Vehicle rental giant Hertz and leading global ride-sharing company Uber have announced an European expansion of their North American partnership that will see Hertz make up to 25,000 EVs available to Uber drivers in European capital cities by 2025.
Building on the existing partnership in North America, where nearly 50,000 drivers to date have rented a Tesla through this program, the European expansion will start this month in London, where Hertz will add more than 10,000 EVs by 2025. The goal is to add other European capitals later on, including Paris and Amsterdam in 2023.
Uber said a wide range of suitable electric vehicles will be on offer, including the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2. While pricing will be confirmed once rentals launch in London, the company noted it will be "competitive with other rentals currently offered through Uber partners in the UK."
It will include insurance and maintenance, and drivers will not have to pay congestion or emission-zone charges in London, which is Uber's leading European city for EVs, with more than 7,000 zero-emission vehicles driving 15 percent of Uber's miles there.
Gallery: Hertz and Uber Expand EV Rental Partnership to Europe
In the US deal, Tesla rentals for Uber drivers were said to start at $334 a week, according to Automotive News Europe, including insurance and maintenance; the US fleet consists mostly of Model 3 sedans.
The partnership in North America has already benefited tens of thousands of drivers on the Uber platform. To date, the nearly 50,000 drivers that rented a Tesla through the program completed more than 24 million fully-electric trips and over 260 million electric miles.
"Expanding our partnership with Hertz into Europe will significantly boost our transition to zero-emissions, helping drivers reduce running costs and cleaning up urban transport. We aim to become a 100% electric platform across Europe by 2030."
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO
The partnership is also an essential element of Hertz's strategy to build one of the largest fleets of rental EVs in the world.
"By making EVs available to rideshare drivers, we will not only contribute to reducing emissions in European cities but also expand opportunities for people to experience the benefits of electrification. As Hertz invests to create one of the largest EV fleets globally, our Uber partnership will ensure that we continue to lead in the rapidly-changing mobility landscape across Europe."
Stephen Scherr, Chief Executive Officer at Hertz
