Uber, the US transport company, is making strides towards its goal of becoming a zero-emissions platform by 2040, and only allowing locally emission-free cars, micromobility, or trips by public transport.
On the four-year anniversary of its low-emission booking option, Uber Green, the ride-hailing platform celebrated a positive outcome. The service, which allows users to book eco-friendly trips in electric, hybrid, and hydrogen vehicles, has been expanded to all 16 Uber cities in Germany, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Cologne. Its increasing popularity in Germany indicates a growing demand for sustainable mobility options. Uber functions as an intermediary platform for mobility, and its efforts to promote eco-friendly travel align with its global commitment to become a zero-emissions platform by 2040.
200 hydrogen Uber vehicles
In a pilot project in Berlin, 200 Toyota Mirai vehicles, Toyota’s electric sedans with fuel cells, are now available to book via Uber. The hydrogen-powered vehicles are part of a partnership with SafeDriver Group, the prime contractor for Germany, whose owner, Thomas Mohnke, is keen on enabling sustainable mobility before cities ban the entry of diesel vehicles to downtown areas. Mohnke has his own fleet of 150 vehicles, 40 of which are hydrogen cars, and he fully backs hydrogen as a suitable technology for shift work. He claims fuel cell cars are “excellent” for their short refueling times and revealed that a separate ordering function for hydrogen cars will soon be integrated into the Uber app.
Uber is investing around five million euros in sustainable mobility in Germany by 2025, aiming to reduce the service fee for electric vehicles. Christoph Weigler, General Manager DACH at Uber, stressed the need for more support from politicians, with the entire industry requiring further return points at the municipal level for providers of electric fleets or exceptions to reconcile the resulting empty runs with the charging times and ranges of electric cars.
In addition to electric vehicles, Uber partners in Germany are increasingly using hydrogen-powered vehicles, making them pioneers in the field of professional passenger transport. Fleet partner SafeDriver Ennoo is testing the use of fuel cell technology vehicles on the Uber platform and is intending to operate the largest fleet of 70 hydrogen-powered vehicles on German roads by the end of the year. The Managing Director of SafeDriver Ennoo, Thomas Mohnke, said that investments in their hydrogen fleet have paid off, with drivers and passengers being enthusiastic about the cars that combine the comfort and acceleration of an electric car with the range and refueling speed of a combustion engine.
Uber’s global commitment to sustainable mobility has resulted in partnerships with the city of Hamburg for the Initiative Zukunftstaxi project, which offers support for taxi partners in Hamburg who choose to purchase fully electric taxis, and a partnership with Aral, which offers partners special conditions when charging their electric cars. The price of booking an eco-friendly ride with Uber Green is fixed before the journey and does not change even if the trip is unexpectedly longer.
With the establishment of a fleet of around 200 hydrogen-powered cars in Berlin, Uber is making a significant contribution to green mobility in Germany. Uber partners and fleet owners in Germany are leading the way in sustainable mobility by adopting new technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells, to meet the demand for eco-friendly transportation. As the company works towards its zero-emissions platform goal, it will continue to collaborate with partners and policymakers to create a cleaner, more sustainable future for the transportation industry.
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