Uber is looking to improve EV charging options for its drivers and couriers, and so has signed an agreement with C40 Cities to expand charging infrastructure in London (UK), Boston and Phoenix (USA). A deal with Vmoto has also been signed.
The collaboration with C40 Cities will aim to facilitate EV adoption by up to 55,000 high-mileage Uber drivers across the three cities. Specifically, this will target those Uber drivers who don’t currently have access to convenient charging solutions through what Uber calls ‘technical support, research, and policy advocacy’. In other words; data-gathering on charging ‘deserts’ and usage statistics, plus working with local governments to expand infrastructure – rather than installing and operating chargepoints outright.
The company states that, based on driver surveys since 2021, access to charging is now the main obstacle to EV adoption for Uber drivers in the UK and US, so hopes to target this issue specifically through the partnership. Rebecca Tinucci, Uber’s Global Head of Sustainability, said: “We’re proud to partner with C40 and city leaders to help unlock EV infrastructure where it is most needed. Reliable, accessible charging will help accelerate economic opportunity for thousands of drivers and create healthier communities in the process.”
The partnership with C40 follows a £5million investment by Uber in charging infrastructure across three London boroughs with large numbers of drivers resident. The partnership will also take place alongside the launch of its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Estimator (EVIE) tool, which is designed to give “municipal and utility officials” data mapping on where public chargers should be installed. It’s essentially an infrastructure planning solution which Uber claims can help users pinpoint, with <1KM accuracy, locations for new public chargepoints.
Uber states that, across the 40 cities where the EVIE tool is now available, it has identified areas where charging infrastructure is lacking most – specifically “higher density urban areas” like Wembley and Hounslow in London, Maryvale and Eastlake Park in Phoenix, and Dorchester in Boston.
Finally, Uber has also announced it is partnering with the company Vmoto to help its couriers transition to electric motorbikes and e-mopeds through discount schemes, hire purchase agreements, and favourable rates on maintenance and charging. This will cover Uber couriers in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris. The two partners will also collaborate on London’s first battery-swap pilot for e-mopeds in Q3 of 2025, which will allow couriers to quickly swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones at ‘swap stations’ without needing to stop and charge.
C40 Cities describes itself as a ‘global network of mayors’ of major world cities focused on sustainability and energy solutions. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is the co-chair of C4 Cities, while Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is the Vice-Chair – which partially explains the locations that have been selected for the partnership with Uber.
uber.com, c40.org
