At an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal, Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber Technologies Inc., said that the company is working with EV automakers to design a low-cost special-purpose vehicle for its ride-sharing and delivery business. With an aim to electrify its fleet of vehicles by 2030, in the past as well Uber has taken initiatives such as launching the Uber Green program and recently signing a deal with Hertz rentals.
Uber thinks ride-share cars for ferrying passengers do not require high-speed capabilities in city driving conditions. And if the seating area can have bench seats so that the passengers can face each other, it will promote conversations. Mr. Khosrowshahi said, “I do think that top speeds that many cars have are not required for city driving that’s associated with rideshare. That can reduce the specifications and if you reduce the specs you can reduce the ultimate cost.”
The company is considering smaller and more efficient delivery vehicles with two or three wheels and loads of trunk space. Such a type of vehicle can zip through traffic easily and have a much lower footprint, both in terms of environment and traffic.
In 2021 as well Uber announced it has partnered with the U.K. based electric-vehicle manufacturer Arrival SA to build a tailored vehicle specifically for ride-hailing. But eventually, the startup scrapped this project. However this time around, Mr. Khosrowshahi didn’t disclose which automaker the company is working with. Neither did he provide any timeline for when these optimized EVs might be ready.