Uber and Kia Europe are teaming up to offer drivers in 20 European markets deals on buying, leasing, financing or renting Kia’s e-Niro and e-Soul, the latest move by the ride-hailing giant to achieve its emissions goals.
Kia e-Soul was considered as a family vehicle, and it’s boxy body makes it consistent with a smaller London Taxi.
Uber has committed to being a zero-emission mobility platform across Europe by 2030, and hopes to get up to 30,000 Uber drivers into Kia’s BEV range by then. Kia is the latest in Uber’s collection of automakers offering its drivers discounted rates on electric cars. In May, Uber also announced a partnership with EV manufacturer Arrival to create a purpose-built electric car for ride-hail drivers, and in September 2020, Uber partnered with GM to give Canadian and American drivers discounts to the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt.
To keep up with regulation, Uber is also targeting to have more than 100,000 electric vehicles across its European platform by 2025 and 50 per cent of miles driven in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris to be in zero-emissions vehicles.
Kia product plan includes 11 new BEV by 2026, and this strategy will help them to get these cars more popular.
In UK, Kia is giving drivers a discount of around 8 per cent on its vehicles to finance, when Nissan gives 13 per cent, and even Hyundai 22 per cent.
However, it seems drivers are taking advantage of the discounts and other incentives, like 5% financing interest rates and the Clean Air Fee, which collects 3p (4¢) per ride to put toward the cost of an EV and has saved London drivers an average of £3,000 (€3,500), according to the company.
Uber also plans to continue expansion of Uber Green, which allows riders to request a lower emissions vehicle and drivers to get a reduced 15 per cent service fee for each Uber Green trip, across Europe to 60 cities by the end of the year.
