Uber's new incentive for thousands of electric vehicle drivers amid plan to eliminate petrol cars

Uber will boost Australia's electric-vehicle market by offering incentives to 2,500 drivers to ditch petrol guzzlers in an investment worth $26 million.

An electric vehicle parked at a charging station.

A Hyundai KONA Electric at a EV charge station in Crows Nest, Sydney. Rideshare company Uber is cutting service fees for some drivers who use electric vehicles. Source: Getty / Brendon Thorne

Uber is slashing service fees by 50 per cent for 2,500 drivers who use electric vehicles over the next three years.

The rideshare platform announced the $26 million private sector investment in Australia's electric-vehicle market on Wednesday, as part of its global commitment to reach by 2040.

Uber's Australia and New Zealand general manager Dom Taylor said the digital economy company wants to eliminate from its service by 2030.

Australia lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to the takeup of electric vehicles, which account for less than one per cent of the million new cars sold every year.
"We are coming from behind the pack ... We need investment from the private sector," Mr Taylor told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.

"We have to drive a mass adoption in the uptake of electric vehicles ... quickly over the next eight years.

"And that's why we need public and private the private sector to come together and help drive signals to the global market that Australia is real when it comes to electric vehicles."

Uber is offering a 50 per cent service fee reduction for a limited number of Australian drivers using electric cars until mid-2025.

Drivers could save up to $3,500 a year before any savings on fuel costs, it estimates.
The incentive is restricted to the first 2,500 drivers who already drive a battery-electric car using the Uber app or new drivers with electric cars.

NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean said governments and the private sector needed to work together to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

"A key part of this is ensuring that we accelerate the use of more sustainable transport options," he said.

"It's great to see big businesses like Uber invest heavily in the industry and this initiative will help to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles with rideshare drivers in a cost-effective way.

"Together with support from private companies, (that) will lay the foundation for an EV revolution across the state."

Share
Published 8 June 2022 9:52am
Source: AAP, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world