as we seek to meet our commitment to electrify every ride on our platform by 2040.”
Uber’s worldwide mobility arrangement with BP Pulse is being extended to India through cooperation with Jio-bp. Together, we can build out new charging infrastructure and make it easier for Uber drivers to use existing networks.
Uber hopes to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, and their plans for a green fleet will help them get there. According to a LinkedIn job posting, Uber plans to purchase more than 1 million electric vehicles in India and South Asia as “a key piece” in its regional expansion strategy.
Its first step toward adopting clean cars came earlier this year when it announced plans to launch EVs in India for ride-sharing. This comes as the Indian government pushes for more public transit and shared mobility electrification.
